Tip #1: Understand the
home inspection
process:
It is very important for you as a buyer or a seller to understand
the different roles played by real estate inspectors and engineers in the inspection process.
From a practical perspective the difference between what a real
estate inspector and an engineer comes down to what they report if the
foundation performance is judged to be inadequate.
 | The Real Estate Inspection Approach:
Under the rules licensed real estate inspectors are required to
follow, if they judge the performance of the foundation to be
inadequate, the inspector is required to report the foundation as in
need of repair.
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| The Engineering Performance Evaluation Approach: An
example of an engineering performance evaluation approach can be found in a publication of Texas Section of the
American Society of Civil Engineers. The guidelines state that if the
foundation performance is judged to be inadequate, the engineer
should report to his client the options that are available to
improve the performance. Those options do include structural
foundation repair but also can include non-structural options such
as landscaping changes, more or less aggressive watering of the
foundation making cosmetic repairs and/or changes to the house and,
if appropriate, doing nothing.
|
| Why the Engineering Approach is a More
Comprehensive
Approach: According to the US Army Corps of Engineers
publication Foundations in Expansive Soils, the fact that a
foundation is not performing "adequately" does not mean
that foundation repair is either necessary or desirable. Nor
does it mean that foundation repair will actually improve the
performance of the foundation. An engineer has both the
training and duty to exercise his engineering and analytical
judgment in judging both the adequacy of the performance of the
foundation and in reporting what options are applicable for
improving inadequate foundation performance. The real estate
inspection approach is actually a checklist approach which
frequently results in a repair recommendation that is both
unnecessary and counterproductive. Many real estate inspectors
know this. They usually follow the rules by reporting a house
that shows signs of damage due to foundation movement as in need of
foundation repair but then also recommend a second opinion from a
structural engineer.
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Tip #2: How to spot a poor
engineering report:
A competent engineering foundation evaluation will identify any damage observed
by the engineer; if the damage is confined to cosmetic and minor door issues
(like sticking doors) foundation repair should be presented as an option and not
as a necessity. Only if foundation movement has damaged the house so that
it is unsafe to live in should foundation repair be presented as a
necessity or requirement.
To paraphrase the
recommendations of the Texas Section of the ASCE, if the house is found to be
unsafe due to foundation performance issues, the engineer is to inform the
client and/or civil authorities immediately.
If the performance of the
foundation judged to be inadequate, the engineer is to provide alternatives for
the client’s consideration. The
alternatives should be commensurate with the nature and cause of the performance
inadequacy and the seriousness of the consequences.
In making recommendations, the engineer is to take into consideration the
cost effectiveness and practicality of the recommendations, the projected
performance improvement that is likely to result, risks of diminished structural
performance that may result from the recommended remediation, and the needs of
the client. Some clients may choose
to perform periodic cosmetic repairs and door adjustments rather than undertake
foundation underpinning.
There are two aspects of
engineering reports you should look for:
| Foundation repair should normally be
presented as an option, not as a necessity:
If the foundation performance the engineer should, in our opinion,
discuss foundation repair as an option among other options.
Foundation repair only becomes a necessity if there is severe
structural damage to the house frame or to the foundation itself
that makes the frame incapable of safely carrying normally imposed
loads or if there are structural safety issues involved. Even
if one or both of these conditions exist, foundation repair would
still not be a necessity unless there were no other way to
practically deal with the problem.
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| If the foundation performance is judged
to be inadequate, any recommended option, including foundation
repair, should include a recognition of both the benefits and risks
of the option: Foundation repair usually does improve the
performance of the foundation; but there are attendant risks.
Those risks include severe structural damage to the foundation and
to the house structure. A recommendation to underpin a
foundation should reflect a considered judgment on the part of the
engineer. |
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