Basement/crawlspace renovation?

January 28, 2021 8:31 AM

I moved from Austin TX to Winston Salem NC over this last summer, and went from owning and living in houses with a slab foundation to a hundred year-old house with a partially finished basement crawlspace. Since moving in and especially lately the floor is developing some unevenness and there are cracks in some walls and both of those seem to be progressing.

Local TV is lousy with commercials for several companies that offer services to address these issues. Have you had an experience, good or bad, with one of these outfits? What did you have done and roughly how much did it cost? Is there some sort of inspector who could evaluate this situation who doesn't work for one of those companies mentioned above so they wouldn't be trying to upsell a naïve homeowner?

posted by The Vice Admiral of the Narrow Seas to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Best answer: If you have cracks that are noticeably progressing, you need to address it immediately. If it's big enough you can fit a dime into it, you probably need some work done. In terms of who could assess this for you other than a company that does this type of work, you are looking for a structural engineer. There are so many variables (water table, soil type, type of construction, etc.) that there isn't really a flat answer to this. I'd contact a few construction companies or engineering outfits and see if they have someone who does consults. You'd only need an hour or two of their time and they typically charge anywhere between $100-300 an hour, depending on the market, their experience, etc. If you can't find anyone this way, your next best option would probably be to get multiple (3+) estimates/bids from foundation repair companies and see if there is a consensus.

Don't ignore foundation issues - they can get really expensive really quickly if left unaddressed.
posted by _DB_ at 10:24 AM on January 28, 2021

A structural engineer could do the inspection and make recommendations. Generally they're not involved in the repair/construction side (or you could look for one who's not, to avoid a conflict of interest). I'd start with your realtor for a reference, then decide next steps once you know what you're dealing with.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 10:29 AM on January 28, 2021