When you finish the basement, I have a suggestion where the bar should be located.

It’s suspect when the city won’t respond to us then if it is nothing. In other areas this is out of code if the beam is out of plumb by more than 1/3rd the diameter. I just don’t know if that is a wider standard.

You need an engineer. Who designed the support beam and columns? Did he/she not inspect the work?

It will be a lot of work to fix it if required. The lally column sits on the concrete column underneath of the slab. The beams weren't measured properly and cut poorly. The top of the support column has to stay where it is. But the bottom needs to be moved alleged 3 inches. Your builder knew about this defect before even the foundation was poured. Presumably foundation walls are 9 feet... 3 inches in 108 ... is 2.75% or if 8 feet is 3.06%. This could pass ...

We have 9 foot walls. What is the calculation for?
How would you know if the builder knew about the defect?

If the builder knew about it, it is bad news. If the builder did not know about it, it is bad news.

Perhaps the best resolve would be for the builder to pay for an engineer's report determining if the column is structurally sound in the condition it is in.

The local building department inspects and then they're done whether they did or didn't' see the defect. They are not responsible to you for discovering defects in your building; it is you who is responsible to the city and state for building to state and local codes and standards. Its your designer and contractor who are responsible to you to meet those codes and standards.

If you have a complaint now, it should be directed to your designer and/or contractor and you need an engineer to inspect the work and write a report if you want to make anyone correct it.

As for code compliance, if the code is the iRC, prefabricated steel columns must have an ICC-ES Evaluation Report and it will require the column to be installed "vertically" and in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions.

In most jurisdictions, any structural element or system the design of which is not prescribed in the building code must be designed by a design professional which in this case would be an engineer. Perhaps a lumberyard or steel fabricator can provide an engineer's stamp but in my experience an engineer is hired to design steel structures and inspect the installation.

If you wonder why a builder shouldn't be relied upon to do that, here's your answer.

Most likely nothing will happen, but that is unknown factor to anyone here except who designed this.

In any case it's not a big deal to solve this issue, cut the concrete and move/level the post and fill the cavity back with concrete...

Unless the footing was OFF and that is one of the reasons because the I-Beams usually come pre-cut... Or the footing is in the right location but the I-Beam cut location was miscalculated and landed off the column.

That said I never seen a lolly column being off by 3", you would think the installer was drunk or blind and couldn't read the level... This should have been corrected before the slab was poured.

NAHB's Residential Construction Performance Guidelines for Professional Builders & Remodelers Fifth ed. considers a steel post to be out of plumb if it's more than 3/8" out of plumb in 8 ft. (earlier editions allowed 1/8" per ft.)

I suggest there are two alternatives for correcting the out-of-plumb condition:

The first is to cut the concrete floor, relocate the column base and replace the concrete floor. Provided the column footing is adequate as constructed, this would be a straightforward correction and shouldn't need an engineer.

The second alternative is to leave the column base fixed where it is, and have a structural engineer design a different connection for the two steel beams which would allow the column to be offset from the splice by the 3" you measured.

Whomever installed this knew it was improper. And whomever was the general contractor's representative knew it too.

@Virgil,

The assumption is that the general contractor or their representative actually visited the site during construction and got out of their truck. Production-built homes and homes built by the low-bid builder often get only "drive by" supervision.

Unfortunately, Charles, you are probably correct. And there should have been regularly scheduled city inspections. Regardless, the builder is still responsible.

Moving the base of the post seems like an easy fix. If the contractor won't do it, hire someone else. Its just another one of life's little chores.

Moving the base of the post seems like an easy fix.

Not if it's resting on the concrete pad on top of which has been poured 5 inches of 2500 psi concrete and the post has been anchored to the pad with concrete anchor bolts. At least, that's the way I do mine. (Plus I have all steel-to-steel connections welded.)

******

Can't resist posting this pic of an I-joist connection--one of half dozen--on a recent repo inspection of a two-year old house. All of them were done this way. Hey, a hanger is a hanger!

@Worthy,

I'm with you on this one. I'd explore every option for avoiding concrete work, even if it were more expensive. That way the remedy can be completed in a couple of hours versus days and with minimal mess versus excavating and placing concrete.

"Can't resist posting this pic . . . "

Is that valve part of the structural assembly??

Closing the valve releases the joist hanger...

Did you consider the possibility it powers a pneumatic elevator before concluding it's a joist hanger release valve?

Is that valve part of the structural assembly??

It’s a quick disconnect for the joist.

Have a local fabricator weld 1/2" x 7"x 12" steel plates to opposite sides of the column with the 7" dimension touching the concrete floor. Slip another column in between the plates the same diameter full height to the bottom of the beam and Plumb. Weld full filet welds vertically where the two plates touch the two columns. Run a full filet weld around the top of the column where it meets the bottom of the beam. This will properly transfer a eccentric load to the footing below the concrete slab. Then box it in with studs and sheetrock and forget about it believe me. And while you're at it finish off your basement. No one will ever know and you will have a nice basement to boot. :)

If you are concerned about the out of plumb column put a column on either side of the column and then when you finish the basement frame out around all three columns

Use a surface mounted adjustable column on both sides those are easy to install and can do so in minutes

Or remove the askew column while providing temporary supports either side. Then replace it, affixing it with deep concrete anchors sure to penetrate the pier below--assuming it's there at all.

Relief valve. Damn, you guys are pros. LOL

(And, btw, I had the gas utility inspect that and they said the line to the outside barbecue it served should not be used, though the inspector said he wouldn't red flag it.)

Rick, I'm a commercial guy and I don't get too involved with adjustable columns. I could go with your two additional columns suggestion and boxed in as opposed to my solution of one welded column boxed in, as long as they were properly attached to the floor with expansion anchors or epoxy injected anchor bolts. But don't you think that some welding may be in order at the top especially if this condition could be subject to seismic loads? And considering once it's boxed in it's never to be seen again. Like I said, I'm not too familiar with lally columns.

Gotta love this place when everyone is trying to make an elephant out of a fly.

This is an easy, simple fix... cut and break up the slab, jack it up and move the column(use a level this time). You don't need anchors, you don't need to make up plates, adding adjustable columns next to it and make it look like a hack job or anything like it.

My framer would have this done in 1 hour.

Virgil thats the answer! And hurry up before GN's framer saw cuts the slab, and fills the basement with dust or concrete slurry and cracks up what is probably a 3-4" deep footing considering who installed the column in the first place. And then has to form and pour a new 8" footing with rebar and patch the slab. J/k GN

Or maybe he would pour a monolithic footing/floor patch with a the diamond isolation control joint. Yes thats it! Never mind Virgil, GN has it covered. :)

I stuttered sorry

Virgil & NSI good one! :-)

As the repair goes is simple as that.

As the dust goes... Whats that? Dust shroud is made for any grinder or any saw nowadays (I'm sure you know that), we cut slabs all the time when installing columns in existing basements or doing other doing structural repairs, you don't even need a mask when cutting or grinding the slab or prep foundations for Carbon Fiber Straps.

Joking with you, Im sure as a builder, you'd have it covered. Just watch out for that 3" deep footing.

Houses, aren't so much in my wheelhouse. Although I did have a builder build a house for me and I show up to the job site and he made a laminated beam out of 3 - 2x10s and 2 rips of 1/2" plywood which was fine. Except for the fact that he lined up all the cuts except for one layer of plywood in the same place 4 feet away from the column instead of staggering all the cuts. So I had to get two pieces of 1/4" plate 8"wide 6 ft long with through bolts top and bottom one foot on center sandwiching the wood beam and centered on his joint. 35 years later, hasn't sagged a 1/16th

Leaning Tower of Pisa? Now thats a project!!

Has anyone suggested a flying buttress yet?

You don't need anchors,

Even better. (My engineer's rationale for anchors is to protect the posts from some mishap till the floor is poured.)

But no dust? How unmanly!

@Worthy I know times change, don't let that bring you down... soon dust will be manly again and it might be legal soon the way things going... Some places already make first steps in that direction. :-)

@ Mark, If there is a will there is always a way :-)

Dust and the Righted Tower of Pizza...why didn't I see that coming...?

Vigil,

You didn't see it coming,

because your stomach is probably growling and you are obviously hungry thinking about pizza! You should have been thinking about Pisa :)

Well...I like my Pisa with everything except anthoovies...thin crust, please...

@Virgil If you like Pizza and you ever visit NY, make a trip to Brooklyn NY, this is Where You Go to get best pizza in NY... and if you in town drop me a note, lunch is on me, I don't miss an opportunity to have that pizza :-)

Well...thanks for the invite! I lived and worked in Manhatten for 6 years before retiring. Food is wonderfu! Daughter lived in Brooklyn for a time. She loved it!

My paisano Sal used to work in that neighbourhood....

@ Worthy,

Last time I checked, Brooklyn was south of the Canadian border, so that would make it "neighborhood."

In the hood anyway ya spell it!

(I was mostly a lawn guyland guy.)

• contractor is responsible for the build bring it to his att right away

This thread is 8months old. I’m sure they worked it out.

contractor is only responsible for 1 year. if they did work it out then they should have taken down this problem or the least let everyone know what happened