Identification of foundation wall material

[mthomas1]

Can anyone enlighten me about this foundation wall material and style of construction? House is Winnetka IL, and per tax records was built in 1917.

- Thanks

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[hausdok]

Hi,

Similar past discussions here on TIJ:

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... erra,cotta

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... erra,cotta

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... erra,cotta

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[mthomas1]

Thanks, it certainly looked like vitrified clay tile in that pic by the water meter but I'd never before seen VCT without a "ribbed" surface, and large unit size and slightly curved edges in the pic by the dryer left me wondering if I could be looking at some sort of cast concrete block.

[kurt]

What street?

It'll hold up houses just fine, but it's wet. Water always, unless it's in pure sand.

[mthomas1]

Cherry E. of Green Bay and W. of ridge.

[Bill Kibbel]

Thanks, it certainly looked like vitrified clay tile in that pic by the water meter but I'd never before seen VCT without a "ribbed" surface, and large unit size and slightly curved edges in the pic by the dryer left me wondering if I could be looking at some sort of cast concrete block.

Structural terra cotta, unless it is intended to be exposed to the exterior (like silo tile), isn't vitrified.

Terra cotta conduit was vitrified, but was never manufactured to be used as a building material. Obviously it has and has performed quite well. I've read that it was probably used in foundations and buildings in Chicago more than elsewhere.

There's a rural area in South Jersey, near where much of the conduit was manufactured, where a large collection of different buildings were constructed with surplus and reject conduit.

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[kurt]

Cherry E. of Green Bay and W. of ridge.

Ridge, Green Bay, and Cherry all sort of come together right there in a triangle; can't be east of GB and W. of Ridge.

No matter. There used to be a bunch of those all through that neighborhood. Lots of folks did an interior concrete wall with drain tiles, so a lot of them are no longer visible.