A foundation constitutes an important part of a home. The home’s structural underpinning provides a base for the internal surfaces above, the sheathing, and the framing. When there are understructure and footing issues, they often translate into other serious problems. Top Home Inspection technicians will look at the level of the floor, presence of cracks in walls and slabs, dislodging of sills from the beam or slab and walls that are not well-fortified.
Changes in moisture content can result in foundation problems such as cracking, settling, and shifting of pier blocks or concrete. Inside the house, a floor that is uneven or not level is a sign of a potential foundation problem. If the doors are jamming or failing to latch and there are cracks in the exterior and interior walls, especially over windows and doorways or the areas where walls meet ceilings, these can indicate issues with the foundation. The presence of cracks that run open in ceramic or vinyl tiles over concrete floors, and windows that don’t budge or function properly, may together hint at foundation problems.
Our foundation inspectors are highly trained and will document all the issues they identify that may be serious. Having hairline cracks in the mortar found between concrete blocks may need to be checked sporadically to see if the cracks are expanding. Horizontal cracks are regarded as the most serious since they indicate that the water in the soil outside has frozen and bulged. The swelling soil pushes and expands the concrete.
Inspecting block and raised foundations needs proper training. Our inspectors assess all the visible areas looking for stains, cracks, boring, notching, and anchoring. Some of these signs could indicate a structural deficiency or the traditional sinking meaning if they are apparent, a structural engineer may be recommended. When assessing the crawlspace and basement, Top Home Inspection team looks at all the accessible areas to see if there are foundation issues that entail concrete supports and posts or piers. The technicians also check the bottoms of posts to ensure they rest firmly on concrete surfaces.
The presence of standing water or signs of water intrusion within the crawlspace should be regarded as red flags for foundation damage. Homebuyers need to check on the foundation structure of the home they are buying to ensure it firmly supports the entire building.
