# Cutting concrete foundation for door, is it safe?



## Mossiliza (Jun 29, 2010)

Hi
My house is located on a sloped neighborhood; I am planning to build an entrance for my basement and doing that requires foundation cut. Part of the foundation that has to be cut is about 5 feet high and there is a window opening on top of it. About 3 feet of the foundation is buried from the out side due to the slope. My house is 2 a story house (basement plus 2 levels) but the part of foundation that is getting removed is supporting only one level. Is it safe, structurally, to do this cut?

Thank you all in advance


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

foundation or bsmt wall ? ? ? big difference ! ! ! diamond saw OR jackhammer/chipping gun ? ? ?


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## Mossiliza (Jun 29, 2010)

How do i identify if it is basement wall or foundation? it looks more like a wall as it is 5 to 6 feet high. I dont have any preference for cutting device, which one is better?

Thanks


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

oh boy ! ! !  generally, 1 can actually SEE a bsmt wall while the footer ( foundation ) is hidden underneath it :thumbsup:

your wall has a preference :yes: diamond sawing is vibration free & provides a smooth surface upon which 1 can attach door jambs :thumbup: chipping guns leave an EXTREMELY rough jagged surface requiring repair mortar & grinding,,, don't take this the wrong way but, if you don't know the difference, hire this job,,, don't let testosterone make a :jester: out of you.


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## Bldg 2 Spec (Jun 22, 2010)

Not reccomended. Concrete is different from pour to pour (some you can practically put a screwdriver through). You start pulling the support from under your home or the bearing pressure of the soil around you home and it caves in your foundation. Your gonna be sorry or someone could get killed. This is something you should leave to the professionals cause then you can be assured you wont end up with door issues, collapsing of walls, flooding, improper engineered openings (causing worse issues through the whole house). When you break a wall it will be cantilevered with no support @ the opening. Nobody here can tell you if your gonna be safe doing what your thinking of doing unless they go and do the soil, concrete and structural testing as an accountable professional. Soil bearing pressure has many many factors so dont chance this one. 

FYI Steer clear of this DIY

Just my two cents


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Check with your LOCAL Building Department. Soil pressure, opening to close to a structural corner, right angle wall tie-in, header sizing, wall shear flow continuity above, are a few things that may come into play. (Update your Homeowners Insurance for this). http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Designing-Concrete-Basement-Walls.13696.html

Be safe, Gary


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Mossiliza said:


> How do i identify if it is basement wall or foundation? it looks more like a wall as it is 5 to 6 feet high. I dont have any preference for cutting device, which one is better?
> 
> Thanks


Post a picture of the window that includes the surrounding area
Whats above the window ?
Cement - how much ?
Wood framing ?


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## Mossiliza (Jun 29, 2010)

Hi
Here are 2 sketches of how this wall looks like. By the way I am not planning to do it my self, I would hire a pro but I just want to make sure that removing part of this wall is gono be ok. 

regards


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Do the floor joists end on that area or do they run parallel ?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

You shouldn't have an issue converting this to a door. How you proceed will depend on whether this wall is load bearing or not. If it is, you will need to built a temporary wall inside to carry the load until the framing is installed with the proper sized header.
Ron


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

how thick is te concrete?
how much concrete will be left above the door?


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## Mossiliza (Jun 29, 2010)

How can I find out about the floor joints? the wall is around 12" thick


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

If the top of the window is already as high or higher than the top of the door will be, and the window is wider than the door, and the door will be where the window is, then the window header is already taking care of everything above and you don't need to worry about the floor joists. All you need to worry about is whether your footing is deep enough to still be below the frost line when you remove the dirt. 

I have never heard anyone refer to a foundation as being just the footer. Around here the foundation is the combination of the footer as well as any concrete walls or slabs that the structure bears on.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

jogr said:


> If the top of the window is already as high or higher than the top of the door will be, and the window is wider than the door, and the door will be where the window is, then the window header is already taking care of everything above and you don't need to worry about the floor joists


Not always true on older houses
I have floor joists landing on the top of my basement windows without any header


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

I'd have to agree with jogr, the opening is already there and removing material below it would have no effect on anything bearing above.


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

Scuba_Dave said:


> Not always true on older houses
> I have floor joists landing on the top of my basement windows without any header


It's possible that the header is raised - i.e. what appears to be rim joist was actually sized to function as a header.


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## Bldg 2 Spec (Jun 22, 2010)

Did anyone catch the fact his property is on a slope? You should consider drainage as part of this design so you don't end up with water issues.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

as sketched & w/your information, i'd do it in my home,,, just ck w/your bldg inspector 1st,,, good luck !


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

One more vote to go ahead IF the top of the current window opening won't be altered. Ask the guy who will be doing the concrete cutting for his pro-opinion as well.


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## Mossiliza (Jun 29, 2010)

First thank you all for your comments; so far it appears that there are no major issues to cut the concrete below the existing window as window’s header already supporting the load above it. I have no worries for drainage; the slope angle decrease dramatically few feet down from the window so I believe that will work out. The only thing that I am concern about is the shear force of tons of soil that pushes against the concrete wall and foundation, in other words would it be ok to interrupt the continuity of concrete wall which is constantly under pressure.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

You dig out the dirt there isn't any pressure against that wall
You will need to build a proper retaining wall to hold back the dirt from the slope(s). 
And if you will be stepping up to get out of the basement area you will need to make sure you have proper drainage

The drawing shows cutting out below 2 windows ?
How wide of an area are you cutting out ?


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## Mossiliza (Jun 29, 2010)

So I decided to go ahead and get some to do this project, but yesterday I noticed the gutter drainage is passed from this side, so here is my question; according to standards how deep in ground is this drainage pipe? I was told by a contractor that drainages are usually passed beside the footer, is this true and if it is true does it mean that I can dig 5 feet without interfering with the drainage system?? Attached is a drawing of how the situation looks like…


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

I would consult a Structural Engineer and/or a soil professional to be safe. They would check the soil, figure the pressure, calculate the required remaining wall after the proposed cutting to see if it is possible or give some* professional* suggestions for the safety and liability issues involved. Taking into account the concrete wall thickness, steel placement and size, footing width and depth, steel there, etc. A retaining wall as someone suggested would not work in this case as the side (proposed wall) is supporting the end (corner) of the back wall--- the shear pressures there could be tremendous. I wouldn't give you information just for the safety and liability involved, and I am not a S.E. 

*Please* get a permit, to keep you and your family safe......

Be safe, Gary


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## Nailer (Jun 2, 2010)

Agreed !! Get an engineer. A retaining wall holding back 8 feet of dirt is nothing to guess at.


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