DIY house lift - foundation repair / basement wall rebuild

[@The_pipeliner]

Word of advice if you ever take on another project like this. Keep the excavated material away from the trench edge at least 2 feet. Trench cave in’s are no joke and leaving dirt right on the edge of the hole is one of the main reasons they happen. Just my 2 cents from a heavy equipment operator, (ditch digger). 😊

[@donnimetropolis9899]

I saw that.... thanks for confirming

[@jarrodderr]

I run OSHA. You need a job? $650k /yr.

[@The_pipeliner]

@@jarrodderr sign me up…😅

[@nickboercker7324]

I’m a real estate investor in Saint Louis and you deserve so much credit my dude. This is amazing

[@jimbogusky]

I want to turn my crawl space into a full basement. This is the first time I’ve seen a foundation replaced without jacking the house up. I’m 60 so I’m going to have to pay to have it done. Oh to be 26 again. Great job, I’m impressed!

[@lowellirish]

So at 60 yrs old...I am doing the SAME thing...only my budget is 1/3 yours! Labor are the 3 of us...Me, myself, and I!! The basement wall is actually a crawlspace 4' high. The foundation was poured already. I've supported the house already with 3 16' laminated beams supported by 6x6 piers on poured concrete pier-slabs. Last year, the wall finally caved in! So now I need to hand excavate to expose the foundation and begin the block resetting 16' x 4' - Then its outside for machine excavation, and remove the soil to slope AWAY... I have 17 years in the landscaping construction industry, and have read 4 books on construction, plus have done construction my whole life...But DAMN!! I'm 60!! If I can just keep this hoise alive 20 more years...then I'm dead. 😂

[@daveyjoseph6058]

cool

[@JohnVance]

@lowellirish That sounds amazing. I'm a 40-year-old IT dude with a lot of practical handyman type experience doing my own electrical and plumbing work for many years. Just got an 1890 house in the midwest that will likely need some kind of work like this done. Strongly considering doing it myself since I live alone and don't have a huge budget, but I have time and good at following instructions. How's your project coming along? Did you have to work with an engineer or do permitting?

[@kevinfoster2308]

I also bought a distressed house and have to rebuild half of the foundation walls along with every other thing that comes with this type of house. I have acquired many tools and skills and much knowledge in the past 10 months. I have watched countless videos like yours that have not only given me tips and information but also the confidence to commit to the task at hand. Much respect.

[@briangarnier5774]

You are a badass among mere mortals. I'm 62 and have generally done all my own repairs in life whether it be on houses, cars, machinery, etc but I don't know if I would've had the balls to even start on this one. Good job on having the confidence in yourself to start and to finish like a boss!

[@HaroldRutila]

The nicest thing about this job is that you have a new, waterproofed foundation, with an egress window, which allows for a proper finishing of the basement into additional living space. Amazing.

[@MrGreatness412]

Beast mode activated. Great stuff here. I cant imagine the emotions of looking at your investment in pieces like that.

[@cherylkitchen]

Awesome job. There is nothing a contractor can do, that all of us can't learn and practice with a bit of effort. No contractor I've ever used seemed to care about my home. Maybe in 35 years there have been 1 or 2 who showed some care. I am a small, female who has learned plumbing, minor electrical, framing, painting. I've replaced floors, windows. I'm now getting a pre-made shed for a river property. I want this shed to be 8 feet from grade. So this has been very helpful. Thanks.

[@austinherman8254]

Hell yeah man. You and I have a similar mentality. I am in a similar situation myself. I have been accumulating materials now for about a year. Steel beams, cribbing blocks etc. Waiting for those deals, all with budget in mind. So far so good, and as soon as the weather gets a little better, will be hoisting the house. Glad to see your accomplishment. I am a similar age as you and there's no reason to not learn everyday. Like you said, even if you never do it again, you have the knowledge and the know-how to do it if you had to. A similar philosophy on my end is that if someone else's hands can do it, there's no reason why my hands can't. That is, if it is the best return on investment of time... Great work my man

[@peep39]

Yeah me too. except my house is balloon framed and termite damaged, so I have to open the outside walls from plate to halfway up and lift the floor and wall at the same time with a unified rig. I do it in 10 foot increments, and I just got done with the second go. it works but it's really hard to put together the time necessary to do each stage when you work a job

[@dawnbenttine6522]

First off Great job! I have the same mentality as you. Did a rocket scientist build it? No, then I can fix it!! I might not have the exact know how but I can promise you this Common Sense goes a long ways!

[@chadsmith9218]

Operator for 25 years and was impressed thru the whole video. I started to cringe thinking you was not going to put perimeter drain and rock in but then it got to where you did it lol. Great fuckin work bro

[@DigitalNomadInvestor]

Awesome work! I rehabbed a house at 9 Mile and Gratiot in the 90s. I wish I had KZbin back then!

[@MrBrianDuga]

From overwhelmed to Herculean. Just, wow. My south wall has been heaving in and I have spent all summer slowly removing old mortar and tuckpointing deep in the joints. It’s field stone. Doing what you did would have been better but beyond what I thought was possible for DIY. And you did it in 11 days! Holy crap dude..

[@r.j.dunnill1465]

This is the video I was looking for. Congrats on saving this 'tear down' (as some would refer to it) house!

[@johnraynor5095]

78yr old countyboy. We live in 100+yr old 2 story homestead house. No foundation. Plans for this summer are to dig under, lift and install foundation.

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

😮 this is so impressive! Can’t say I would have had the guts to take that project on honestly. Congrats on getting it done and saving a ton of money!

[@OneSmellyTaco]

Your channel is getting me through a lot of projects. To stumble upon one of your comments on another diy channel is letting me know I'm on the right track haha. Cheers 🍻

[@TheFixerHomeRepair]

@@OneSmellyTaco wow. So cool. Thank you!!

[@Bbbbbbbbbbb-f1w]

You should start a foundation business!!!

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Awesome vid and awesome work. Good to see a young guy learning on the fly (which is exactly how most learn on foundation repair) 20ton jacks, steel and a brain. you are the type that can make America great again. Detroit needs more of you.

[@CMarcos11]

I'm actually in the same position right now in Sudbury Ontario and I'm tackling the project myself. Yours is much bigger than mines. Thanks for the tips!

[@RogueArcher24]

Same here but out in Nova Scotia!

[@SP-io7lj]

"If you can find cheaper labor...like kids"! LMAO! I love what you did here! I'm a woman, but I'm aiming to do the exact same thing. Your video was great. Subscribed & liked!

[@billybike57]

Eric, what a job you took on, it proves that any one can do anything if they take the time, use the best materials and hire good help. Awesome video!

[@drumrboynoid]

Amazing bud. The hardest part out of all of this for me would be finding the help. It’s tough finding help these days.

[@BubbaYarbrough]

You saved money and gained more experience than almost anyone on the planet. Keep up stuff like this and you'll be rich and happy in life.

[@PAINT_S_CAPES]

WOW!!! I have so much respect for you bud!! 26 yrs old and you had the guts to figure this out and DO IT. That is a HUGE MOTHER JOB. Congrats! My blocks are bowing pretty bad - hence my research on this topic. Luckily it's only the porch add-on foundation and not the main foundation of the house which is all solid-poured-concrete at least 12, if not 18 inches wide. Italian built in the 40's. Not sure if there's rebar in there but I can tell you the main foundation walls are super super heavy duty. So now I have to figure out if I can get away with just excavating the porch foundation and sliding rebar into the blocks from the top and pouring concrete. I have no clue if that will work. I have professional foundation repair coming to assess and give me an idea. I just want to learn as much as I can before they show up so that I'll know if they're trying to soak me or not. Thx for this video. I'll be looking to see if you have any updates, including the inside.

[@campbellsmith5484]

You are absolutely not crazy for doing the work yourself. Congrats on great job.

[@androidcheetah]

Nice work dude. I bought a 20s house on a 1/2 acre for $10k and people call me crazy too. One year in and I've got a new roof, solid frame, and newish electric ran and I'm in it for $18k so far. I need to raise it to replace sill plates. Got a bunch of insane quotes. Raising the house and handling it myself. Love seeing stuff like this - inspiring man.

[@qwertyuiop-ke7fs]

How are your joists on that old house? I got a 30s house and fear I gotta replace the sill too

[@tomleonard6177]

Dude, that video was AWESOME. I have great respect for your courage and your "can-do" attitude...you not only saved money, paid your friends and family as you mentioned but the intellectual capital you acquired is crazy valuable! It did my heart good to see a young person doing such an awesome thing! (Oh, and hello from over on the "West Coast" in Muskegon.)

[@gsm19911]

Very good work. Nice to see a young man with drive. Many would not even think to attempt this.

[@markgriffin7016]

This is one of the best videos I've seen in awhile. Good job, man! I'm too old to take on a project of this magnitude,but I sure liked watching you, your family and your friends tackling it. Awesome job!

[@dianned750]

This was immensely helpful. Gave me great understanding of how much work is involved in foundation repair. I'm amazed that you guys were able to do that in such a short time frame. Great job![

[@outdoorimpressionsmi]

Cool video. I’m in Jackson Michigan. Good to see people putting money back into Detroit

[@cjslife7202]

I need that team right now I just brought a home with the same problem 🤦🏽‍♂️are they willing to do another job like this

[@JustATakit]

Amazing work and at 26 years old that is awesome. Now I may be wrong but this type of work ethics and drive don't just come naturally and you might want to give your parents a big hug next time you see them for raising you the way they did.

[@matthenkel4823]

That's awesome, man. I have to do this to one of my houses. It looked like you were in my basement. Thanks for putting this video out there. It makes me want to do this myself.

[@a104917]

I'm dealing with this same issue but in a crawlspace. Block foundation, none of the cells filled, and the footings are just ungrouted sideways blocks. Vapor barrier was hiding it all during inspection. Foundation companies bid 50k to solve half the problem. Adding an additional beam, replacing a rotted sill plate, and filling all the cells. So far my costs are $500, an aching back and a smashed toe. A basement is exponentially more difficult though. Props to you man!

[@allenutubn8467]

I have a wall that I planned on doing next to my driveway it’s bowed in and pushed about two inches in at the bottom block. This was very helpful I didn’t plan on doing the permit part and I’m glad I looked into that aspect. It’s roughly 190 block plus two glass block windows.

[@flowergarden1426]

I’m so impressed with that kid!!! Tough as nails!!

[@klrmoto]

I think I would of wanted some shear walls for sideway support just in case something gave way on the concrete floor. If the walls were built like that what did they do for the slab?

[@erniesmith9009]

Excellent job, good on you for taking on such a big project and learning as you go! I’m a contractor for 30 some odd years on Vancouver Island Canada and I’m impressed! I no longer do this work unless I buy a fixer upper which I just did lol

[@precisionfilms3777]

Mad respect to you for tackling this and really quite casually.

[@carlhartzell6054]

Awesome post and walkthrough of the project sir. I'm thinking about lifting a house that I'm currently in to gain some headspace in the basement. You definitely answered some questions I had and to see you and your guys got it done in under two weeks is amazing. Good stuff indeed.

[@MartinDevelopment]

You did a great job on your property, I especially appreciate your solid planning and interpersonal skills at choosing and leading the team. Your guys worked like this was an job that they were doing, not just helping out a friend or family member. In other words I’m impressed by the guys realizing that your the Forman / boss / owner and giving you their best. I liked that your daughter even knows your in charge and worked on the yard with her dad as the boss. Best of luck with your future projects, you proved to me that a young man can lead and do amazingly!

[@Theggman83]

My hat goes off to you. I too bought a house with a bad basement. That's a lot of work that you did there. 👍

[@makmar4484]

I do this stuff a lot usually we do one or 2 walls a time then you don't need all that blocking only a couple 4x4s

[@Pablo19625]

I’m in North Dakota and need to lift my house just like this guy did in the video and build a new foundation. Do you travel? Or do you have a KZbin channel that teaches any of this ?

[@albertajadali4700]

Proud of you and your faithful friends and family. Great job. Thank you this video gave me the knowledge of what I need done with my home.

[@Luckingsworth]

Mad respect for taking it on. But i do have to wonder if it wouldnt have been better to just demo and rebuild the whole house at that point.

[@ericmulka]

Thank you mate, unfortunately I was in a tough position, I bought the house initially because I was 18, no where to live, no parents to help me get a house, & didn’t want to rent as I’ve always hated the idea of paying all that money in to get nothing in return upon departure so I decided to just buy an abandoned house in Detroit as there were thousands anywhere from 1k to 20k, found that one for 4K with no back taxes and thought I had found the diamond in the rough, I had saved up 15k to make the house livable, (new plumbing, electrical etc) immediately started working on it and by the time I was most of the way through that money I found the basement issue, & one of the walls were so bad it could’ve collapsed any day which is why I had 1 wall fixed by a company before I was able to do it myself, so at that point it was either walk away from 19k and restart from square one with no where to live and no savings now or learn how to tackle the issue and keep it moving, so I built that barn in the backyard to prepare for this giant project (another 12k) then I did the basement for 24k, and finished up the rest of the house and yard for 4K so I ended up being 59k into it with a brand new barn & almost brand new house, I’ll be listing it next month for 95k and got to live there for free for five years so in the long run things seem to be working out!

[@PAINT_S_CAPES]

@@ericmulka So now my question is... in a case like this ... would it be just as smart to backfill the entire thing and do away with a basement? And put the money towards building an add-on if you need the space. Just wondering. Of course I realize that in some cases, the other components are necessary if the furnace room is in the basement (etc). Your thoughts??

[@simdabusiness]

Great job! Having the same issue on a Detroit home I purchased.

[@robertsmith8782]

I like watching videos like this!!! Good job make one showing finished inside and out!!

[@CTRwannaB]

Beast bro Mad respect for tackling that

[@Debbyiamme]

I think it's super awesome that you took this job on yourself. You're doing great; your friends are doing fantastic, as well. Keep up the great work. You could start your own business doing that work.

[@zachmooremn]

Nice work and great video! So awesome that you chose to invest the time and money to fix this. This house will be solid for many, many more years. Planning to buy any more??

[@Jesusbeliever1]

Wow! You're awesome to do that job on your own and with friends and family. I happen to stumble upon this video and is encouraging to those like me who get intimidated with diy home projects! Great job and also on the amount on money you saved.

[@denisehaley9271]

Holy wow kid. You guys worked your tails off & done an excellent job. Not too many young people out there willing to work like this. Enjoy your home now🥰

[@imhooks]

Did you add any bond beams in the walls? Also what type of header did you use above that new egress window?

[@bruceweaver9514]

Why did you go with blocks,and not reinforced poured,or one of the newer poured preinsulated options?

[@ericmulka]

@@bruceweaver9514 To be able to pour concrete I would’ve had to raise the house more than a foot rather than just a couple inches and from doing so I would’ve had to unhook the chimney all the way through the house including the roof along with plumbing, electrical and a few other nick nacks, Which would’ve added an extra week or more onto the process Along with me not knowing anyone that pours concrete when my brother and uncle are journeyman Masons so it just made sense and not only that I did pour all the cells with concrete and rebar every 4 feet But this is in the middle of the ghetto my plan was only to create a house that I could live in for the time being until I could amass enough money to move out of the ghetto and into an area where I can raise my family so I wasn’t really thinking super long-term just good enough to be able to sell and pass inspection, concrete would last longer but these blocks have atleast 50 or more years till they fail so it’ll last a lifetime for whoever buys it!

[@kalemercer7053]

Your work is impeckable, but more impotantly you have an amazing MINDSET!!!

[@lifeas3720]

Absolutely love this video brother! You have Great mind. Super Important for anything you do in life. Been looking to do a basement and main living addition on the back of my ranch house now. This definitely helps me out! Keep up that grind!

[@nofurtherwest3474]

Can you explain how the utility hookups worked? I think it makes sense for someone in your situation to take this on. You have the time and some connections to workers, so why not? I agree with your philosophy- you learn more this way which just makes you smarter. But damn what an insane project!

[@cullenmiller8170]

Railroad crossties work good for cribbing, but can be messy to work with due to the creosote oozing out of them. That turned out nice. Well done.

[@BOMAco856]

good job brotha, hell of a job to take on but im glad to see people doing it

[@TheDavidscc32]

Also a Michigander. Awesome job! My home also bas bows. Did the plate system not work? Just curious why you decided to redo the entire foundation.

[@davidisthis]

I'm in Detroit right now. Can you tell us where this is. I would like to go look at it.

[@medhue]

Kudos to you! Was looking at houses just outside of Detroit last year, and came across the same thing. We really wanted the house but passed on it because of the basement. If the house was only 5 grand, then maybe, but it was 20 times that price. lol.

[@ADude846]

Been looking at houses to buy and fix up for the first time and been trying to absorb as much information as I can about doing certain projects so knowing that if you just use your head you can easily lift a house and rebuild a foundation if you need to. I don't have much money other than what my full time job pays me but I have enough disposable income I can easily save up funds throughout the winters to work on a house thoughout the summer

[@carlsapartments8931]

the name drain tile is not misleading because all house drainage used to be done with red clay tile pipe that were about 1 ft long laid end to end with a piece of tar paper wrapped around each loose joint to help keep dirt out but allow water in. the plastic perforated pipe is just a modern upgrade from the original clay tile. I laid those clay tiles on home construction jobs in high school in 70's. And later on they started making the exact same tile with concrete which were much harder on your hands when you worked with them all day so you had to wear gloves.

[@jesseguerra8642]

Hello @4:10 I notes lights on front porch were on. Was electrical utilities kept available through the time of the work. If not kept on the entire time, at what point was it disconnected? Also was the house emptied out or was it kept furnished. I would like to elevate my house, or build a basement into it.

[@ericmulka]

All furniture stayed, i actually slept in it too to make sure nothing got stolen and electrical was never shut off because the service was provided above ground & punted on the house itself so it raised and lowered together

[@earthworxiowa]

Nice work Eric! Turned out very nice! Thanks for the video!

[@jonbushee468]

Hey I’m down in Florida but I’m wondering how did you find the vacant lot and cheap property like this? Website, auction?

[@ericmulka]

In 2016 almost all the houses in the neighborhoods of detroit (mines on the west side) were anywhere from 1,000 to 30,000 but they need a lot of work, these days they’re not as cheap but you can still find them for a decent price, and all lots adjacent to your house are only $100 each but you can only buy 4

[@ericmulka]

In 2016 almost all the houses in the neighborhoods of detroit (mines on the west side) were anywhere from 1,000 to 30,000 but they need a lot of work, these days they’re not as cheap but you can still find them for a decent price, and all lots adjacent to your house are only $100 each but you can only buy 4

[@guyelluzzi2705]

Nice work! What you did took a lot of guts and energy, but I'm sure the results were well worth the effort. Now you have a safe, secure home for you and your family.

[@clarkebtaylor]

Wow, Nice work! Did you consider setting up forms and pouring concrete? Just curious.

[@aziabailey7510]

I need your help, I’m a single mother with grandkids and they can’t play in basement cause of my foundation. Can you please please reach out thank you

[@werinvitational4393]

Thanks for the video… was you able to sell back those beams that you spent 7,000 grand on? How many sf was your basement? How much money was on materials only? No labor and machinery cost… oh did you keep the hvac and water on in the house… while doing the project

[@stevenbishop9751]

For the wooden temporary supports in the basement, how did you attach the 6x6 beams to one another?

[@ericmulka]

Giant pronged truss plates!

[@johnalvitre3154]

I have not yet finished this video, just wanted to say, Damn, this is a crazy job to take on yet you did. Congrats and hope it all worked out well. Looks like you knew what you were doing and yes, seeing your house almost floating there as you remove the base wall, I am in awe. Great job. Okay, finished the video, you did it well. At 26, I would have possibly hesitated to do this, now, at double your age, I would take it on with what I know now. I am in Toledo Ohio, if you ever show this off, I would love to come and check out the end result. And having your place secured at around 30k all in, nice position to be in, right? I am getting ready to level out my first floor, as I look in my basement and the sag it has, New Roof, ReDo all electric and plumbing, new sub floor and reuse the old sub floor as roof TnG finishing and upstairs floor over new sub floor. I get it, it takes a lot of time and work, but these houses were made for us, the homeowner, to repair. Take care and keep on keeping on. Hope to meet you some time. 1 hour away.

[@mi4ch622]

Where did you get the mini excavator? Did you buy or rent it?

[@ericmulka]

It was 1200 for the week from Home Depot!

[@cotwold]

Great job! Thanks for sharing the process and what you learned.

[@roberthughes2665]

Looks like my In-laws basement b4 they sold the place. Block wall bowing in... those huge metal plates trying to straighten it all. Ugh. Brought back instant memories and dread. Had company put in those plates and 12 foot long rods out into back yard where something was buried in the yard to accept/hold other end of the rod. Had to use a big ratchet to tighten up the nuts periodically.

[@eleazardet]

What company gave the quote to do the work. I live in Detroit. I want to get this done in my house

[@SeamusMcGlone-j3l]

dude. awesome work by a non-professional. good advice below by The pipeliner too.

[@Rick-tb4so]

That takes major Balls to take on that job. New footer or reused existing ?

[@keithplummer3579]

I live in Detroit and I worked for fsm from what i seen this was the best way

[@beemikeme]

Just a suggestion: If you ever make another video, move the camera MUCH slower. I got dizzy watching this video and had to stop it half way through.

[@andreameye1692]

Did you fill the 4 corners with concrete all the way down to the footing ?

[@johnfriesen1071]

Wow, what a project!! Looks great but may I ask why you didn't use concrete? I live in a house with cinder block walls that are caving in as well, if I replaced the basement I would never do cinder block, that's the dumbest form of foundation I can think of, each seam is a cold joint, therefore it's a weak spot. I live In Canada and all the frost in the ground in the winter pushes on the walls and moving them. I think the only way is thick concrete with a lot of rebar.

[@ericmulka]

To be able to pour concrete I would’ve had to raise the house more than a foot rather than just a couple inches and from doing so I would’ve had to unhook the chimney all the way through the house including the roof along with plumbing, electrical and a few other nick nacks, Which would’ve added an extra week or more onto the process Along with me not knowing anyone that pours concrete when my brother and uncle are journeyman Masons so it just made sense and not only that I did pour all the cells with concrete and rebar every 4 feet But this is in the middle of the ghetto my plan was only to create a house that I could live in for the time being until I could amass enough money to move out of the ghetto and into an area where I can raise my family so I wasn’t really thinking super long-term just good enough to be able to sell and pass inspection, concrete would last longer but these blocks have atleast 50 or more years till they fail so it’ll last a lifetime for whoever buys it!

[@johnfriesen1071]

@@ericmulka gotcha!

[@tribalbeat6471]

@@ericmulka Very gutsy project and incredible well done. Having family masons must have helped immensely.

[@Thedailyenergy]

I just bought a house this month and that house look exactly like yours man I don’t even know what to do 😢what you did there was incredible work I’d probably be thinking to start one day!!

[@nykalaslatham3741]

Hey man, how'd you finance the project?

[@lostbutnotalone.8222]

Dope video bro. Wish I could join a crew like that.

[@James-eu3se]

Thats awesome brother! Good work.

[@erichubler5825]

Bout to be doing this to mine, just one wall tho, they did the same dry walled over it, jackson, Michigan

[@markbarnett6097]

Hey boss I’m in Detroit also and I’d like to start the same project and I have no idea where to start .. cribbing is it?

[@martinwhite418]

Is putting a wall of epdm against the blocks a bad idea?

[@jvgaming2485]

freaking awesome video man. definitely gave me the confidence to do this myself.

[@Hkemp8742]

You guys did an awesome job and also kept the money amongst family and friends. By the way I'm in Flint. I've seen my share of basements in that condition.

[@ptech88]

Nice job. Thats alot of work.

[@adamtraughber3294]

Turned out fucking great 👍

[@FreezerBox-cs9qr]

Where You filling in the dirt after that window

[@funtyes1970]

if you do this kind work a lot you should do more videos people love watching DIY homes

[@veronicamagee2658]

Wow. I need one back wall basement done 23 feet wide. Can you give me a reference

[@mikelard]

how far apart was the shoring (the 4 x 4 supports)

[@Reloadeez]

They threw the whole damn bucket at that basement previously, wall anchor plates, soldier beams, window box frames, floor joist framing. That's an impressive repair, you got a 500k a year business doing that for people. When I was younger I scooped up cheap rental houses with bad basements, not as bad as this one though. You could get them for 1/3-1/4 the after repair value, then put 10k-15k in the foundation and have 2-3x your purchase price in equity.