Foundation on the move. Not once but twice.

Foundation on the move. Not once but twice.

New Mexico has a history of shifting sands. We average 500 Earth Quakes a year.

Earth seems to move at will. Although it moves so little at a time to add insult to injury New Mexico has about 500 Earth Quakes a year. Most are so small they are not felt by the average residents.

Foundations.

Unless your home is setting on bedrock, your home will settle. Most homes with a very good foundation system seem to stand the test of time.

The size of the home matters.

Many owners of homes don't realize the impact the foundation takes each and every day. From the size of the home. To the simple movement of the occupants, the trucks and traffic going down the road to the movement of the earth. Like settling and the small earth quakes that happen each and every day.

This recent home that I had the opportunity to insect for a prospective buyer had a couple issues with the foundation.

Year of the home.

The year the home was built is critical to how intense of an inspection that should take place. The older the home the more issues may be present when inspecting.

Constructed in 1905. 

This home has had 109 years to settle. In 1976 the previous owners made an attempt to stem the settling with the foundation.

Here is a look at the foundation and what I found when inspecting this home.

This foundation in this area had bowed in about Six inches.

Wanting to see the damage from the interior of the home I went into the crawl space. This is when I saw these issues.

This stem wall was added a long time ago. But it has broken and settled as well. 

This home was a very nice home. And at 109 years old she was still dancing. Foundation repair is still needed.