Scratching Hens Have Struck -- TRASH HEAP

[Aunt Angus]

Safe from the chickens, yes, but now that it's started to shift, it will likely keep shifting.
Op, call a home inspector asap!

Or a structural engineer.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Maybe drive long metal rods into the pile, and the cover it with cement, that may stop the shifting ?!

I don't think that would work. The trash will settle as it decomposes, even with rebar or steel beams. It's not going to be structurally sound. It's why Venice is sinking.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

@Krisellen, please you need to find a structural engineer to evaluate the safety of your house. To heck with the chickens - but for now, get them off that hillside and for goodness' sake replant some ivy or grass or something to stop any further erosion until you can figure this out.

You say that heavy equipment can't access the area due to the slope and trees... but an engineer will likely know how it can be done. Someone had to build the foundation and house, correct? And that took heavy equipment to do so (unless it's 100+ years old).

Are you absolutely certain the house sits on top of the dump??? I find that very unlikely - to build the house, someone had to pull a permit - and there had to be legal inspections all along the way. There's no way a legitimate builder would have put your foundation on top of an unstable trash dump. Without the proper permits and inspections, there's no legal way to build and then sell the house - unless you paid cash and no banks, title companies, insurance companies, nor the county inspectors were involved anywhere along the way.

A structural engineer can look things over and reassure you that the house is, in fact, anchored to solid ground - or - he or she can suggest modifications to shore it up safely, and how to remove the trash to restore your hillside.

Your first stop might be to the county courthouse to look up the deed. You can find out who owned the house before you, and before that, etc. all the way back to the first settler. They should also have records of any permits that were approved for the build of your house.

Hope this helps.

 

[3KillerBs]

I agree 100% with @Aunt Angus and @BarnyardChaos. Get a professional involved -- the risk is too much for amateur efforts and goes far beyond just chickens.

 

[Acre4Me]

@Krisellen, please you need to find a structural engineer to evaluate the safety of your house. To heck with the chickens - but for now, get them off that hillside and for goodness' sake replant some ivy or grass or something to stop any further erosion until you can figure this out.

You say that heavy equipment can't access the area due to the slope and trees... but an engineer will likely know how it can be done. Someone had to build the foundation and house, correct? And that took heavy equipment to do so (unless it's 100+ years old).

Are you absolutely certain the house sits on top of the dump??? I find that very unlikely - to build the house, someone had to pull a permit - and there had to be legal inspections all along the way. There's no way a legitimate builder would have put your foundation on top of an unstable trash dump. Without the proper permits and inspections, there's no legal way to build and then sell the house - unless you paid cash and no banks, title companies, insurance companies, nor the county inspectors were involved anywhere along the way.

A structural engineer can look things over and reassure you that the house is, in fact, anchored to solid ground - or - he or she can suggest modifications to shore it up safely, and how to remove the trash to restore your hillside.

Your first stop might be to the county courthouse to look up the deed. You can find out who owned the house before you, and before that, etc. all the way back to the first settler. They should also have records of any permits that were approved for the build of your house.

Hope this helps.

while I agree that it unlikely the house sits on a dump area, not everyplace has building codes for homes as strange as it sounds. A year ago, at a long running kid sport event, I chatted with a parent who was in this area of work (structural engineer or inspector for commercial buildings), but had done some residential work. He told a few stories of crazy poorly built homes due to a lack of codes or required inspections in that particular county. I think this is more possible in more rural areas, fewer homes. But, not the norm.

Agree that having an engineer out is a good thing since you have uncovered a concerning aspect of unknown size near your foundation. If you like in a wet area or an area with periods of heavy rain …this could be a real problem.

 

[Ozarkoak]

As a Arkansas resident the whole, there had to be a permit and inspection thing is most likely not true. I know in my county no permit or inspection is needed for ANYTHING except septic. I can go outside right now, build a 2 story house and never call anyone. Its both good and bad depending on the situation. Trash pits are very common in all rural areas depending on the age of the home. If it were me would move the chickens, dig down a few feet add some top soil seed it and call it good. How old is your home? Do you know the history of the property?

 

[Krisellen]

Wow- did NOT expect such quick and helpful replies. Here's some more info.
1) The house is not on top of the trash pile -- but accessing the trash pile would involve equipment too close to the foundation to be safe.
2) I am in a very low income area and have come to learn that MANY folks down here LITERALLY throw their trash out the back door,(in my case the side door) and have done so for years.. . .
3) I have tried tarps and canvas drop cloths but the hens literally just tear them to shreds (leading to additional concerns.)
4) Was hoping to keep a large area available, but looks like the girls will be getting a smaller range.
Thanks y'all - if you have any other ideas, keep them coming.

 

[Krisellen]

As a Arkansas resident the whole, there had to be a permit and inspection thing is most likely not true. I know in my county no permit or inspection is needed for ANYTHING except septic. I can go outside right now, build a 2 story house and never call anyone. Its both good and bad depending on the situation. Trash pits are very common in all rural areas depending on the age of the home. If it were me would move the chickens, dig down a few feet add some top soil seed it and call it good. How old is your home? Do you know the history of the property?

I think you're my neighbor! LOL I'm in Sharp County - where are you?

 

[Ozarkoak]

I think you're my neighbor! LOL I'm in Sharp County - where are you?

We are county neighbors. I'm in Fulton county.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Ah... with that new info, I have an idea. Start removing trash in a small area at a time, and backfill that spot before moving on to the next spot. You *should* be able to dig next to the foundation this way, if you do it in a small area at a time (depending on the type of foundation). If you're still unsure, still call a structural engineer or foundation expert to evaluate and advise how to proceed.

I imagine a small ditch-witch might handle the job if you want to handle it yourself and save bunches of money. Or, hire a landscaping or foundation-repair company to do it for you. They'll find a way.

I'm imagining that you could terrace the hillside. Dig and pour concrete footings for retaining walls on parts of the slope, with rebar driven deep into the soil/rock/trash below to anchor them, and build retaining walls on top - like terraces down the hillside. Landscaping blocks, rock walls, or railroad ties, etc. Backfill behind each section (with appropriate drainage system) to level the ground in sections, and make a landscaped garden, chicken space, or whatever you want. It would cover the trash dump and make a safe, beautiful and useful retreat at the same time.