Fixes for Misplaced Footings

It's hard sometimes to position footings in the trench, so contractors often see walls that are not in the center of the footing. The foundation wall has to be located correctly to support the house, of course, so it has been placed off-center on the footing.

This incorrectly placed footing caused the foundation wall to be off-center. If the soil is very strong, this may not lead to problems. If the footing is on a weaker soil however, the author will recommend that it be fixed.
This incorrectly placed footing caused the foundation wall to be off-center.
If the soil is very strong, this may not lead to problems.
If the footing is on a weaker soil however, the author will recommend that it be fixed.

In good bearing soil, I wouldn't get too concerned about this foundation for the loads involved in a simple wood frame house. The full width of the footing isn't needed to support the loads anyway; you could pour the wall right on the edge of the footing and still have enough support. However, if you start to go over the edge and have the wall sticking out past the footing on the side or on the end, then you're starting to apply a rotational force that the footing is not designed to handle. In that case, you should think about getting an engineer involved. (If your soils are relatively soft, the risk is even greater.)

In strong soils, a mistake in footing layout can be corrected by placing gravel to support the wall (top). In weaker soils, the author recommends casting an augmented footing alongside the existing footing (above), connected by dowels epoxied into the side of the existing footing. Be sure to fill any notches in the footing, and cut off any existing steel dowels that will miss the wall.

In strong soils, a mistake in footing layout can be corrected by placing gravel to support the wall (top). In weaker soils, the author recommends casting an augmented footing alongside the existing footing (above), connected bydowels epoxied into the side of the existing footing. Be sure to fill any notches in the footing, and cut off anyexisting steel dowels that will miss the wall.

As an engineer, I've been asked to recommend solutions in cases where the footing has been placed so that the wall, when cast, would actually extend beyond it. My suggestions are different in strong soils than in average orbelow-average soils. In soils with bearing capacity greater than about 4,000 psf, I suggest excavating next to thefooting and under it, and placing compacted large gravel into the space. That should be adequate to support thewall. If there's a keyway in the wall, fill it in, and if there's steel projecting from the footing, cut it off. Drill holes and epoxy steel into the footing to tie the wall to the footing, and then form and cast the wall.

In weaker soils, you have to augment the footing itself with steel and concrete. Excavate as before, but instead of using gravel, drill into the side of the footing and epoxy steel dowels into it, then place concrete to extend the footing out to the proper width.

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