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The 4' level can be your best friend

By
Home Inspector with Integrity Home Inspections LLC

As Inspectors we perform visual evaluations of reasonably accessible areas and are bound by "Standards" to disclose condition and not recommend repair. However we need to know what conditions percipitate our recommendation to call in an expert in a particular situation. Foundations can be difficult and if, at the conclusion of the review you cannot say, "the movement viewed in the foundation of this home appears to be within acceptable limits for a home of this age, it's condition, style of construction and in this area" then you should defer to a PE. Now, these Professional Engineers may not have the same amount of experience that you have but they have the education required to make recommendation and in WV are mandated to provide structural retrofitt or repair recommendations.

Question follows: What constitutes the need to defer (protect your assets) ?

This is where your friend the four foot level comes into play. First there is NO national standard accepted by any organization for the amount of deflection, vertical or longitudinal, movement required to neccessitate repair/retrofit recommendations. There is one standard published in the NAVY STANDARDS which allows for up to 1/2 inch of sag in 20 lineal feet. This is a measurement, point to point, on top of a footer or wall and must be met before recommendations for retrofit are to be proffered. What is generally accepted within a foundation wall is up to 1/2 inch movemnet in four vertical feet. Place the level at the floor or at the top of the wall and measure the distance required to move the level to a plumb state. With cracks up to the 1/2 inch measurement it is the call of the inspector as to what conditions are existant that may have created the issues of wall fracture and lean. Sometimes site drainage is the culprit, gutters and downspout may need reconfigured. Often, the homes (especially in WV) are built on steep hillsides or possibly on insitue soils (un-compacted) which settle subsequent to construction. Of course there are footer failures, sill plates that are not anchored and vegitation growing too close to the foundation, typically twelve feet is the minimum allowable distance to the tree from the foundation.

There are far to many scenerios that could exist to cover them here. Suffice it to say,

  • IF the cracks in the foundation walls are larger at the bottom than at the top
  • IF the wall lean or bow exceeds 1/2 inch in four vetical feet
  • IF the corner has step cracked about the same amount on both sides of the same corner
  • IF the top of the wall where the sill plate and the block/concrete varies over 1/2 inch (uneven meaurement can indicates wall lean) Typically there will not be any sill anchors in this situation
  • IF the downhill wall of the basement has pulled sigificantly away from the concrete floor

Then you should probably call for a professional evaluation to better protect your client, the REALTOR and yourself.

Smaller or less obtrusive isssues can generally be addressed with a comment like. " Clean and seal the cracks in the masonry walls using a non-shrink masonry grout substance to be better able to detect future movement. Please note that there may be some normal movement seasonally that should return to the patched state. If the movement occurs and does not return it is recommended to call for a professional evaluatiuon for reccomendation as to retrofit or repair necessity." 

This has worked for me over the past eleven yeras. I hope it helps. For further information or for a full day seminar on this subject by a True Professional in the field you can contact Sam Wood PE. sam@advantagehomewv Sam has presented Nationwide, his seminar to the World of Concrete, NAHI, ASHI and NACHI seminars of course for CEU's. I think that he is presenting one in WV March 20th. It is a full day seminar and you WILL go away having gained a new insight on Foundations.

Blessings to you all, Mike Reel Integrity Home Inspections Williamstown wv

Comments (6)

Charlie Ragonesi
AllMountainRealty.com - Big Canoe, GA
Homes - Big Canoe, Jasper, North Georgia Pros
Nice post and great information. We always recommend an inspection but you have given us some warning signs thanks
Mar 05, 2008 12:01 AM
Maria Holland
RE/Max Homes & Estates, ABR,GRI, CDPE, SFR - Nashville, TN
Realtor, ABR, GRI, CDPE, SFR
Good advice and guidelines.  Great information.
Mar 05, 2008 12:07 AM
Jonelle Simons
Windermere Real Estate - Park City, UT
Good points - and very informative!  Thanks for posting... JS
Mar 05, 2008 12:14 AM
Frank Schulte-Ladbeck
Frank Schulte-Ladbeck Professional Real Estate Inspections - Houston, TX
Michael- this is a well written post on the topic. At an inspector meeting recently, one inspector who works for an engineering firm said that they had done a study of new construction foundations in the area to find that 1/2" to 3/4" sag over twenty feet seems to be common.
Mar 05, 2008 12:16 AM
David Holden
DRH Home Inspection Akron, Ohio Summit County Home Inspector - Akron, OH
DRH Home Inspection Akron, Ohio Summit
Great post!  I asked the question in a post and now I have some practical info and reference.  Very helpful post.  Thanks, Dave
Mar 05, 2008 10:47 AM
Robert Dirienzo
HABITEC Home and Building Inspections, LLC - Franklin, TN
Home Inspections - Nashville TN

Great work!

Richard

Mar 05, 2008 10:53 AM