Fire damaged foundation and protecting foundation over winter

9 years ago

Hi there everyone. We had a massive house fire in September and sadly our home a total loss. Because we live in a remote area the firefighters had a very hard time getting water to the site. The entire house was engulfed in flames and the structure then fell into the basement. The only thing standing is the chimney. We had a contractor come out to clean out the debris last week. It is now December. I have a few questions. 1) what do you experts out there think about reusing the foundation? The house was built in 1998 so it is not that old but there appear to be a lot of cracks. 2) now that the foundation has been cleared of debris, how do we protect it from frost damage? We love in New England. Your suggestions are much appreciated. My husband I are very worried about water getting into the basement, odor, resale value int the future and possible structural problems if the foundation is reused. Thank you

Comments (3)

User
9 years ago
I would ask a structural engineer, but if there are cracks in the foundation, I would not trust it to build on.

The fires heat most probably affected the foundation, spalling and cracking it. That means most of the load bearing properties are gone and useless.

No point in protecting it just to demo it later.
live_wire_oak
9 years ago
The rebar and other reinforcements in the concrete expand and contract at different rates. That's not a problem with the usual minimal stable temperature ranges, but creates large enough cracks during a fire that it renders the foundation unsound for future bearing use. Not to mention the heat damaged plumbing contained within or under the slab also cannot be re-used. I'm sorry for your loss.
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bus_driver
9 years ago
My concern would be the pressures from the soil backfill. Normally, the floor decking secured to the foundation plus the weight of the house helps stabilize the top of the foundation walls. At the moment, all of that is missing. Bracing of the walls to prevent inward movement is important.