The soil around one corner of my home has subsided for about 12-18 inches. For a length of about 10-15 feet the top of the basement wall is exposed.
Is it safe to leave it like this or should I dump a load of dirt to raise the ground level?
Don't fall in !
F Russell snipped-for-privacy@random.info wrote
Depends on why it has subsided like that.
If there is a sink hole there, the whole house could end up in the hole when it gets a lot worse.
If that happened quickly, you may need an engineer. If the soil got washed away you many need gutter work.
Otherwise, the ground must slope away from your house. Fill it in.
The house was built on this suburban lot about 60 years ago.
The subsidence has been very slow. In fact it is a not an uncommon occurrence. Concrete driveways sometimes subside and there are companies that offer a "pump it up" solution as a cheaper alternative to replacement.
I'm not concerned about sinkholes. I just want to know if exposing 12-18" of the top basement wall poses any problem.
I'd want to know why before you get serious foundation damage. In Florida there has been a lot of sink holes that actually swallowed up entire houses. You may need professional help.
If nothing else, I'd drive a long rod into the ground to see if it hits an open spot.
You don't want water pooling near the foundation and possibly seeping in so once you find out why it happened, fill it to slope away from the house.
On Sat, 11 Jul 2020 16:57:52 -0400, Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us to digest...
+1
That wouldn't make any difference.
Slow is a good sign, I'd still want to understand why that dirt left. A 12-18 inch hole near the house should be collecting water, that's NOT good. Fill it in. If there is a surface water issue, dig a trench, add gravel, a perforated pipe, etc. Check YouTube for fixing drainage issues.
Sounds like it's a hole that's ugly and can fill with water. The ground should be graded away from the house. Fill it in. I'd check where the gutter water is going. Get out there in a heavy rain, you may find it's not flowing where you think it is. I had water coming into a spot in my basement, everything looked OK outside when it wasn't raining. Went out in a heavy rain and realized water was backing up in one of those corrogated pipes that was pulled up over a downspout, but not high enough. Water was gushing out right at the foundation.
If it is lower than surrounding soil and gets wet from rain it could seep into your basement. It should be higher than surrounding soil.
This sounds like they back filled over the construction trash and it is rotting away. Many years ago, this was not uncommon until building departments started managing the construction trash. Now dumpsters are required on site as soon as the first crew starts working along with a porta potty, unless you are out in the boonies, beyond the permit and inspection process.
On Sat, 11 Jul 2020 22:29:22 -0400, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com posted for all of us to digest...
+1 To OP: Fix it or it will get worse. In worst case it could buckle the wall. Like someone told me: Nature/water always wins.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.