Basement shifting / Foundations / Soils / Bentonite (Denver: wood floors, new home, neighborhoods)

[Katarina Witt]

Amen! He/she is correct!

[kryptos]

Thanks for all the responses and the insight into the problem. We have decided to not pursue that home, partly based on the comments here and the leads provided.

Kryptos

[Kibbiekat]

Now I'm worried. My husband and I are moving from California to the Littleton area soon. We've looked at a ton of houses built between 1970 and present. Some of the older ones had sloping basement floors and horizontal wall cracks. That pretty much scared me off of older homes. But how long does it take something like that to show up? If we were to buy a house that is say 15 years old or newer, what is to say we won't end up with the same problem down the road?

[tfox]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

Now I'm worried. My husband and I are moving from California to the Littleton area soon. We've looked at a ton of houses built between 1970 and present. Some of the older ones had sloping basement floors and horizontal wall cracks. That pretty much scared me off of older homes. But how long does it take something like that to show up? If we were to buy a house that is say 15 years old or newer, what is to say we won't end up with the same problem down the road?

It seems to me that buying a newer home would be much more risky than an older one, as problems take time to develop and show themselves.

[Katarina Witt]

It seems to happen in the first few years, from what I have heard on the news, etc.

[2bindenver]

Since the late 1980's every lot has a soil test, and the foundation is engineered for that particular lot. I haven't seen any house with structural damage when built after 1995 - unless there is an underlying water problem. There are problems when you; over water, plant near the foundation, keep the drain spouts tipped up, allow snow to melt in the garage, or use a hose to clean the garage often, allow the sewer line to crack, have an underground stream....

Most houses show some signs of distress the summer after the lawn was installed. Definitely within 3-5 years. If it hasn't moved in ten year, the chances are high it won't.

If there is a crack in the control joint or a foundation wall that you can stick the head of a nickel in - there could be trouble, and you should have a professional look at it.

I know enough about structural damage, to know when to call in the big boys.

[flyingbuffalos]

OK, so I have a structural engineering type question. I understand the impact of clay soils on concrete foundations. Given a choice, is one of these better than the other: a slab foundation, where the clay has been removed, and a more normal soil filled in prior to pouring the slab;
or a perimeter foundation, with wood subfloor in the basement? If the builder cost is equivalent, which is the better choice in the long run?

flyingbuffalos

[2bindenver]

what does the soil report say?

[Deltagolf]

I did a search for info on particular expansive soil issues in the Chatfield Reservoir (trail mark) and Roxborough Park areas. but couldn't find anything. Are these areas particularly prone to the structural problems from expansive soil/bentonite? Curious since we are interested in these areas along with Castle Pines.

[movingfromcolorado]

Shifting concrete is a pretty normal occurrence in the Denver area. The area is still considered the desert high plains and with the last several years being low with rain fall, the soil settles and cracks do occur. It’s not uncommon to see sidewalks and drive ways with the seams a few inches off kilter. The way to fix most of these problems is with “mud jacking”. They bore a hole into the concrete and pump a concrete slurry mixture underneath to raise the old concrete. You see ads all over the place for these services.

When we bought our house a few years ago, the inspector found that our fireplace stoop was shifting. I got a quote to repair and it was around $500. The inspector said that as long as the foundation isn’t involved, there is nothing really to worry about. He said that most of the work they have is on houses around 5 years old or so – the soil has finally started to settle and issues show up.