House with foundation issues

[LiftAndShoot]

Hey guys -

Question for the GS for those experienced in homebuying (and/or contractors/structural engineers). The wife and I are in the process of buying a house. We found one, put an offer, it was accepted, and the inspection was today. The inspector was a really nice guy and seemed very thorough. Almost none of his issues really alarmed me except when he said, 'there are some hairline cracks in the foundation and two quarter inch cracks. One is a straight-line crack that runs from the frame of a door up about 8 inches right between the bricks. There is no drywall or internal cracking visible, but the door is out of square as a result. As well, there's a very thin crack between brick and window in the front of the house (same side) that runs about 8 feet along the edge of the window (vertically) and opens up to about a quarter inch at the roof.

So, here's my question; it's a house built in '89 and I don't know much about 'the norm' here in TX. In FL, it'd be a big deal. At this point I've called 2 different foundation repair companies and a structural engineer to get them out there during my option period to evaluate. I'm hoping for the best but don't know what to feel right now. Anyone have experience with something like this? What should I be prepared for?

Thanks,
-LaS.

[JayB]

In North Texas....that's a pretty standard issue. Cracks do not mean the foundation has moved but it also may be a sign. The door out of square is a flag. You will need to wait on the engineer/foundation folks to evaluate. It does not need to be a game stop if you have to get repaired. It will have to be amended into the contract..either seller repair or you get funds held to cover cost of repair.

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[flywise]

In North Texas....that's a pretty standard issue. Cracks do not mean the foundation has moved but it also may be a sign. The door out of square is a flag. You will need to wait on the engineer/foundation folks to evaluate. It does not need to be a game stop if you have to get repaired. It will have to be amended into the contract..either seller repair or you get funds held to cover cost of repair.

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This sounds good^^^^
But if it were me id keep looking

[JayB]

80% of the houses you will find in North Texas will have or had a foundation issue. Once repaired, most are fine.

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[Gbird]

Take a standard level and walk around your exterior walls and check for square. Also check above door frames. You can get a pretty good idea if your foundation is giving out by looking at how much your exterior walls are out of square.


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[DapperDan]

For what it's worth, if you do end up buying this home or any other home, put a flower bed around almost the entire foundation with a sprinkler system, drip irrigation or soaker hoses. My dads house settled and cracked about 10 years ago during a bad drought. He implemented this and hasn't ever had an issue since bc he keeps the ground moist around the home so it doesn't expand and contract nearly as bad


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[A Click]

For what it's worth, if you do end up buying this home or any other home, put a flower bed around almost the entire foundation with a sprinkler system, drip irrigation or soaker hoses. My dads house settled and cracked about 10 years ago during a bad drought. He implemented this and hasn't ever had an issue since bc he keeps the ground moist around the home so it doesn't expand and contract nearly as bad


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This is absolutely what you would do AFTER the foundation is leveled. Placing gutters and a drip hose around the house is perfect for preventative maintenance, but most of the time it won't fix what has already shifted.
I use to work for a foundation company and now I am a project engineer for a GC. Before you buy the house just have someone go around the inside with a Zip-level. The city code in most cities is you can't have more than a 1" variance in a 20' radius. Finally I will say that I live in San Antonio and the soil composition here is much different that in north Texas so get a local expert out there.

[DapperDan]

Of course this is preventative and won't fix it. But, dad didn't have the money to hire a foundation company to come make a slight adjustment. So he did this less expensive approach to prevent further shifting.


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[Arrow chucker]

I use hargrave foundation repair. Dan hargrave at 972-442-5000.

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[boy wonder]

It will be very difficult to find a house in North Texas without a few cracks. Just get an engineer to evaluate.

[LiftAndShoot]

Hey guys - update.

Structural engineer visited the house today and recommended 13 piers. I don't know if this is a lot. Anything in double digits seems significant.

Anyone have a thought or experience with 'this many?'

[wellingtontx]

Having been involved in home foundation litigation in the past,,,,,,,run away. Dont buy a problem to start with.

[JHT]

Hey guys - update.

Structural engineer visited the house today and recommended 13 piers. I don't know if this is a lot. Anything in double digits seems significant.

Anyone have a thought or experience with 'this many?'

How much are they charging per pier? Did they say where they need to be?

It get really expensive when they have to wreck the interior of the house to set them.

[Charles]

How big is the house?

[LiftAndShoot]

How much are they charging per pier? Did they say where they need to be?

It get really expensive when they have to wreck the interior of the house to set them.

Engineer didn't quote the cost, but recommended some companies to come look. I'm just wondering if I should even go that far because I don't want to buy a potential real problem or lose equity in a house because it's got issues. I've never dealt with foundation repair before, so I don't know if 13 piers is 'nothing' or 13 piers is pushing 'a lot.'