A- from structural engineer, but no foundation work warranty? (Dallas: sale, houses)

[grilledcheeseftw]

We got an offer accepted on a house with nothing in the *current* disclosures about foundation issues. Our realtor dug out the disclosure from the previous sale and found in there that there was repair work done in 1997, 22 beams, cable lock, lifetime warranty, etc. However, as is often the case, that company is long gone and no one would actually service the warranty. We had a structural engineer come out, who said the foundation is done settling and gave it an A-. Anyone have experience with such a scenario that still ended up with problems? We feel pretty good about what we're paying for this house for the area, but not sure what to do when it come to the foundation. I know sellers wouldn't give more closing concession than they already are.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by grilledcheeseftw

We got an offer accepted on a house with nothing in the *current* disclosures about foundation issues. Our realtor dug out the disclosure from the previous sale and found in there that there was repair work done in 1997, 22 beams, cable lock, lifetime warranty, etc. However, as is often the case, that company is long gone and no one would actually service the warranty. We had a structural engineer come out, who said the foundation is done settling and gave it an A-. Anyone have experience with such a scenario that still ended up with problems? We feel pretty good about what we're paying for this house for the area, but not sure what to do when it come to the foundation. I know sellers wouldn't give more closing concession than they already are.

I'm wary of a pronouncement of "done settling"--from what I understand about the reason for soil movement in the Dallas area, it would only be "done settling" if the Dallas area was "done raining."

OTOH, his "done settling" might mean that in his estimation the 22 beams that were installed should have permanently fixed the soil movement issue--which can be done, if it was done properly--so that further soil movement will have no effect. You might want to ask him for more explanation of what he really means for the future of the house.

[Rakin]

22 piers means just about the entire foundation was piered (depending on the size of the house). It is better than most houses that have never had work done IMO and if that Engineer has given it an A-, that's pretty darn good.

I'd rather buy an older house with 22 piers than an older house with no piers.

[EcoDeb]

Since when do Professional Engineers, give grades? They generally provide facts and an assessment. Piers are no guarantee. We bought a small house to live in while building which had aftermarket piers and the foundation still moved years later.