When deciding to buy a
home, is a home inspection important? Judging from the title of this
blog post, they’re certainly worth your while. Ultimately, you
wouldn’t drive a car without insurance. So why risk making the most
important purchase of your life without a pre-purchase home
inspection?
An AmeriSpec pre-purchase
home inspection can spare you costly foundation and basement repairs,
and the debt that comes with them. Our trained inspectors are here to
help homebuyers evaluate the true condition of any home, up front and
honestly – including those crucial areas beneath your living space.
But before you schedule your inspection, here’s why inspecting
foundations is so crucial in your decision-making process.
What foundation faults do our inspectors commonly find?
Basements and crawl
spaces are the two most common types of foundation in Canadian homes.
Sure, you won’t be spending the majority of your time down there
but when you’re upstairs enjoying the warmth of your living room,
these issues can menacingly lurk beneath your floorboards if left
uninspected.
Bulges and curves
Spotting bulges or curves
in block foundation or concrete walls could indicate foundation
movement. In Canada, our nation’s extreme temperatures cause soil
to expand and contract, sometimes putting pressure on foundation
walls in turn.
Cracking
The soil surrounding home
foundations is loose post-excavation. When this soil settles and
nearby vibrations occur, it can cause cracks in your foundation.
Leaking
If you have cracks in
your foundation, this spells big trouble. While plastic perforated
piping (weeping tile) is installed on the outside of footing
(concrete slab below the foundation) to collect accumulating water,
this doesn’t always save the day. Ultimately, when too much water
penetrates these cracks, you’ll experience a leaky basement that
provides a damp, wet and poorly ventilated breeding ground for mould
to grow.
Why do basements and foundations leak?
You know that loose soil
we just referenced. In short, it’s easier for water to percolate
through loose soil before accumulating. This loose soil is packed
against basement and foundation walls when constructed. As water
accumulates in the soil, it then seeps into walls causing damage.
What are the faulty basement and foundation warning signs?
When our trained inspectors perform pre-purchase home inspections and foundation inspections, they often detect basement and foundation warning signs like the ones outlined below. Remember, ignoring issues like these and hoping they go away won’t help either. Ultimately, foundation issues worsen over time and while they may not threaten the safety of your home immediately, they likely will over an extended period of time if left uninspected.
- Cracking in interior/exterior
brickwork
- Bowing and honeycombing/flaking in
walls
- Imbalanced or sloping flooring
- Floor tile cracking
- Doors and windows that no longer
fit their framework
- Cavities between walls and the
ceiling/floor
- Damp walls and basement mould
In truth, most poured
concrete foundations have typical shrinkage cracks (less than 1/8 of
an inch) that are caused by concrete curing and drying. While these
are considered par for the course, sealing any crack big or small
with sealant can guard against water leakage.
How much do basement and foundation repairs cost?
It’s impossible to
accurately calculate the average cost of basement and foundation
repairs. After all, every home and their subsequent defects are
different. However, here are some of the ballpark costs per defect to
put you in the picture. As you can see, are these spiralling costs
really worth your decision to waive a pre-purchase home inspection?
Foundation cracks
Based on 2020 data from
U.S. company HomeAdvisor, foundation cracks typically cost homeowners
CAD$300 to CAD$1,000 to fix. Cracks wider than 1/8 of an inch are
ones that definitely require attention.
Foundation leaks
HomeAdvisor estimates
that repairing foundation leaks costs Canadian homeowners between
CAD$2,500 and CAD$8,900. Waterproofing typically includes excavating
the ground to install new tile drains and coating the structure in
sealant.
Settling and sinking foundation repair
If your home is settling
or sinking, it will need to be raised to its original height.
HomeAdvisor suggests that securing homes with piers can cost
Canadians CAD$1,270 to CAD$3,800 per unit or alternatively, CAD$630
to CAD$1,650 for mudjacking.
Bowing wall repair
Bowing is when foundation
walls lean and if this occurs, HomeAdvisor claims repairs using
carbon fibre or steel reinforcement strips can cost Canadians between
CAD$445 and CAD$1,270 per strip.
Book your AmeriSpec pre-purchase home inspection today
Remember,
waiving a pre-purchase home inspection could mean waving goodbye to
your hard-earned savings and hello to costly basement and foundation
repairs. Never waive your right and book an AmeriSpec pre-purchase
home inspection (including a foundation inspection) to uncover every
detail for you to reach the right decision.
Our qualified inspectors can help identify basement and foundation faults, and recommend simple, low-cost solutions to address the problem. Please note, while conditions may be pointed out during a home inspection, it is virtually impossible for inspectors to give a conclusive opinion on the worsening of conditions over time. AmeriSpec has over 30 years of home inspection industry experience. When you need to take the next step, call our team at
866-284-6010.