Structural question: Can I get your opinion?

Question

Hello! I just put my first property under contract! A 4 unit, and am having the general inspection tomorrow, trying to get a structural engineer out ASAP to have a look at this but I figured I'd try and get your opinion too.

The entire building looks great structure-wise with the exception of the back above the 2 garage doors. The picture where it's exposed is the only thing showing, he had covered up the rest of what's probably the same issue. (the plan is to remove it while a structural engineer is on-site)

Would this be something super concerning or what would you guys think of this? Thanks in advance!

Chris Derbyshire · Answer

Hey there! I'm a construction manager with a degree in civil engineering, we see this literally all the time, especially in heavy freeze thaw areas and it looks like you have snow on the ground. Fun fact about concrete at the bottom of the beam, it's not nearly as important as you'd think, the rebar is carrying the load. Yours looks like its in good shape but you need to check a couple things. First is deflection, use the other side to compare to. Check the elevation of the corner and the middle to get the deflection of the good side then do the same to the spalled side (use a rotary laser, ground might not be flat). They should be pretty close (+/- 1" max). Next check for cracking. Your eyes aren't good enough to do this (no ones is), buy a $5 crack card and check the widths and length of the cracks. 0.006" to 0.014" is normally fine but fill them in with epoxy to prevent rusting and water freezing and expanding in there again. Anything over 0.014" is concerning but a carbon fiber wrap should help. Cracking should stop at the mid point of the beam (that's where the concrete goes from tension to compression in most cases). If you have compression cracking you may need to replace the beam (cracking above the mid point).

When you get a contractor to fix it make sure they drill and dowel some #3s or at the very least some forming spikes with tie wire strung between them, you need something for the patch to grab onto otherwise it'll just fall off in a year or two. Also have them apply a bonding agent, Sikadur32 is great.

Good Luck!

When you get a contractor to fix it make sure they drill and dowel some #3s or at the very least some forming spikes with tie wire strung between them, you need something for the patch to grab onto otherwise it'll just fall off in a year or two. Also have them apply a bonding agent, Sikadur32 is great.

Good Luck!

Waylon Zook · Answer

@Tyler Tacy it appears the steel is rusting inside the concrète which is normal and causing some cracking and spalling. From the pic I would say it is of no immediate concern or danger. As someone said plan on doing something in the next 5-50 years.

It is a bit difficult to decsribe but imagine the brick stairstepping up from each side of the doorway in the shape of a V. Those lintels are not carrying each brick above it, only the ones inside the V.

You do have a engineer coming to take a look so heed his advice but bear in mind they tend to err on the side of caution (nothing wrong with that).

Matt Clark · Answer

@Tyler Tacy, unfortunately it looks to me like that cast-in-place concrete above the door carries the weight of the brick above it. It’s failing because of improper placement of the reinforcing steel at the time it was poured. If not repaired it will continue to degrade and eventually lead to significant cracking of the brick above. Curious to hear what the engineer says.

Tyler Tacy · Answer

Update: So the structural engineer came out and in a nutshell said it just needed to be patched up properly. We had removed all the other flashing to see what was behind it all and it was similar to what was exposed. He said the rebar still looks in good shape, needs to have the rust removed and painted with enamel paint or something. (report coming soon with products for me to use) walked around the entire property and inside the basement and explained every little crack that was there and said overall the structure of the property looks very good.

Going to be proceeding with this property and hopefully closing on my first rental soon!

Victor S. · Answer

Good advice all around. One thing to note, tho. An engineer does not have any financial interest beyond his set fee in your property. A foundation contractor does. I bet the rain/moisture doesn't help this issue, so if anything, I'd make the necessary repairs and then monitor the situation.

Will Fraser · Answer

It's my pleasure, Tyler!  If you don't already have a trustworthy foundation contractor in the area, I would recommend NOT googling it to find the person, nor asking retail real estate agents.  These recommendations can be all over the place and have about equal success as a phone book.

Rather, I'd ask savvy real estate investors in that market and see who keeps popping up.

Will Fraser · Answer

I would not be very concerned personally, @Tyler Tacy.  I'd defer to a foundational company worthy of trust in the area specifically to speak to what is normal, but country-wide brick over a double garage door is a spot prone to settling and even some sagging.  When you add a brick 2nd story above it and you have a LOT of weight pushing down on a very wide steel (probably) lintel that will deflect over time.

The solutions vary, but are not super fun.  I'd only do this if truly needed, which is what I would want my trustworthy foundation contractor to weigh in on.

Ultimately it may be a "watch and see how it changes over time" scenario that you know needs to be attended to in the next 5-50 years.

Will Fraser · Answer

Coming your way right now!

Jai Reddy · Answer

@Will Fraser

Will, can you please recommend a trustworthy structural engineer in OKC? You may DM me the contact information. Thanks

Structural question: Can I get your opinion?

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