Homeowner worried about depth of foundation
Q. I'm worried about my house. Last week, I learned that the foundation violates the building code because it does not extend deep enough into the ground. If the building department finds out, I'm afraid they'll make me build a new foundation. What do you think I should do?
A. Municipal building departments are typically not in the business of policing code compliance in existing buildings. Their primary function is to enforce legal conformity in new construction, additions, alterations and demolition work. Budgetary constraints and limited personnel restrict their ability to do much else.
Exceptions to this generally occur when complaints are filed by neighbors. For example, someone might notify the building department when a non-permitted addition blocks their view, or when someone converts their backyard shed to a rental unit, or when there are blatant safety violations involving electrical wiring, gas piping or fire safety. It is unlikely, however, that a shallow foundation would offend or even attract the attention of anyone, unless of course your house is sinking into the ground or breaking apart.
Noncomplying conditions of one kind or another can be found in nearly all homes. The discovery and citing of such conditions would require a code-enforcement bureaucracy the size of the IRS, with new forms of taxation to provide requisite funding. Such unwelcome establishments are not likely to materialize in our lifetimes. So, unless you've noticed other foundation problems, such as large cracks, my advice is to relax and assign your concerns to more pressing issues.
Q. Our house is about 20 years old and has a Spanish tile roof. Often, we hear popping sounds in the attic, mainly when the roof heats up during the day and when it cools off at night. These noises seem to come from the ceiling joists. Could they indicate a major structural problem, and can they be eliminated?
A. Intermittent popping sounds in an attic occasionally occur in homes with clay tile roofs. In most cases, the noises are caused by thermal expansion of the wood framing and hardware as daily temperatures rise and fall. Typically, this is more of a nuisance problem than a serious construction defect. However, substandard workmanship or faulty roof design is a possibility that should not be ruled out until you've obtained an engineer's evaluation of the attic framing.
If the problem is structural, additional symptoms may include cracks in walls and misalignment of doors. Whether structural or not, total elimination of the popping noises may or may not be possible. Minimizing them may be the most you can reasonably expect. An effective step in this process is to reduce heat buildup in the attic by means of increased ventilation. A few turbine vents along the ridges can lower attic temperatures on warm days as much as 30 degrees, and even more during the summer. Reducing temperature changes in the attic can reduce expansion of the structural components of your roof.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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