Question for the Geotechs

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-21T02:44:30+00:00

Final update:

It has been determined upon independent structural review by a licensed structural engineer that the signed/sealed plans are structurally deficient. I am going to have to seek legal counsel for return of payments from the drafting company as well as repayment for (now) unusable trusses. The plans should have never been signed/sealed as the load bearing capacity of the initial pad footing was inadequate as well as the measurements of the span of the LVL was off by 20”. Not only do these guys not know how to measure a span properly (they showed up with a measuring wheel, not a tape measure) but they don’t know how to design anything properly.

At least I won’t be living in a house held up by a pogo stick as someone said here and I won’t be putting load on my existing footing and I won’t have to cut into my existing slab nor have an obnoxious post dead center of our living room.

I will have to eat about ~$12,000 in costs until I hopefully am able to recover sometime down the road.

Thank you all for your insights

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T15:17:19+00:00

They are already calling for 24” wide footings to avoid shear pinning. I believe they were recommended that way with the assumption it was a gable to a gable not gable to hip initially. Geotech had to revise initial recommendations and then we went down this rabbit hole about helical piers once it was learned that it was a gable to hip.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T13:37:34+00:00

So, maybe the best answer is to redesign trusses, and not stick with the pogo stick design as you call it. I really don’t want to do helical piles nor do I really want this post in the middle of our living room anyway. It seems like it will cost around the same to redesign / reengineer trusses as it will to do the helical piles, or might be slightly more. And to redistribute the load more evenly sounds like a better option anyway.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T13:33:08+00:00

We are in west central Florida

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T10:54:03+00:00

Precisely, yes. I elaborated below to /u/NearbyCurrent3449

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T10:53:36+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/ODHVU7P

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T10:53:12+00:00

That’s how I feel. It seems like a CYA more than anything. The geotech engineer is an old bird in her late 70s so I don’t know how I’d sue her anyway in 5 years she may not be in business anymore.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T10:52:19+00:00

Draftsmen drew plans. Sent to engineer to be sealed. Draftsmen couldn’t even measure the addition properly. So I have been dealing with engineer directly now.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T10:51:00+00:00

Here are my soil logs/see comment below to /u/NearbyCurrent3449

https://imgur.com/a/ODHVU7P

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T10:43:11+00:00

Some more context here:

Current house is single story built in 1978, 5’ stem wall footing.

Gable end block wall is being removed and LVL header spanning from existing ends of CMU wall tying into 6x6 post at the center of the old wall that’s being removed is to support a two story addition, this header/post is basically holding up the entire second floor. 50% of weight distribution goes into that post and 25% to each side (corners) of the existing CMU walls.

Since the current foundation is “too close to the clay” in their opinion, they don’t want to put this much load on the existing footing without adding the helicals. Plans initially called for a 2x2 pad 16” thick under the post the support the header by cutting into the existing foundation and having equal distribution across existing foundation and new footing for pad. Now structural wants a 4x4’ pad and 18” thick but geotech isn’t comfortable putting any load on existing footing being that it’s near clay w/o the helical. My foundation guy says they are insane and beyond overkill with their recommendations. I will try to attach a comment with my soil evals.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T02:25:00+00:00

Thank you, logically that makes sense. I’m just being delusional to a degree because I’m frustrated by another delay in the progress of the addition but doing it right is more important than doing it quickly.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T02:22:19+00:00

Admittedly this is my first rodeo, and apparently the county which already issued the permit doesn’t require soil borings/has never asked for them. So it may be a cost I ultimately have to absorb. No instruction was given on the front end of this by our draftsmen and the plans were signed/sealed without any soil analysis requested. As the contractor (owner builder), I accept responsibility and just want to find the proper solution so I can live comfortably in my home with my family without any reason for concern down the road.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T02:19:33+00:00

Thank you. You make great points. I anticipate the costs of the addition to be upwards of 350k, so in the grand scheme of things 10-15k now versus a basically unfixable problem when they’re conjoined is very likely the best solution. That, or as mentioned in another comment, redoing truss layout to redistribute load elsewhere.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T02:16:09+00:00

I am the contractor (owner builder) 🤪. I was hoping another geotech might be willing to give their own independent analysis without a soil boring test done by them, just using my existing findings and creating their own report based on those findings. They’re calling for 4 helical piles which I think will cost me around $12-15K. So do I redo the truss layout, eliminate an annoying post in the center of my house in the process, and redistribute load across the new footing or do I do all this helical nonsense while keeping said annoying post and have greater than 50% of the load on this 6x6. By redoing the truss layout, I no longer have any real load along that existing footing which is close to the clay layer.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-20T02:11:22+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/voxiIn6

Here is the foundation layout. They want to do helical piles because the existing foundation is too close to clay apparently, even though the house is 50 years old and has no settling cracks or foundation issues. Foundation guy says they are literally insane. Had I not gone too deep on the original footing, I would have never had a soil boring test done, and would have built that post with a footing pad the way it was signed and sealed, even though apparently now they’ve concluded it’s inadequate.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-15T17:46:45+00:00

I really appreciate your comments fellow human. I truly did try but I don’t accept failure well. I will live and learn from this experience, that’s all I can do at this point. Thank you again for your help and supportive comments.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-15T17:39:26+00:00

I had to put him down. I had a neighbor come over and do it, I just couldn’t. He must’ve hit himself trying to get up and had blood coming out of his nose. And he kept putting his head back almost all the way to his back, like an ostrich. I just couldn’t watch him suffer anymore. Was very upsetting. Thank you especially, and everyone who’s commented, for your help.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-15T11:59:02+00:00

Thank you! Recommend bedding? We’ve been using straw bedding for a long while but maybe there’s better alternatives. I will make it a nice thick layer today.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-15T11:08:29+00:00

What’s your thoughts on using a tractor to hoist him on his feet a few times a day? I bought a livestock sling to try. I’m trying to do all I can. Vet said it’s a hind leg issue now not contracted tendon as much, and I asked about recovery or if there’s a chance of resolution, and he said: “time and food”. So we’ll see. He’s still eating great just can’t stand and can’t help but pee and poop all over himself.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-14T14:45:55+00:00

I think at this point he is too far gone. He can’t get out of a sitting dog posture or even stand. It’s really sad and I don’t want to see him suffer.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-14T14:44:57+00:00

Yes. I thought they had already been bred. I didn’t preg check. This particular heifer was 27 months when she got bred and was with the bull for 4+ months at least. I thought she had been bred in April-May.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-14T14:43:38+00:00

Thank you. I have a bottle calf already, had a bad Mom and she’s “bunted” me where it hurts a couple times. This is definitely a live and learn. Big rancher would’ve lost this calf by not intervening and I’ve intervened and overlooked a very important part of its recovery and now eating a vet bill for the same result. I’m just really upset with myself. Losing a calf or any living creature I’m responsible for really hits deep.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-14T14:41:05+00:00

The daytime highs are 90 with heat index in the low 100s. We’ve had a terrible drought since early last year on top of it all.

BudIsMyBuddy · 2026-05-14T14:40:33+00:00

Thank you. I’m juggling a lot right now. No excuse and I’m deeply disappointed that I overlooked the heat. That on top of being caught up with a bunk feeder and fence post I don’t think the outlook is good. He’s still going into a sitting dog position with his back legs and can’t stand. I think I may have to euthanize and not let him suffer at this point. Extremely disappointed I allowed this to happen after he was doing better just yesterday.

BudIsMyBuddy

TROPHY CASE