Advice on a house's foundation problems?

[loves2read]

The are two cost factors--
the drainage improvement that needs to be done to prevent any further movement--or try to--
and the cost of the foundation repair itself

the drainage improvement apparently can't really wait--
guess it means installing gutters and maybe French drains--
since you don't mention the elevation of the lot itself--
sloping one way or another
backyard that is higher than front
having homes in back that drain into your property (that happens more than 50% of the time in my neighborhood)
or any issues with soil quality, trees, etc...
it might be fairly straightforward to add gutters but it will still be an expense
Adding gutters can also sometimes show your problems with wood rot around the fascia of the roof---with issues of bad maintenance/design already evident, I hope that is not the case

BUT you probably want to get estimate of what it will take to do set of gutters and if French drains are needed---
you can do French drains if you don't mind some labor but they do require sweat equity plus materials

[mSooner]

Get an engineer to look at it. We are in pretty much the same situation as you and refuse to buy a home in Coppell without an independent engineer looking at the foundation of any home we offer on as part of the inspection. It just isn't worth it.

[Knuxson]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. We had a guy from Arch Foundation come out to give us a second opinion. He said, according to his measurements, that the house is fine. It was shifting down in the front but the piers installed in the front in the past has corrected that. He said the house is not "bowed" in the middle like the other guy said. He even showed me the diagram he drew showing the slope of the house. He said he wouldn't recommend any foundation work on this house. He was much more explicit than the guy from Perma-Pier and I think we now have the piece of mind to go forward with getting the house.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by Knuxson

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. We had a guy from Arch Foundation come out to give us a second opinion. He said, according to his measurements, that the house is fine. It was shifting down in the front but the piers installed in the front in the past has corrected that. He said the house is not "bowed" in the middle like the other guy said. He even showed me the diagram he drew showing the slope of the house. He said he wouldn't recommend any foundation work on this house. He was much more explicit than the guy from Perma-Pier and I think we now have the piece of mind to go forward with getting the house.

I'll send you my bill later.

[Camelia38]

I bought a home in 2008 that had foundation issues that had been corrected. I trusted the engineers who said it should not happen again and was given a life-time guarantee on the corrections. When I sold in 2010 it had sunk again. Personally, I'd never purchase a home with a history of foundation issues again.

Also, a side note, when I lived in the house, I worried quite a bit that the house was moving again. Each crack I saw concerned me. Not only are foundation issues a financial concern, but, for me, they also stole a bit of peace of mind. Not sure if you are a worrier or not, but if you are, be aware of that.

[SUZWIZ]

We live in Carrollton, and had 21 piers all around and 2 on the inside. Foundation fix broke pipes and still evidence of sinking in the middle. All the houses in out neighborhood were built in the early 70's. The foundation contact had a lifetime transferable warranty. But few people realize that is for the pier manufacturer, not labor. We paid these guys over $10,000.

We are trying to sell, and even heard mortgage companies won't loan because of the foundation. We put a lot of work into the house, new appliances, flooring, roof, the works! We've repaired all cracks, fixed doors, and re-poored concrete driveway. It seems funny that everyone loves the house, but walks away not giving us a reason. I'm wondering if the houses in the Woodlake Subdivision in Carrollton are being over-criticized for foundation issues because I don't see evidence of a lot of foundation work going on.

Is this area salvageable? How many residents are going to spend 10,000 or more fixing these homes?
If Fox and Jacobs had built them with engineer specs, the foundations would be at least 1 foot thicker than built.
Where were all these inspectors when we bought the house in 1989?