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Employees
Structural Floor Inspection
If your house was built in the last 20 years or so, and if you are in an expansive soil area, you may have a structural floor system in the basement, suspended over a crawlspace. This construction method has been adopted to prevent the upheaval and damage of concrete floors in basements, and has been hailed as the "solution to expansive soil problems." In theory there is a structural benefit from this type of construction. Unfortunately, many structural floor systems have failed, due to conditions that were unplanned for, underestimated, or plain neglected.
In most cases of failure, water accumulation, wet soils, and high humidity combine to cause rotting of wood components and corrosion of metal components. Many factors can create these conditions, including: deficient ventilation; lack of a functional sump pump; defective perimeter drain system; poor exterior drainage; rising groundwater; excavation into bedrock; plumbing leaks; etc. Obviously mold growth is a concern, but you could also have, or could develop, structural damage as a result of these conditions.
In
some cases structural floor systems have collapsed due to rot and/or corrosion.
Many structural floors have buckled severely due to lateral pressure from
foundation walls. Obviously these are extreme conditions, but they develop over
time and could have been prevented with advanced warning, by having a
Structural Floor Inspection. Prevention is always easier (and less expensive) than remediation, and early
detection of a problem is always better than discovery after damage has occurred.
Benefits for Home Owner and/or
Home Buyer:
· Knowledge – most people do not know if they have a problem till it is too late.
· Mitigation and/or Repair Recommendations as needed.
· Follow-up inspection/certification upon completion of mitigation/repairs.
· Peace of mind (in the event that there is no problem).
· Marketing tool for selling the home. A competitive advantage over other sellers.