Thread: Foundation Questions

This inspection was a house from 1907. The foundation is poured concrete with concrete bricks sitting on top. The bricks seem fine but I do have questions about the poured concrete. It is very thick and is deteriorating in some places. There is every kind of crack in the book. However, the house has not shifted and everything seems sturdy. There is no evidence of water penetration. Wood piers are dry and not rotted. There is no sign of rust.
The inspection was for the sellers and they state there has been no leaks during the four years they have lived there. Should I just recommend review and repair by a specialist?

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Jim - Are you sure that's poured concrete and not just parged stone? Those cracks look more like typical cracks in parging. 100 years is pretty old for poured concrete.

I tend to agree with John, it looks like a parge coat.

The first pic looks like a junction of an addition with two different type block.
I agree with John. I do not see poured concrete.

What is the purpose of the parge coating?

Its kind on like "make-up" used by women.

It covers up the uglies.

It's a thin layer of (usually) Portland cement used to cover blemishes and to make the perimeter more aesthetically pleasing.

Termite inspectors love seeing them. It is my understanding that it makes the perfect protection for thermites to conceal and protect tubes.

That first pic looks like typical differential settlement of a older structure and an newer addition, often the differential settlement slows considerably after the first few years once the soil below the addition has compacted. The second looks like parging.