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Structural Foundation Inspections

ABTS can provide foundation inspections and aid in evaluating the condition of an existing foundation that has been subject to movement. Our foundation inspection  provides general information related to the foundation's condition. If desired additional geotechnical information can be obtained to further expand the library of information available for evaluation.   This information from the foundation inspection can be used to evaluate the necessity and degree

of repair and/or modification of the house, if applicable. The foundation inspection generally consists of a walk-through visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the home along with a relative elevation survey of the floor slab to help establish the trend and magnitude of any observed movement. This is where most local structural inspectors conclude their services. However, there is some critical pieces of information are lacking; why did it move ? How much more, if any, will it move ?  What sets ABTS apart from your typical foundation inspection is the capability to incorporate the subsurface investigation (soil boring and soil testing). This is utilized to obtain the necessary geotechnical information as it relates to the foundation and observed movement to better establish the cause and potential for future movement, and help to paint a more complete picture of foundation performance. The information obtained from the foundation inspection provides insight into the overall condition and performance of the foundation and will assist in the decision making process for helping to maintain the home in the best practical conditions. What the average person is typically 

Foundation Inspection Floor Survey

not aware of is that there is no state required qualification to be a foundation repair contractor.  Many of them do not have in-house engineers nor any significant engineering knowledge or experience.  The way many foundation repair contractors make their money is simply by selling you piers.  In some instances underpinning with piers may well be necessary. However it has been my experience in 22(+) years that in a vast majority of situations piers do not provide sufficient benefit for the cost. In point of fact, sometimes piers can do more harm than good. In many instances proper modification of the general conditions of the perimeter of the house and drainage in conjunction with simple cosmetic repairs can be sufficient. In my experience in the vast majority of instances, the structural integrity of the home is intact. In other words the only real issue is cosmetic in

or doors that stick or do not latch properly. Given this, I strongly urge anyone who believes their home is experiencing movement or distress to please contact a qualified engineer to perform a foundation inspection and evaluate the situation before ever contacting a foundation repair contractor, it may save you many hundreds to thousands of dollars.           

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