# wall pulling away



## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

We've been working in this house for almost 4 months now. We knew this wall had been damaged by a tree, but I just noticed that it's gotten worse since we gutted the rooms several weeks ago. 

I was on the phone off and on with our architect and engineer most of the day comming up with ideas, neither have been out to see it in person. All they've seen are the pictures Ive posted here. 

So any ideas are welcome.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)




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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Can you provide a link to the pics?

Never mind I see them now....


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Just posted them


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

Jesus. What is holding it to begin with? Push it back with a machine and hit up the old Simpson catalog.


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

Ratchet straps to pull the wall plate back together, then sister the plates and studs and tie into existing perpendicular walls.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Warren & MW are both correct....

But *WHY *did it move like that?


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Warren said:


> Ratchet straps to pull the wall plate back together, then sister the plates and studs and tie into existing perpendicular walls.


I did try today, with only a 1/4 of movement. I'll try some more in the morning.

I was also entertaining the idea of getting an excavator over here and pushing it in, but that seems scary.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

griz said:


> But WHY did it move like that?


That's what I'm more concerned about, and how to prevent it from happening again.

The house is 110 years old, balloon framed.


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

Just add more wood


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

jlsconstruction said:


> I did try today, with only a 1/4 of movement. I'll try some more in the morning.
> 
> I was also entertaining the idea of getting an excavator over here and pushing it in, but that seems scary.


It will take some serious sawzall work before that wall will move significantly...

I would still want an explanation as to what failed for the wall to move like that. That is the condition that needs fixing...:thumbsup:


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

I would guess that the tree damage split the plate and studs right in line with where the ceiling joists were toe nailed in. Without the ceiling joist to prevent it from drifting out, that is exactly where it wants to go. The weight of the roof and friction of the nails is resisting your attempts to pull it back in. Might have to completely remove that top plate, clear any nail or wood fragments, reinsert a new top plate, and pull the wall in. Simpson does make some hangers that would go around the joists and onto the wall to make the connection secure.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Thanks guys. I'm looking at Simpson's website now


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I'm thinking that if you can lift the roof weight off of the wall ,you might be able to use a come-along to pull the wall back in, and use the appropriate ties to make it stay.
Second the new top plate.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Simple, but expensive - exterior steel plates with threaded rods going through from outside wall to outside wall. Install, put on the bolts, and tighten.

You can also just pull it together with a bunch of comealongs.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

hdavis said:


> Simple, but expensive - exterior steel plates with threaded rods going through from outside wall to outside wall. Install, put on the bolts, and tighten.
> 
> You can also just pull it together with a bunch of comealongs.


My engineer was talking about cable with comalongs with steel plates on the exterior. 

First thing in the morning I'm going to start cutting out the top plate. 

It's all true 2x4s so I'm going to see if I can track down some rough cut to.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

I did just this, after someone drove off an elevated parking lot and crashed a car into a 2-story apartment building, with similar damage. Get the thing stabilized first, so it doesn't just flop apart. And don't run any big machines into it, unless you want to be on the 5-oclock news. Find all the obvious sticking parts and clean up with sawzall. Pull it together with plates and threaded rod - which is way more forceful than a come-along, and much less susceptible to scary lurches. Crank on some tension. The sticking points are easy to find - they're the places with a solid thunk when you hit them with a sledge. Deal with the sticking points one by one, with sawzall or a sledge. Crank on more tension. Rinse and repeat. That looks like sunlight through the planks, so you can smack it?

A screw jack might help if a joist has dropped.

I was standing outside the building I worked on after fixing it, bragging to anyone who would listen, and relating all the gossip about the drunkard who had done it, when the guy I was talking to got a funny pained look on his face and said that he had done it and that he wasn't drunk, he'd simply hit the gas instead of the brake.

Anyway, I say slow and easy - no running big machines into it.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Thanks sfo

How many thread rods did you use.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

jlsconstruction said:


> Thanks sfo
> 
> How many thread rods did you use.


Maybe 5 or 6. We had a pile of long all-thread - 8 & 10 footers, holddowns and washers and nuts in inventory, so we just grabbed them all. We had to drag the bottom plate in in a few spots, too. We also had some header material - 4x10 I suppose - that we used to pull sections in.

I'm really slow and careful about this sort of thing. I saw a building come down on my dad when I was a teenager. He lived, but it was a close thing for a while.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

jlsconstruction said:


> My engineer was talking about cable with comalongs with steel plates on the exterior.
> 
> First thing in the morning I'm going to start cutting out the top plate.
> 
> It's all true 2x4s so I'm going to see if I can track down some rough cut to.


Should have gotten back to this sooner. I see SFO has covered practically everything. I wouldn't cut out the top plate until I have stabilized it all, figured out exactly how I was going to pull it together, and done as much prep as possible. 

If you use cables / comealongs, put tension and then sledge from the outside - if you try to do the full pull with the cable, cable stretch makes it slide further than you may expect when it starts moving. Tension then sledge - if it doesn't move, put some more tension on it, sledge again. Being slow and careful can go a long way to saving the structure and your butt.

Using threaded rod, you can leave everything in place once you're done - the structure will be stronger than ever. It's my preferred approach.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

jlsconstruction said:


> Nothing except a few partitions downstairs have been replaced by lvls. That's the only change in the framing at this point.


You lost me on that one, but vacations take precedence over most.
Remember the smell of coconut oil. The olfactory is the sharpest long term sense we have.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

Alright, can't be on vacation too long--we're curious. Pix too.
I did a house like this and all framing added to it over the years changed more than a few load lines.


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## Johnroblo (Feb 6, 2021)

jlsconstruction said:


> We've been working in this house for almost 4 months now. We knew this wall had been damaged by a tree, but I just noticed that it's gotten worse since we gutted the rooms several weeks ago.
> 
> I was on the phone off and on with our architect and engineer most of the day comming up with ideas, neither have been out to see it in person. All they've seen are the pictures Ive posted here.
> 
> So any ideas are welcome.





jlsconstruction said:


> We've been working in this house for almost 4 months now. We knew this wall had been damaged by a tree, but I just noticed that it's gotten worse since we gutted the rooms several weeks ago.
> 
> I was on the phone off and on with our architect and engineer most of the day comming up with ideas, neither have been out to see it in person. All they've seen are the pictures Ive posted here.
> 
> So any ideas are welcome.


You might need to go in the attic and Jack the roof up just to take the pressure of the wall if it's a out side wall. And then you get a bunch of come alongs and pull it back to were u want it. When you Jack up the roof your not jacking to Lyft the roof but take the pressure of the separated wall.


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## Seven-Delta-FortyOne (Mar 5, 2011)

Doubt he’s still on the job 8 years later Bud.


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## rblakes1 (Jan 8, 2015)

Seven-Delta-FortyOne said:


> Doubt he’s still on the job 8 years later Bud.


You never know...

- Rich


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