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Rochester, New York
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Orient, Ohio
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 exterior buttress
[#2] Posted: 10/25/2004 - 1:22:27 PM |  |  |
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The exterior pilasters as shown in the photo are to strengthen the wall in those locations. If the house floor is installed before backfilling it makes the foundation wall double thickness and requires a lot more pressure before the foundation wall will deflect and crack. There may be other pilasters on the other walls but the the tops may be hidden. The one in the photo could easily be removed.
Of course proper backfill material and reinforcing are needed. Hard to tell what they did without X-ray vision.
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| David A. Inspecting Columbus, Ohio |
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Comer, GA
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exterior buttress
[#3] Posted: 10/27/2004 - 05:57:57 AM | | |
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Chad,
What this looks like to me is a spot footing for something like a deck or maybe a cold frame or a planter box that has been removed. A 45 yr. old house can go thru some changes.
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Orient, Ohio
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exterior buttress
[#4] Posted: 10/27/2004 - 8:26:48 PM | | |
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Jim could be correct. Things do get changed through the years, and I have installed them for slab or porch support. I still think the one in the photo was installed to strengthen the wall. I've installed those in walls that were interlocked every other course and they looked as if they had never been installed; if you looked only at the inside of the wall. The top block visible in the photo could easily become loose, move, and leak because it's not interlocked. We usually left the top block off unless it were intercoursed with the wall, and sealed it beneath the grade. They may have done that on the other walls. They may have installed pilasters inside for support of the beam.
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| David A. Inspecting Columbus, Ohio |
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Springfield, NJ
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exterior buttress
[#5] Posted: 10/27/2004 - 8:28:45 PM | | |
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I agree with Jim. This was probably a support for something that was removed or possibly planned and never built. Typically, pilasters are installed along the interiors of the foundation walls when there are concerns about the height of unbalanced fill.
Exterior pilasters that are not integral into the foundation wall would be useless. It is like installing a support post on top of a girder instead of underneath.
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Steven C. Hockstein, AIA
www.AHMArchitects.com |
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buttress.jpg
