Cedar post pier and beam replacement

[rlskfoster]

I recently inspected a 1930's home. While inspecting the crawl space I found that a number of original cedar posts had deteriorated and that the entire foundation had been repaired with 4x4 treated wood posts on flat concrete blocks. The number of these posts far exceeded what had originally been supported by the cedar posts.

I guess my question is that since everything was releveled and appeared to be functioning how should I have listed this foundation and is this an exceptable form of stabilizing a foundation. There is no perimeter foundation of concrete. The house is supported by these blocks and the remaining cedar post piers.

I advised that the foundation was functioning but that He should consult with an expert in house leveling and shoring.

Buster

[Gerry Beaumont]

Hi to all,

I would also have written this "as needing further evaluation" as it does not sound like professional work due to a lack of proper footings.

Regards

Gerry

[Rich Rushing]

Rick,

Seeing that you are in my area, I'll jump in. I see the type of set-up that you described quite alot. The lowest price got the job in this case.

The lack of footings is an issue for long term stability. I like to tell my clients that just because the home was leveled doesen't mean that it will stay that way for very long. Especially in an expansive clay environment like we are in here in the North Central Texas area.

Usually, with a home built in the 30's, you're going to find old/ outdated plumbing that is leaking or needs to be replaced, or it has recently been replaced. If this home still has the original plumbing and there is an issue with a leak OR the property has poor grading and drainage, the home could become unstable very quickly.

Guess who will get the call...

Rich

[rlskfoster]

Thanks for the replies. This house had actually had a large amount of work done updating the plumbing, electrical and the addition of HVAC. I just had not seen a site built home leveled quite like this one had been leveled. The buyer was really liking the house until he saw what I saw. I'm not sure if he went through with the purchase.

Buster