Problems With My Home Structure

I recently met with a structural engineer at a house because walls in the basement were moving and there were cracks in the sheetrock that the owner was just noticing. Let me tell you, Structural Engineers are NOT cheap and there aren’t that many of them that make house calls. This guy was kinda odd, but really knew what he was talking about. He was looking up and down, inside and outside and when he was done, after about 30 minutes the owner owed him $275.00. The owner got a nice report the next day that listed all the things that needed to be repaired to stop the movement.

YOU KNOW WHAT? The main thing was bringing in fill dirt, yes nice heavy clay fill dirt. Keeping positive drainage from your house is the #1 most important thing you can do to help your home keep its structural integrity. It’s hard work to bring in dirt and shovel it around the foundation but it is very cheap compared to the cost of having a professional company come in and have to put beams or drain tiles or any type of foundation work, that is way expensive!

Do yourself a favor and walk around your house. If it is mostly flat or slopes toward the house then get some dirt and fix it, you will be money ahead in the long run.