Homeowner worried about shallow foundation
Q. I'm worried about my house. Last week, I was told the foundation violates the building code because it doesn't 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 the legal conformity of existing buildings. Their primary function is to enforce code compliance in new construction, additions, alterations and demolition work. Budgetary constraints and limited personnel leave them with few resources for much else, let alone the oversight of established homes.
Exceptions sometimes arise when complaints are made by neighbors. For example, someone might notify the building department when a non-permitted addition blocks their view, or blatant safety violations involving electrical wiring, gas piping or a faulty chimney might raise concern of an observant person living nearby. It is unlikely, however, that a shallow foundation would offend or even attract the attention of anyone.
The fact is, noncomplying conditions of one kind or another can be found in nearly all homes. That is one of the reasons homebuyers hire home inspectors. For your local building departments to exercise this level of discovery would require a bureaucracy the size of the Pentagon, with massive taxation to provide requisite funding.
Unless you have evidence of settlement, such as large cracks in the building or doors and windows out of alignment, your shallow foundation is unlikely to be a serious problem. However, when you eventually sell the property, you will need to disclose this condition to prospective buyers.
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 during the night. These noises seem to come from the ceiling. Could this be a major structural problem, and can we eliminate it?
A. Intermittent popping in attics is not a common problem, but it does occur in some homes, most often those with heavy tile roofs. In most cases, the cause is thermal expansion of the wood framing and hardware as daily temperatures rise and fall. Typically, it is more of a nuisance factor than a serious construction defect. However, substandard workmanship or faulty roof design should not be ruled out as possibilities. For a conclusive evaluation, have the roof and attic inspected by a licensed structural engineer.
If the problem is not structural, 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.
Improved venting can lower attic temperatures on warm days by 30 degrees or more during the summer, and this can significantly 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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