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I’ve recently had structural issues in my crawlspace addressed by a foundational company (installed floor jacks and wooden support beams). However, after inspecting the space myself, I’ve recently come across a pile of bricks on one of the walls under a cement block. Is this stack of bricks worrisome given it has no mortar?

Curious as I'd like to potentially encapsulate the crawlspace, which would ideally mean mechanically fattening an insulation barrier to the walls. But I don’t want to drill into anything non-secure.

Any suggestions? Should I just fill in the empty gap to the top left of the stack with another stack of bricks?

enter image description here

FreeMan
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Carlton
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2 Answers2

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Well, since nothing is resting on top of the concrete blocks on top of the loose bricks, it's not worrisome, because it's not supporting anything. It's just serving as a stone wall under your house, separating the mushroom fields or whatever you do on either side of it.

The only things doing structural work in the picture appear to be the couple of mortared blocks at the left, holding up the end of a beam at a (mortared) red brick wall, and the screw-jack column in the right foreground. Presumably the red brick wall is also contributing to support of the beams, and others, but it needed some help there.

From what can be seen here, you could take those loose bricks and blocks out and build something useful with them, elsewhere. Presumably they are a holdover from the "structural problems" that have been resolved, now.

If that's an outside wall, it's not at all obvious - there appears to be yellow mortared brick beyond it.

Ecnerwal
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It's not really about those bricks. The whole wall is hodgepodge and sinking.

I think that wall should be removed, the sill jacked back into its original position, and the foundation in that area replaced. Even though the joists run parallel, things have obviously sagged and there's probably a rim joist with no support out of view.

Now if the wall truly isn't carrying any weight, ignore it or take it out.

isherwood
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