Foundation question (Dallas, Howe: how much, houses, neighborhood)

[sam06]

Have been lurking on this fourm for sometime and thanks to everyone for posting very useful information.
We are new to Dallas area and are in the process of buying our first home.We really loved a home in allen area but then found the seller disclosure saying there were cracks in the kitchen floor tiles and the builder retiled the floor in 2004 and bathroom tiles were redone I think in 2005.Also the owners got the warranty company to come and evaluate the foundation at which time they were told that there is no major structural damage but just wedge crack fractures.Also the house is surrounded by lots of shrubs which are very close to the foundation.The house was built around 2000.Does all this sound like a red flag.......should we just stay away from this home.

[harishv]

this is a tough question. its never good when craks in foundations lead to re-tiling through the house and to top it off happen in two different years....that usually means the cracks r spreading....shrubs i have seen several homes with shrubs right next to the concrete and the foundation is fine as well as the other way around.
my suggestion to u would be to not go by the warranty company's findings n hire your own expert to take a look. he or she will have just your best interests in mind n will give you a full report taking the irrigation/tree system/foundation condition into account....
insist on this before u make any decisions...

[Rakin]

A very experienced agent might be able to take a quick look and give you feedback. I would not depend on the warranty company to give me good info.

The proper thing is to get a good foundation engineer out but you don't want to pay those costs until you have the house under contract.

A trick I learned from an inspector is what I call the poor boys foundation evaluation. I keep a golf ball in my truck and if I suspect a problem I will go to several spots in the house & drop my GB from about 12 inches. If it talks off rolling at a pretty good rate, that tells me we might have a problem. I've seen that ball shoot across the room on a few houses.

[nsumner]

I understand your dilemna. You seem to be aware about the soil condition in north Texas how it schrinks and expands with different seasons.

However, a house that new that has had that type of shift in the kitchen would make me very suspicious. Since there is tile there, the damage was obvious. How about the other rooms where there is carpet? how much movement can be there.

If you are getting an excellent deal, may be it's worth taking the risk. However, keep in mind that when it's time to sell, the next buyer will have the same dilemna.

Naima

[Taranis17]

Originally Posted by sam06

Have been lurking on this fourm for sometime and thanks to everyone for posting very useful information.
We are new to Dallas area and are in the process of buying our first home.We really loved a home in allen area but then found the seller disclosure saying there were cracks in the kitchen floor tiles and the builder retiled the floor in 2004 and bathroom tiles were redone I think in 2005.Also the owners got the warranty company to come and evaluate the foundation at which time they were told that there is no major structural damage but just wedge crack fractures.Also the house is surrounded by lots of shrubs which are very close to the foundation.The house was built around 2000.Does all this sound like a red flag.......should we just stay away from this home.

The warranty company's not going to tell you squat because they don't have your best interests in mind.

You could make your offer and get it under contract to do an inspection, or get the seller to do it and show you the report (if they agree - which they don't have to). Cracks in the tile are a bad sign in my opinion. I would walk. Something just as nice, or nicer, will come along without the naggin questions 2-3 years later of whether the floors going to hold together.

My $.02

[loves2read]

what does that golf ball do if the foundation is NOT faulty--
it has a highly compressed center--I would think it would bounce around whether the foundation was faulty or not if dropped on a hard (tile/wood/concrete) floor...

they will not let you have an engineer inspect the foundation if you don't put an earnest money contract on the house--they think they have done full disclosure--but what they have done is disclose the evidence of foundation problems so that if later on there are more serious problems (and I suspect there will be) you cannot get remedy

[Rakin]

The golf ball will only bounce 1-2 times but the point is if the floor is not level it will start rolling down hill. Find a hard floor & see how it rolls.

I have seen poorly laid tile crack & buckle due to poor installation. It's not always foundatuion movement. Could be the slab has not moved but is not 100% level when it was poored & has caused the tile to snap.

Concrete is not always poured perfectly flat.

[loves2read]

true about the slab not being level and also about the tile set not being done correctly
or having something heavy--like furniture--dropped on tile can cause it to crack

check out the doors and see if they will stay open when when left ajar

check the brick outside the house for cracks in the joins and check out the sheetrock for cracks around the ceiling/wall corners...

[5stones]

to me the retile job is a big red flag. Tile should last YEARS and not need to be redone!

knock on the tiles...if it echos you have a problem and it will soon crack.

The houses in our neighborhood that had faoundation issues..all Started with the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms cracking. 1st a hollow echo noise when you knocked on it then cracking.

Look at the doors in the kitchen area and bath..do they stick? are they hanging square? look in the door jams to see if they have been sanded to keep them opening smoothly...sticky doors are another clue to foundation problems. Look closly at the garage floor...any cracks? the drive way the walkway etc...

Then do what I didn't and research the neighborhood on line, I found out after we bought the the street behind me had big problems in 4 houses. I guess there was a stream that the builder filled in..lucky for us our street was where all the original farm bldgs were.

I was soooo nervous about foundation problems (we have a few cracks outside on the corner ofthe house) But we just had ALL the flooring on hte first floor replaced and the slab was Perfect...no cracking anywhere.

[billdfw]

Foundation problems in North Texas are not a problem are very common due to the soil and, in general, are not a big deal.

I would be concenred about the workmanship of the home, though because it is not that old.

Your best bet is to hire a structural engineer to perform an inspection. This will cost you around $300, but worth it for the peace of mind.

Good luck.