Home Inspection Library J C Weise Home Inspector Atlanta, GA www.UpscaleInspections.com

Inspecting The Foundation

Many conditions inhibit the observation of the foundation in Atlanta, including, but not limited to, vegetation, soil, and storage around the exterior; parked vehicles, furnishings, and storage in the garage; and furnishings, storage, and floor coverings (carpets, vinyl, tile, etc.) in the structure interior. I do not move furnishings and storage in the garage or the structure interior, and floor coverings are not lifted or removed to inspect the subfloor or foundation in the interior. The foundation was observed to the greatest extent possible at the exterior sides of the structure, from inside the structure, from the garage interior (if present), and, for raised foundations, from the crawl space opening and/or from inside the crawl space (if accessible).

Many homes in Atlanta, Georgia have raised foundations with crawl spaces, particularly older homes and homes in mountainous areas. Access to the foundation typically is through an opening constructed in the foundation wall. These openings should have a cover on them which should be attached to the structure and latched similar to that shown in Figure 1. The cover and latch help to prevent access to the crawl space by pets, unwanted wildlife, and inquisitive children.

In some cases, home owner landscaping prevents me from inspecting the interior of raised foundations (see Figure 2 and Figure 3). In Figure 3, two Atlanta Realtors attempted to move the flower pot, but it had a large tree in it and was too heavy to move. When I don’t have access to the crawl space interior, the best thing you can do is schedule a re-inspection, or, depending on what problems about the foundation were already noted in your home inspection report, consult with a licensed Atlanta structural engineer or a qualified Atlanta foundation professional. You might not need me for a re-inspection.


Typically located in those crawl spaces, along with the foundation support, of course, are water, gas, and sewer lines. Many times, especially when new plumbing is added, or when central heating and air conditioning is installed, the various “professionals” will damage the foundation wall in order to install their equipment or

utilities, as shown in Figure 7. Other professionals will only do part of a job, believing that by the time someone gets under the house to see the mess they created, they’ll be long gone. For example, Figure 8 shows cable wire debris left behind by the professional cable installer. Figure 9 shows new concrete block piers installed to support the wood posts. Unfortunately, there was a river running through the foundation crawl space whenever it rained, and the water had carried all the soil away, exposing the foundation footings. In Figure 10, this older house had a remodeled kitchen with a new dishwasher, a new refrigerator, and more outlets. The “electrician” spliced the wires in the crawl space without putting circuit breakers in the electric panel. But at least he labeled the splices! This is a great example of why you should do your due diligence and research the permit history on any property that you are buying.

Atlanta homes with raised foundations are usually equipped with screened openings to provide cross ventilation of subfloor areas. The primary purpose of foundation vents is to prevent moisture condensation on surfaces beneath the building, so closing the vents is generally an unwise practice. The purpose of foundation vents has little to do with temperature control or energy conservation and is, therefore, unrelated to variations in weather. Therefore, closing your foundation vents during the winter is an invitation to condensation and resultant moisture damage, dry rot, and mold. Foundation vents should remain open at all times, especially during winter.

Raised foundations generally will deteriorate at a faster rate than a slab-on-grade foundation. However, there is also a significant difference between the beginning of general deterioration after, say 10 years, and the ending of deterioration after, say, 90 years. It’s pretty safe to say that a 90-year-old foundation that shows general deterioration that has never been addressed needs to be addressed

now, before close of escrow. So if you’re buying an older home the best thing you can do to protect your investment is to have a licensed Atlanta structural engineer or a qualified Atlanta foundation professional conduct an extensive evaluation of the foundation.

As the foundation deteriorates, especially with a structure whose interior might have been painted and/or renovated without addressing the foundation itself, cracks will reappear in the interior and exterior walls and ceilings, and possibly sloping floors will occur. When such damage occurs, additional support can be added in specific areas, and then repairs can be made to the walls, ceilings, and floors. I am not licensed as an engineer in the State of Georgia, and practicing engineering without a license can have significant civil and/or criminal penalties. Therefore, I cannot determine the extent of deterioration of foundations nor at what point major repairs might have to be done. However, when specific repairs are done properly and by qualified Atlanta foundation specialists, deteriorated foundations can continue to provide reasonably adequate support for the structure. Deterioration will continue to occur, though, and repairs to the walls, ceilings, and floors will be an ongoing process. At some point, major repairs will need to be done, including possibly having a completely new foundation installed. Although I’m not a licensed engineer, I’m pretty sure that river rock (Figure 11), car jacks (Figure 12), roofing shingles (Figure 13), and a combination of materials (Figure 14) are not appropriate methods to provide either short-term or long-term repairs to foundations.

Notwithstanding any further evaluations by a foundation professional as might be recommended in your home inspection report, or any repairs by seller and/or buyer, it is imperative that foundations be kept as dry as possible to help minimize deterioration. To that extent, any landscaping should natural vegetation, or xeriscape vegetation. Any irrigation by sprinkler system must be minimized so that overwatering does not occur. Gutters and downspouts should be installed and/or maintained to help direct rainwater from the roof to areas away from the foundation. Plumbing components in the crawl space must be monitored at least annually to detect any leaks.

Slab-on-grade foundations create a different set of problems because different professionals are not cross-trained in other professions to help them understand how what they do affects other aspect of real estate. The most common problem in this regard concerns landscaping, grading, and drainage. First and foremost, here in Atlanta, Georgia we like to paint or stucco our concrete foundation stem walls . Because of the way a slab-on-grade foundation is designed to work, the paint and stucco will ultimately blister and slough from the foundation stem wall (see Figure 15). Another common problem here is that the landscaper and the hardscape professionals install grass, soil, materials, and driveways and walkways too high (see Figure 16 and Figure 17). Instead, there should always be at least four or six inches of clearance between the ground and the bottom of the exterior wall (see Figure 18).

To sum up, I’ll say it again: The best way to protect your investment in a home with a raised foundation, notwithstanding anything noted in your home inspection report, is to have it properly evaluated by a licensed Atlanta structural engineer or a qualified Atlanta foundation professional who is familiar with the soils and foundations that are typical of Atlanta, Georgia. Then follow his recommendations.

If you have any questions about anything, simply contact me.

 

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