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1 4 6 8 D a n f o r t h A v e .
T o r o n t o , O N , M 4 J I N 4
Phone:
416 489 1228
Fax:
416 429 3991
e-mail:
mail@khdavis.com
Website:
www.khdavis.com
Date:
July 9, 2011
To:
XXXXXX
E-mail or Fax
XXXXXX
From:
Ken Davis, P. Eng.
E-mail or Fax
No. Pages:
2+2 = 4 pages total
Site Report (SAMPLE)
Subject: Site Visit to review Foundation Walls –XXX Main St., Toronto, ON
Project No: 11225N
Permit No: N/A
Dear Mr. XXXXXX:
Further to our site visit of Friday, July 8, 2011, we wish to follow-up and summarize our findings.
Present during our site visit were Mr. XXXXXXXXX, the Homeowner.
During our site visit we were shown the basement foundation walls of the above noted residence which have undergone
moderate deterioration since the date of original construction. The date of original construction is estimated to be
around 1930
Observations:
During our visit we observed that the foundation walls consist of double wythe brick masonry walls. We report that it is
unusual for only double wythe brick masonry to be used for a basement foundation wall of a house (rather than a triple
wythe brick masonry wall which is considerably stronger and more robust) and as such we report that this foundation
wall was somewhat deficient from the moment that it was constructed. The foundation wall does not meet the minimum
requirements of the 2006 Ontario Building Code, however in view of the fact that it has performed adequately to date,
we do not feel that the wall presents an unsafe condition. We observed during our visit that just below the grade level
some inwards “bowing” of the wall is present. Near the corners of the basement, the adjacent foundation wall sections
are able to resist the inwards pressure of the soil fill around the exterior of the foundation wall and little movement was
observed. Significant inwards deflections up to a maximum of about 1” were observed between corners of the basement
and were particularly noticeable near the basement windows where the foundation walls are discontinuous (due to the
windows) and laterally unsupported.
The inwards deflection or “bowing” of the foundation walls should be monitored and once the inward deflection reaches
as much as 1.5” the wall will be considered to be bordering on unsafe and remedial measures are essential. We note that
the presence of some brick pilasters along the length of the wall provide for some additional strength beyond just the
double wythe brick wall itself.
We report that masonry foundation walls such as those noted above do not contain any reinforcing steel bars and do not
behave in a ductile manner when reaching the point of failure. Since brick masonry foundation walls can fail suddenly,
we feel that it is important to take remedial action to stabilize the existing wall (by buttressing the wall from the interior)
or by replacing the foundation wall entirely within the next 5-10 years, or possibly earlier depending upon further
movement of the wall.
Buttressing of foundation walls such as this can be carried out by simply constructing an interior pressure treated stud
wall (typically double-2x6 studs @ 12” on centre) are used such that the new interior studs are fastened to both the