At a Glance: Making it Easy to Spot Foundation Problems
We’ve all pulled up to a listing and seen it—THE house. That one we dream of. How do we know that our dream house is sitting on a firm foundation? How do we know when it’s ok to start imagining our kids running in the yard? Here are 5 Warning Signs to look for prior to falling in love with any listing.
#1: Start on the Street—The Driveway Slab and Garage Door
Why: Slabs are designed to give way prior to a foundation. If the garage door and driveway slab aren’t flush, it’s a warning that expansive soil is at work on the home’s foundation.
#2: Exterior Issues—Check out the Brick and Stone Facades
Why: Facades, whether stone or brick, show foundation movement first because they are more fragile than the foundation itself.
#3: Interior Issues—Double Check Doors & Windows
Why: Doors and windows that aren’t flush, show frequent planning, or have diagonal corner cracks mean movement has been happening for a while.
#4: Below Grade—Bowing Walls
Why: If there is an uneven gap between the subfloor and the wall in the basement, you have bowing walls, which is horizontal foundation movement.
#5: Cement Cracks
Why: Thick, deep cracks are concerns. Use the credit card rule: if the crack is thicker than a credit card, it’s probably movement related. Smaller is normal shrinkage.
Attention All Realtors! Become Fluent in Foundation Concerns, Wise about Water, and Clued In about Crawlspaces!
Join Paul Sutton, Foundation Specialist for a FREE 2 hour, 2 credit class!
April 19th at 9:00AM, Stewart Title at 111 S. Tejon St.
Concerned about the Cost of Foundation Repair?
No comments:
Post a Comment