1907 Built House in Alameda, CA

[MCar]

Hello! Can you please let me know your thoughts on the condition of the brick foundation in this old home in Alameda?

The house sits on a brick foundation. There is a finished basement about a foot subterranean on a concrete slab. On 3 outside sides of the house(except back) there is a parge coat, and on the left side they built a concrete buttress against the brick. We have very limited access to inspect the brick from the inside as the basement is finished and foundation is encased. We were able to get under the stairs and saw a concrete cap on a small section of the brick. The mortar on the brick appears to be sandy. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sw3Eot4aczNkAS2g9

[Jim Katen]

The thing in the photo looks like brick veneer. 

Do you have other photos? 

[MCar]

Jim, yes. I added 11 photos to the link. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by MCar

[Bill Kibbel]

Looking at small pics on my phone, I'll bet the sills have issues and not the brick foundation. 

[MCar]

8 hours ago, Bill Kibbel said:

Looking at small pics on my phone, I'll bet the sills have issues and not the brick foundation. 

Bill, thanks for the response. If the sills had issues, what would be the fix and approximate cost to correct? This house is about 3,000 sq ft. 

[Bill Kibbel]

On 12/27/2020 at 11:53 PM, MCar said:

Bill, thanks for the response. If the sills had issues, what would be the fix and approximate cost to correct? This house is about 3,000 sq ft. 

Without seeing it in person, poking and probing, I couldn't offer a guess at a cost.

 

[Jim Katen]

I left comments with the pictures. One picture shows some severely deteriorated mortar. Otherwise, it all looks very typical. What you've got there will probably support the house just fine as long as gravity is the only force acting on it. 

This house was build just after the big 1906 earthquake and it looks like it rode out the 1989 Loma Prieta quake without any serious damage. It might not do as well when the next large one hits. If that were my house, I'd get some modern earthquake retrofit work done.