Home inspectors, building code compliance inspectors, and general building contractors are often able to recognize possible foundation or other building problems which may be costly or dangerous, thus requiring the intervention of an expert foundation repair company or foundation design engineer. These early visitors to a building site, most often the home inspector, see a very large number of in-service field conditions leading to building failures.

Foundation inspectors can, without performing any engineering calculations or analysis, learn to recognize signs of important foundation or other structural problems developing well before forensic engineers and foundation experts are asked to design a repair and almost always well before the actual occurrence of a catastrophic building failure. This breadth of field inspection experience and education, combined with an informed and careful building inspection, provide a valuable first line of defense for building owners and occupants who may be facing previously unrecognized costly or dangerous foundation damage.

Foundation inspections are conducted to identify & document potential costly or dangerous conditions. The inspection must consider many factors beyond the obviously visible condition of the foundation, such as attending to site conditions, evidence of the history of building movement, and the type, location, and extent of cracking and movement. This data, combined with education and experience, permit a knowledgeable foundation inspector to advise the client about the urgency of foundation repair and the type of repair that may be needed.

Accountability: the inspector is accountable for visible portions of the foundation and for recognizing signs of defects. In some circumstances this may include invisible or hard-to-see conditions for which there are nonetheless adequate clues: contextual, historical, or other visible secondary evidence.

Action: If appropriate, the inspector may suggest further evaluation/repair including invasive methods such as removing finish materials that cover the foundation, outside excavation, the employment of a foundation engineer, foundation repair company, a test firm to make soil borings, or other investigative measures.

Dangers: Since certain masonry structure defects, such as bulged above ground brick masonry walls, can lead to sudden precipitous and catastrophic collapse, dangerous conditions may be present at some properties. While there are often hidden conditions which can disguise building conditions, the ability to recognize those potentially urgent or dangerous conditions which can be detected is important in a foundation inspection.

Note: In-service field conditions refers to the state of repair of a building or its components while the building is in-use. Building construction standards, engineering and architectural design, and building code compliance have traditionally dealt either with advance specifications for a building which is to be constructed, or with the forensic examination of a building or component after it has failed. The science and practice of in-sevice building inspections and building conditions provide an important but different base of experience about the way in which buildings and building components fail, the causes of building failures, and the detection of clues indicating that failures are developing. In-service building inspections provide an opportunity to detect evidence of developing construction failures which (usually) have not yet reached such dire conditions as to be obvious to the lay person. The home inspection profession (contrasted with the "home inspection industry") focuses on in-service field conditions and as such has developed its own unique education, standards, ethics, and practices. Yet it also requires an understanding of design, codes, and building standards as well as traditional failure analysis.

FOUNDATION DIAGNOSIS

INTRODUCTION

FOUNDATION INSPECTION METHODS

SITE FACTORS

FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION

DEFECTS of OCCURRENCE

DEFECTS OF OMISSION

EVALUATE FOUNDATION CRACKS

MOVEMENT ACTIVE/STATIC

EVALUATE MOVEMENT

DAMAGE SEVERITY TERMS

REPORTING FOUNDATION DAMAGE

FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS

ADDITIONAL READING

INSPECTION STANDARDS

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The general procedural steps and major topics in a foundation inspection include these steps. Links to discussions of each of these topics are at the left side of this page.

Site Factors: Observe site factors affecting the structure such as slope, drainage, rock, or nearby activities such as blasting

Construction: Identify construction type, materials, sequence of construction

Defects of Occurrence: Observe defects of occurrence - things that have happened to the structure such as signs of movement, history, other clues

Defects of Omission: Observe defects of omission - things that have been left-out or removed (harder to spot) such as possible absence of supporting posts, piers, footings, or other critical components

Evaluate Observations: Evaluate the information which has been collected (history, observations, clues), visual evidence of their impact on the structure, and their importance. Recognize when additional expert evaluation or repair is needed by a foundation or structural engineer or foundation repair specialist

Report Observations & Make Recommendations: Communicate the observations and recommendations to the client with clarity so that the client understands the implications of the findings and the need for action (if any).

The Barrie Home Inspector does not make statements, such as, "this foundation is structurally sound". Statements of this nature would be deemed as making an unqualified assessment. We would state that "no evidence of structural damage was found." When evidence of structural damage is found or suspected recommendations would then be made to have further analysis performed by qualified technician.