Shed in Swampville

• Question:

Hi Charlie,
I have a question for you.  The ground my shed was built on turns into pseudo swampland when it rains.  It sits on six concrete cylinders, no foundation.  As a result, it is not only sinking, it's rotating.  It has slipped off two of the cylinders.  We put a car jack and a bucket of sand underneath it to hold it up.   My hubby violently thinks we should tear it down, but, I think there's hope.  What do you think?  Another jack? -Lori Zabrocki

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• Charlie's Solution:

Hi Lori, Thanks for your question. I have a few questions of my own that I need to know in order to help. 

1. Is the soil the shed is sitting on lower than the surrounding soil?

2. What is the diameter of the six cylinders the shed is sitting on? And how deep are they? And a stupid question....where are the cylinders situated under the shed? In the corners?

3. How big is the shed and what do you store in it?

4. What is the shed made of? Wood framing and siding, aluminum? I need to know this so I know how heavy the loads are on the supports.

5. Could you take a photo of the shed and the area surrounding it and send it to me?

6. Having wet soil is an easy problem to fix when it comes to shed support. However, wet poor soil is another issue. Do you have any idea what type of soil you have under the shed? Clay, dirt, sand, silt? Have no idea?

The twisting of the shed could be due to an uneven weight distribution inside the shed which is causing an uneven displacement of the loads to the cylinder "supports".

With all of this information I should be able to help you, however, it will take some sweat equity. Give me the answers and I will try to give you the answer. I have initial thoughts on what is the best solution but until I know all the info I cannot be sure. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Charlie Frattini

-Charlie Frattini
TV Host/Master Builder of A&E's Sell This House Extreme
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Power Outlet Not Working | How to for Check GFCI

• Question - We had a power outlet powering our telephone and document shredder, and then one day it just stopped working.  We now have an extension cord running from somewhere else in the room to power the telephone.  And we stopped shredding documents. - JAV

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• Charlie's Solution:  

Hi JAV,

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my request for "home repair" questions and yours is a good question. First tell me a little about your knowledge of "working around the house" and also about the situation in your home. 

 

Could you answer these questions?

1. Are you handy with small tools in case the fix is not easy? Screwdrivers, pliers, electrical tape, etc....

2. Is this an outlet with two oval plugs receptors or is it a square outlet? The ovals fit into these type of outlet covers. 

 

3. Make sure the outlet is not a GFCI outlet. This is pretty simple to do. Are there buttons in the middle of the outlet?

Here is an example of a CFGI outlet: 

 

 

4. If not a GFCI, are any other outlets on that wall also out? 

JAV, I would suggest you first check the circuit breaker in the house if you haven't already done so. You may have blown a circuit. If this is the case, then the fix is easy. Switch the circuit back on. You can tell if the circuit breaker is in the "off" position if it is either all the way to the right or if the breaker switch is mid way...not right or left. Most breakers are in the off position to the right and on position to the left. If you find the a breaker in the middle...switch it off first then switch it back on.

If this doesn't work, you may have a bad outlet. Changing an outlet is dangerous so if none of these work or you already tried these steps, let me know and we will go on to changing an outlet.  I will probably do a video for this one. 

Good Luck. I look forward to hearing from you.

-Charlie Frattini

-Charlie Frattini
TV Host/Master Builder of A&E's Sell This House Extreme
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