Due to undersized foundation (5" wide x 12" deep concrete wall with no extra footing), low exterior grade to siding clearance, and little to no crawlspace access, and a bad floor that needs replacing anyway, a contractor friend suggested that we temporarily support/level the sills/walls (2.5" square tubing with 4"x4" bearing plates between existing sill and existing stem wall 23" oc on exterior bearing walls, and 3/4" all thread to concrete block on interior partition walls, remove the floor joists, and float in a 5.5 inch slab. It is about a 20' by 25' single story wood frame area, 4 layers of exterior wood siding so LOTs of temporary shear in place, with some extra bracing to prevent kick in/out. Concrete slab to be floated into place in Mono pour connected to and capping existing footing. See the picture for details. The reason for leaving the existing to make it easier to temp support the structure. We think we have enough steel in the design to support the cap part of the slab? Northern Cal, so we are not in a zone where freeze/thaw is an issue, and in 60-years the existing undersized has settled only 1/2" in one corner due to poor downspout management which is being fixed. Does this approach (working around and over the existing footing in this manner), seem adequate, or should I be focusing on an approach that totally removes the existing footing? [ATTACH]75743[/ATTACH]

So we are building a gun "vault" for my father. The walls consist of 8x8x16 cinder blocks filled with concrete and rebar. The question becomes how do we create the doorway? My research has indicated that I need to install a lintel to hold the cinder blocks above the doorway. The room will be 104" square with a 4" poured concrete ceiling. The wall that I am working on is 104" wide with a 40" rough opening for the door. From what I've read I can use either steel or concrete lintels (most common materials anyway...) For steel, I've found that angle iron or channel is typically used. The concrete lintels are either pre-formed or made on site. Unfortunately I can't seem to find either of those in the area. I'm thinking it is more to do with my lack thereof knowledge with where to look which has lead me to here. Where can I get the material for this at a reasonable price? We do have a metal supplier near us but they only sell in 24' sections and I'd hate to purchase an additional 18' for waste.... Alternatively; how hard is it to make a concrete lintel? Most of what I've read/watched people build a concrete lintel by replacing the row above the door with a poured concrete piece with 4 horizontal rebar. I've played with the idea of boarding up the area above the door and pouring 2 rows of blocks as concrete with 4 pieces of horizontal per row. That way I have a homemade 88" x 8" x 16" with 8 pieces of rebar in it. Opinions are greatly appreciated!*Big Grin*