Most people have been taught by HDTV that a problem with foundation issues is an automatic deal breaker and it's just not true! Here in North Texas, foundation issues are common. We’re here to help you navigate this issue as both a home buyer and a homeowner. While Bree and I aren't foundation contractors, we deal with foundations as part of the real estate transaction almost daily. We are going to cover the conditions in north Texas, the types of foundations, and red flags to look for and how to make sure you're properly caring for your foundation for years to come!
How Clay Soil Impacts Your Home’s Foundation
Here in North Texas, we have clay soil, so it's going to matter a ton what your house is built on here. Clay is a highly porous soil, which affects a lot of things related to foundations. In North Texas we have periods of heavy rain and then we also have periods of droughts with very dry ground. Clay soil’s moisture will affect the way that the clay reacts and therefore moves or does not move your home. When the clay gets wet it expands and when it's dry it contracts. What this means is that it can actually raise your home if there's too much moisture and if there's not enough moisture it will actually sink a little bit. This means that controlling the flow of moisture and keeping things evenly watered around the foundation of your house is very important. We want to pay close attention to the kind of soil your home is built on, whether it’s on a slope, and how even your home is. We want you, potential buyers, and homeowners alike to be educated so that you can have the best outcome when it comes to your foundation.
Types of Foundations: Pier and Beam Foundation vs Slab Foundation
Pier Beam Foundation
Homes with pier beam foundations have piers drilled into the earth then wooden beams are slotted on top of them, and the house is built on top of that. This is much more common in older homes. The way this is structured means that there is a crawl space, sometimes it’s tall enough to stand up in and other times you could only crawl; it differs from home to home. There are also rectangular vents around the base of the foundation to venting moisture and creating airflow to help regulate the temperature and moisture. Plumbing exists in this space below the house making it very easy to access when plumbing issues arise. The real con here is the potential for rodents and pests in that area below your home.
Slab Foundation
Slab foundations are not drilled into the ground, there is no crawl space, and the plumbing is encased in the concrete. There is a grid within the slab made of rebar that holds everything together and the home is built directly on top. There is no option for creating airflow like with the pier and beam foundation. These homes also won’t have a crawl space, which means no pests under the home to worry about! Most new builds rely on slab foundation.
Unless you’re building your home you won’t be able to choose which kind of foundation you get. Luckily one is not better than the other and we’re going to help you navigate what to look out for and precautions you can take as a homeowner.
Foundation Red Flags
These red flags should tip you off that some movement is happening and encourage you to investigate further, but keep in mind some cracks are normal from settling. We are mainly concerned about the significant cracks and things that really stick out.
Staircase cracks
Doors sticking
Large cracks off of the door frames or window frames
Diagonal cracks from left to right corners
Straight slope
Bumpy floor
Investigating the Foundation
Okay so say you do spot some red flags, the first thing we need to know is has the foundation ever been repaired in the past? One way to know this is on the seller disclosure form that a buyer will get to see that tells them anything that the seller has knowledge of with the house, that that would be not correctly functioning, or major repairs like that that have been done in the past. If foundation work has been done, we have two big questions. Number one, who did the work? We want to know if it's a reputable company or not. And then number two, is there a warranty attached to that work? If a reputable foundation company makes repairs, they will attach a warranty and that says if repairs are needed in future in the same area they worked on before, they will make those repairs at little to no charge.
Structural Engineer vs Foundation Contractor
The goal here is to find out if the foundation is functioning as intended and if not how much money will it cost. Somebody other than a general inspector will need to come take a look. There are two options that you as a buyer would have, but also as a homeowner would have. These are the exact same options in either scenario. The first is going to be you can have a foundation company come out, that will probably do it for free promptly. They come and take laser level measurements of the elevations in your home and see if things are out of tolerance. Now, pros and cons here, you need to make sure that it's a foundation company that you trust because they have an incentive to tell you that work needs to be done. It's the same way with most contractors. We don't want you to pay for work that you don't need to be done, especially when it comes to foundation, because it can be so invasive for your home. They're going to come out, do that and quote you on the work that may need to be done.
Your other option is to hire a structural engineer. A structural engineer is a licensed person that has had to go through a lot of training around foundations. They would know a lot more than us about the environment around the home drainage, all of the components that make up the structural integrity of your house, and their reports are typically going to cost between two to four hundred dollars. It’s going to take a lot more time for them to really go into detail and write the full report, but the report is much more detailed than just a basic measurement of your home and they're going to provide recommendations as well. They may be connected to a foundation company and if not you may need to provide a report to a foundation company so that company can give you a proper quote.
Fixing Your Foundation Before Buying or Selling a Home
Everything we’ve discussed so far is what you’re going to want to find out during the option period, if possible, so that we understand what the problem is and the size of the problem. Most importantly though we need to find out who is going to pay for it. Regardless, we want to get your house back into tolerance; that is the key goal. The way they go about repairs is by digging under the home.If you have a slab foundation installing piers and lifting it up. If you have a pier and beam adjusting or adding to the piers that are already there, some type.That's called shimming in more minor instances.
We are going to negotiate what repairs need to be made and if that word is going to be completed before closing, after closing, or if you will get credits to repair them after closing. There's two main things that you need to be aware of when negotiating and when just embarking on taking on the project. One is there are going to be some cosmetic issues. This can be minor, but just because it has shifted one way and shifts back doesn't mean the crack now perfectly lines up and looks good again. You're still going to have to have a contractor come out and tape and paint and make sure that that all looks good again. On the more major end of the spectrum we need to double check that your plumbing system is alright.
Foundation Issues Impacts Plumbing
Plumbing repairs are typically not cheap and are one of the more expensive repairs that we typically see. If you have a pier and beam house, it's going to be pretty obvious if your plumbing is leaking. There's going to be a little puddle of water typically or a drip that we can see underneath the house. In a slab foundation, because that plumbing is encapsulated in your concrete, we're not going to be able to see if there's a drip and there aren't going to be early indicators that there is an issue. You're probably only going to tell if there's a leak when there's a major problem, because it's inside the slab. Luckily there are way to prevent this problem from ever happening!
How to Maintain Your Home’s Foundation for Years to Come
Let's chat about the ways that we can care for our foundation, either after work has been done, to prevent work from being needed again in the future, or to prevent work from ever needing to happen. It's all about that moisture and there are different ways for us to manage the moisture content around your house as evenly as possible.
Install gutters
Install a french drain
Rent a drip house and run it along the perimeter of your home during droughts.
If you have pier and beam foundation, keep your vents open.
Take note of trees around the home that may be drawing moisture out of the ground
Install a root barrier to help with the aforementioned roots
Foundation Issues are Not Deal Breakers
When you are building a new home make sure you get initial measurements so you can monitor if there is any movement and mitigate issues early on! Sometimes the scariest issues are those that you just don't know much about and hopefully now you are better prepared to find a house with a solid foundation and to care of yours for years to come. We want to hear which topics interest you most for our upcoming shows. Head on over to wherewelivepodcast.com to continue the conversation head over to our Facebook group, listen to our podcast, and connect with us!
Until next time,
Brianna and Keelie