Wood Foundations and Ground Water

s219 · Oct 26, 2014

Everything else you described about the house sounds really good. I'd do some honest research on the foundation before writing the whole place off. I can't imagine someone would build such a nice house and make such good choices about everything else and then punt on the foundation, arguably one of the most important parts of the home. They had to know something about the homesite and the foundation technology to make the decision. Wood foundations have some advantages over concrete, you just need to ensure the soil around the foundation stays dry.

milkman636 · Oct 26, 2014

Sodo said:
Be careful about Forum advice. It is often skewed from the viewpoint of someone who has not SEEN the subject at hand. It often chooses to err on the side of caution, and frequently, extreme caution. And when fear of the unknown turns out to be unfounded then it's just "oh well, didn't want you to get stuck with a lemon,,,,". They do want to help but they're assuming an unlimited supply of suitable homes and that your wifes happiness is trivial. Its not.

Anyway you seem observant and capable. Foundation problems can be insurmountable for some, and solvable for others. Consequently one guy says buy and the other says walk away. And its quite possible that there are things an observant guy can do now to eliminate future problems.

Good luck. Moving is both disruptive and exciting, makes you push the reset button.

Good perspective Sodo....It seems like you understand my position pretty well. The last suitable house that met our needs was in May. We actually had a bottom-lined purchase agreement in the place for that one and the sellers got cold feet and decided not to move. So they killed the deal and reimbursed us for our costs a couple weeks before the closing date. Its been 5 months of watching since then for another one to come up for sale that we felt would work for us. Which is why I couldn't just walk away as soon as I saw a foundation system that was unfamiliar to me.

milkman636 · Oct 26, 2014

s219 said:
Everything else you described about the house sounds really good. I'd do some honest research on the foundation before writing the whole place off. I can't imagine someone would build such a nice house and make such good choices about everything else and then punt on the foundation, arguably one of the most important parts of the home. They had to know something about the homesite and the foundation technology to make the decision. Wood foundations have some advantages over concrete, you just need to ensure the soil around the foundation stays dry.

That was my original feeling too. By observation it doesn't make sense that it was a cost based decision. But the home site is a fairly level field that I would expect to be muddy in the spring, which means the foundation would be at least partly surrounded by saturated ground. I realize that managing the water is key regardless of materials, but I feel that concrete would be more forgiving of compromise. And even though there is no discount for this feature in today's price, as the house ages I think this feature could become more of a detractor from its value.

I'm sure my realtor will be calling me tomorrow for some feedback. We've known her for 10 years now and she knows we were interested, and the listing is with another agent in her office. It will be interesting to hear her reactions to my thoughts.

milkman636 · Oct 26, 2014

dave1949 said:
I think you made the right choice.

There is no comparison of the costs of fixing a wet concrete basement and jacking up a house and replacing the wood foundation. Since both are potential risks, the less $$$ risky choice is the concrete. We can't eliminate risks but we can sure compare them.

A concrete foundation that is 10 years old and in good shape has a much better chance of still being in good shape 25-30 later than a wood foundation IMHO. Even if you had to dig up and replace the footer drain around a concrete foundation that is minor compared to jacking a house and building a foundation below it. Not to mention the house would not likely be livable for several weeks once it is jacked up.

EDIT add: What would make sense if you really want the property, is to buy it for $20K to $30K less than a comparable property in your area. Then hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Risks have a value.

Thanks Dave. They are not at a discount price today. If they were motivated enough they probably could buy my interest back, but the market is good right now and this is basically a new listing.