Home inspectors consider and assess many aspects of a home, in order to give a professional and accurate report on the home for sale. The report includes what needs fixed internally and externally in the structure. One of the more important factors, (although they are all important) is the foundation of the building.
Today is a great opportunity to clear things up and provide an explanation on foundation inspections.
It is essential, as well as, required by law that any building structure must have a solid and sound foundation, as listed in the official regulations. The reason for this is it must support the weight of whatever is built on top of it. If the foundation is not built correctly, then whatever structure built on top of it will likely fall to the ground, or start to crack, due to an unstable and unsafe foundation.
In all cases, it’s very important to have a professional, qualified home inspector evaluate the house or investment property. Yes, you might be “in the know” of construction and spotting repairs, but it’s smart to have a trained professional lend expertise on what he/she finds wrong in the house.
A home inspector review includes the following:
- Ensuring the floor is smooth and level. If they are not level, this could indicate and/or point to possible foundation issues under the flooring
- Walls will be checked for structural cracks.
- The surrounding area above doorways is checked for cracks and crevices.
- All windows, surrounding areas, electric wiring, HVAC system, and more (read a full list of inspection items, here)
It’s important to recognize that serious foundation issues are often caused due to the soil settlement. This does potentially have the capacity to pull apart your home and leave it all askew and unsafe.
If the Home inspector has determined the foundation unstable, then the next step is to contact a qualified, professional contractor to assess the damage and decide if the foundation can be fixed without knocking down the structure.
It’s the responsibility of the home inspection to point out structural and system faults in a home, so whether you’re buying, or selling, it is very important to seek out the services of a professional home inspection company.
