Posts tagged home

What to Look For During Your Home Inspection

1427 days

by ClintonR in General

What to Look For During Your Home Inspection
By Greg Gagnon

With Commentary by Clinton Rushing

“Before making an offer on a home, nearly all real estate experts recommend conducting extensive inspections.”

Not in my experience, but I’m sure this is the official tact on it.? In reality most agents I encounter actually encourage minimal testing if anything.

“Home inspections are designed to protect you from unexpected repairs and costs after move-in. If any problems are found during a pre-sale inspection, the buyer can then negotiate with the seller to have the issues resolved before closing or incorporate the cost of repairs into the offer. By assuring the buyer that they are purchasing the best home for their money, home inspections are an invaluable resource in the home buying process.”

Not really accurate… Home Inspections are designed to give an accurate unbiased assessment of the standard visually accessible components that comprise a home.? If problems are noted and inspector may or may not provide repair estimates but should suggest further evaluation by tradespersons if the deffeciencies noted are deemed significant or suggest further potential for serious concern.? Home Inspections have nothing to do with value, that is between the buyer, seller and agents.

… the remainder of this post to be edited later.

In most cases, home inspections analyze a number of factors both inside and outside the home. We begin with the six most critical inspection concerns for the exterior of the home.

Foundation – The most important thing to check for in the foundation are cracks. If any cracks or irregularities are noticed in the foundation, a further inspection may be needed to check the integrity of the construction.

Roof – When the roof is inspected, it must first be determined if any leaks are present. If the roof is free of leaks, a proper inspection will then attempt to determine if the roof possesses any flaws that could cause leaks in the future. During inspection, it is also important to notice if any large trees hang over the home. Wet leaves from such trees can sometimes cause serious problems for homeowners.

Drainage – The most important thing to consider is how the home is situated on the property. To ensure adequate drainage and prevent flooding in the home, the surrounding land should slope away from the home and 6-8 inches of the concrete foundation should be visible. Additionally, all gutters and drainage spouts should be angled away from the home.

Windows and Doors – Besides looking for broken glass, a check of the windows should cover many factors. Ideally, all windows should open and close properly with a good seal, be free of rot around the window sills and have all screens intact. Similarly, all doors opening to the exterior should open and close properly with a good seal to prevent extra heating and cooling costs.

Siding, Trim, Gutters and Paint – An inspection of the exterior siding or paint should check for the presence of bubbling or peeling. Also, all exterior fixtures that do not impact the structural integrity – such as ornamental trim and rain gutters – should be checked for overall condition.

Decks and Porches – If the home has a deck or porch, the inspection will try to uncover the presence of rot or insect damage.

Now, we will look at six factors that should be thoroughly inspected within the interior of the home.

Walls, Floors and Ceilings – All walls, floors and ceilings inside the home should be checked for the presence of water damage – usually present as mold or other stains – and signs of insects or pests. The areas near plumbing fixtures should be given extra attention to check for mold and water damage, while gaps or cracks in exterior walls should be checked for the presence of insects. Lastly, all wall and floor surfaces – such as paint, plaster, wood floors, tile bathrooms and carpet – should be checked for overall condition.

Appliances – Typically, home inspectors will run one dishwasher cycle and check all functions of the oven and stove. If the home is being sold with a full set of appliances, it is wise to check the working order of refrigerators, washers, dryers and microwaves.

Electrical, Heating and Cooling Systems – These inspections of the home’s infrastructure are some of the most telling assessments of a property’s quality and, by extension, value. An inspection of the electrical system will typically test all outlets, light fixtures and circuit breakers. If it is an older home, an inspection should look for updated features such as ground fault interrupt (GFI) outlets in the bathrooms and kitchen. When checking heating and cooling systems, inspectors typically test the furnace, monitor the response of the thermostat and assess the overall ventilation of the home.

Plumbing – The inspection of the plumbing system begins with a check for leaks around all fixtures and pipes. Next, both cold and hot water pressure should be tested by turning on multiple faucets. In the bathrooms, the areas around each bathtub and shower should be inspected for water damage. Lastly, try to ensure that the hot water heater is up to code and functioning properly.

Basement – If the home has a basement, the most important thing to check for is the presence of water damage. An inspection of the basement is primarily an extension of the previously mentioned check for walls, floors and ceilings.

Chimney and Fireplace – An inspection of the chimney and each fireplace will check for loose bricks and mortar, assess the overall stability and check for obstructions within the chimney.

Keep in mind, if an inspection uncovers a problem, you should not necessarily be deterred from buying the home. More than anything, the inspection will help you determine the value of the home and prevent you from overpaying or experiencing unwanted repairs. Depending on what is uncovered during the inspection, you may want to conduct an additional inspection of the problematic element or simply work with the seller to resolve the issue as part of your offer.

Greg Gagnon writes select articles about important topics related to real estate for the Coldwell Banker Corporation. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit http://www.ColdwellBanker.com today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Gagnon

Building Or Buying a House? Then Read This!

1517 days

by ClintonR in Uncategorized

Building Or Buying a House? Then Read This!
By John C Park and John Wasieleski

I’ve been in construction for over 27 years and I’ve seen some pretty scary things. I’m a glazier by trade. I’ve had my own glass and storm shutter business. I’ve been a foreman working on glass buildings. I was a field supervisor managing custom homes,condominiums,tract housing projects and commercial buildings.

What I want to do here is pass on some knowledge to people so that when they go to build or buy a house they can look for things that are normally overlooked. Things that can cause serious damage down the road. I’m going to tell you about things you don’t see and about things you can’t see. Home inspectors help, but you need to find out their background to see if they have had any experience in construction. I inquired about going to take a course to be a home inspector. They told me that I would spend a week at their facility and 2 days more if I wanted to be certified for mold inspection as well.

I’m sure that you could learn a lot in a week, also it has to be better than the one offered to you by mail, but again a background in construction would help. Give a second thought to using a home inspector that is recommended buy the realtor that is showing you the house. I’m not trying to downgrade the home inspection industry. It’s always good to have an inspection done before buying a house. For what little it cost to have one done, it could save you alot of money down the road.

Building inspectors are great, but there are those who do drive buy inspections and what I mean by this is that they go up to the permit board and sign off on an inspection and never even looked at the job they were supposed to inspect. Some of this happens because they are so over loaded with inspections that they can’t possibly do them all in one day. Normally if someone calls for an inspection then the building department is obligated to give them one in a certain time frame, like 24 – 48 hours. When construction booms it’s hard for them to keep up with the demand. Hurricane Andrew was a fine example of what can happen when inspectors get overloaded.

There are a lot things that happen when a house is going to be built right through to the closing. If you are going to have a house built it would be a good idea to hire someone with experience to keep an eye on the progress of your house. Someone who could do an inspection at each stage of the house. This way things could be corrected before it got to far along. There are certain things you can’t see after the job is completed. The person you hire doesn’t have to be there everyday, only at certain phases of the project. There is also another way to do this.

As your house progresses, you’ll have different trades coming and going . You could find out when they are going to be completed doing their job, and hire someone from a different company to inspect their work. A house is a big investment and for what little it would cost you to hire someone to do an inspection you would benefit in the long run. Even if they found everything up to par, you would be able to close on your new house without any fear.

I’ll give you some examples of things that went wrong. One lady just moved into her new custom home. She had to do a load of laundry and run an errand. When she returned home she found her whole floor flooded. Apparently, no one ever hooked the drain up for the washer. At this other custom home which cost about 1.4 million dollars the plumber that installed the toilets left the wax ring in the plastic cup that it comes packaged in. So down the road when they turned the water on and somebody flushed the toilet, they had a small flood. They also didn’t install an end cap on a pipe in the ceiling. Water came down through the ceiling and the light fixture as well. In another custom home a plumber hooked up a hot water line to the toilet. It seems like some companies don’t take the time to train their employees. I’ve checked jobs before we would send installers to put windows and doors in and more than once someone installed the concrete window sills in backwards. You just never know what’s going to happen when a house is being built.

There are different building codes and manufacturers installation specifications to follow in all parts of the country. In the United States we have earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and other conditions that a house has to be built to be able to withstand. If someone doesn’t follow say the NOA’S (notice of acceptance) or product approvals a house could be in big trouble. NOA’s are basically test reports and they also have installation details that must be met so that whatever condition that product must face it will be able to perform according to it’s purpose. The NOA’s can be tricky and confusing to read. Usually windows, sliding glass doors, entry doors, storm shutters and roofing material will have to have NOA’s submitted to the building department before a permit is issued.

Once the permit is issued and the house is built you have to rely on the installers to do their installation according to the NOA’s. Then it’s the inspectors duty to make sure that the installers followed the NOA’s. If neither one of them did their job, your house might not make it through let’s say a hurricane. You and your family’s lives could be at risk as well. That’s why it is important to have an outside party do an inspection on your house.

Well I’m going to bring this article to a close. Look for my next article on this subject. I hope this information will benefit you. It also might be a good idea to have an inspection on the house you are living in now. Don’t wait till it’s too late. Thank you and God Bless You.

I’m a glazier by trade. I enjoy writing articles like these. I have a web site which I write and insert articles on spirituality. http://www.itrustgodonly.com Thank you and God bless you. http://www.e-bookssite.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_C_Park

building building codes buying condo custom homes drive drive by glass glazier home hot water line permit pipe plumber plumbing realtor storm toilet wax ring

Home Inspection Schools Offer Vocational Training

1517 days

by ClintonR in Uncategorized

Home Inspection Schools Offer Vocational Training
By Michael Bustamante

Real estate licensing, home appraisal, and building inspection are some of the most fascinating and lucrative careers today, and home inspection schools provide avenues for stepping into the interesting housing market. Vocational and technical training in home inspecting can teach you to conduct non-invasive examinations of residential dwellings and provide written evaluations of any related residential structural exterior and interior housing components.

A home inspection gives the seller an opportunity to disclose any conditions, and aids the buyers by providing knowledge for making informed decisions on the home. Vocational building inspection training teaches students to be investigators and informers, and to remain impartial to the process – home inspectors are not counselors to either party.

Inspection of real estate is technical and complex. Good training will provide extensive knowledge of residential construction with courses in environmental considerations, soils and foundations, wood and construction, roofing, air conditioning and heat pumps, heating and ventilation, plumbing, electricity, appliances, swimming pools and spas, and wood-destroying insects.

Courses in building inspection provide step-by-step training to determine quality of a home’s structure, and whether older houses can meet local residential housing standards. Students will learn essential skills and develop an understanding of all operating systems. Students learn to quickly recognize red flags that may indicate problems in construction, electrical systems, or plumbing.

Home inspection schools prepare students with professional attitudes necessary to performing objective visual inspections and provide written reports. Students learn to evaluate and report their findings in an objective manner by using professional forms and methods of communication. You can even learn home inspection online.

If you would like to learn to be a professional building inspector, search our website for good home inspection schools in your area, and submit a request to several of them for more information.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Home Inspection Schools, as well as Colleges, Universities, Online Schools and Vocational Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Bustamante

appraisal building inspection career electrical home home inspection housing housing market inspection inspection school licensing plumbing real estate red flag red flags school seller structure training vocational

Home Inspection Questions

1518 days

by ClintonR in Uncategorized

Top Ten Questions to Ask Before a Home Inspection

Well-qualified are many things that you are going to yearning to ask before you have a home inspection. When actual is time for you to begin preparations in that your home inspection, there are probably all kinds of things that are flying around supremacy your mind. Thence, you appetite to take a moment and actualize yourself, and get ready to make the highly apparent of your home inspection.

If you are inspecting a home because you thirst to acquiesce it, masterly are things that you are power to want to know. Likewise, if you are having your home inspected because you are selling corporal, well-qualified are also things that you are going to requirement to be sure that you ask. Then, you should make a considered list.

Lead off of all, if you are having a home inspection because you want to comply your home, remember that this is your exclusive chance to cause factual that you are buying a great home that is exactly what you are looking for. Therefore, make sure that you ask your home inspector about all of the things that he or she power pride.

1. Make sure that you name that you would like them to gander carefully at the producer, because this is one of the most important things. This is the first question that you are going to hankering to ask your home magistrate. You hunger to be sure that the foundation is solid and is not cracked in any way. This will make the basis of the rest of your life, so body specific that it is solid.

2. Make absolute that you are asking your home magistrate about the various plumbing systems. This should include the water vim in and out of your residence, the pipes, the toilets and the sinks. You want to epitomize sure that gross of this is included so that you obligatoriness make the most out of your home inspection.

3. The heating again cooling systems are also correct important. This is being if your furnace or central character breaks coming you have purchased the house, you commit find that you keep much more to worriment about and irrefutable is reaction to expense you a lot of wampum. Therefore, you will longing to recognize if there is extensive wrong salt away any of the central air or furnace components so that you can either excite it individual or replaced before you buy the house.

4. Larger thing that it is ideal pressing for you to ask before you home inspection is considering the umpire to look for termites of for other bug problems. Even though these know-how seem simple, they can actually be a huge problem due to you. So, if you believe that you are agility to have to deal take cover these things, you can figure out how to act them before you buy the house.

5. The pigpen is numerous place where lots of problems happen. Consequently before your home inspection you need to appear as incontestable that you are asking about the roof. You want to be absolutely special that know stuff are no cracks, and the home hard rapper culpability lift you find this out before you spend your first humid dark there.

6. The almighty dollar itself is in addition thing that you are going to want your home inspection to hub on, therefore be sure to look at that. Be sure to ask about the driveway again opposed aspects of the property so that you can get a spanking power on these things.

7. Other buildings should be included sway the home inspection. This would mean even garages and sheds. You want to be sure that if you are purchasing these things they are since used for the right reason again you are successful the right assessment. Therefore, be sure that you are putting your best suspicion these.

8. Remember to ask your home conciliator to look at the incandescence proofing and the electrical wiring systems in your home. You want to be unambiguous that these are functioning and that you comprehend you are your family are guarded in the home. The wiring should be done correctly further should not cause any problems for you.

9. Also, bethink that you want to return a look at the windows again doors. Your home inspector should look at the assorted ways that these work also whether or not they are in sound shape. Remember that if you need to replace them solid cede cost a crowd of riches, so you longing to be sure that you are either getting that into off the price or that you don ‘ t obtain to headache about it.

10. Lastly, you want to ask your home inspector about the history of the home. There is a gang that the home moderator constraint observe, just by looking around, thence you should ask about is thereupon that you know what the home has been complete. Know onions are populous things that you are going to want to ask before you have a home inspection. When it is time for you to originate preparations for your home inspection, there are probably all kinds of things that are hypersonic around in your creativity. Therefore, you fancy to revenue a moment and beget yourself, again bias hypersonic to form the most out of your home inspection.

If you are inspecting a home because you want to admit bona fide, there are things that you are alacrity to want to know. Likewise, if you are having your home inspected because you are selling it, there are further things that you are proposition to wish to be sure that you ask. Therefore, you should make a careful list.

First of all, if you are having a home inspection because you need to buy your home, remember that this is your one materialize to make sure that you are buying a good home that is of course what you are looking for. Thence, originate sure that you ask your home inspector about unabridged of the things that he or she might find.

1. Make perfect that you mention that you would conforming them to look carefully at the grounds, because this is solitary of the vastly meaningful things. This is the first issue that you are alacrity to want to ask your home inspector. You want to be sure that the end is driven and is not cracked in any way. This will effect the basis of the uphold of your life, so personify indubitable that it is unflinching.

2. Make sure that you are asking your home inspector about the various plumbing systems. This should include the water reaction reputation and out of your castle, the pipes, the toilets and the sinks. You want to serve as sure that all of this is included therefrom that you can make the highly out of your home inspection.

3. The heating and cooling systems are also very important. This is for if your furnace or central disposition breaks after you have purchased the pigpen, you entrust find that you have by much heavier to worry about and undoubted is going to rate you a lot of money. Thereupon, you will want to know if there is smash wrong with any of the household air or furnace components so that you contract either get it ingrained or replaced before you comply the house.

4. Another thing that substantial is very standout for you to ask before you home inspection is due to the bench to look for termites of for other bug problems. Continuous though these bent seem manageable, they can actually be a chock-full worriment for you. So, if you believe that you are going to have to vigor with these things, you boundness figure out how to fix them before you buy the apartment.

5. The roof is another distance where lots of problems happen. Therefore before your home inspection you requirement to be decisive that you are invitation about the roof. You want to be absolutely certain that experienced are no cracks, and the home inspector can help you jewel this exterior before you spend your first rainy nighttide there.

6. The coin itself is another thing that you are functioning to want your home inspection to focus on, so be sure to look at that. Substitute actual to ask about the driveway besides other aspects of the property thus that you can impress a superb deal on these things.

7. Unalike buildings should sell for included in the home inspection. This would mean even garages and sheds. You longing to act as unmitigated that if you are purchasing these things they are being used for the right reason and you are palmy the right market price. Therefore, be factual that you are putting your matchless consequence these.

8. Summon up to ask your home inspector to swivel at the blaze proofing besides the electrical wiring systems in your home. You requirement to be sure that these are functioning further that you perceive you are your family are safe pull the home. The wiring should represent done correctly further should not cause division problems for you.

9. And, remember that you appetite to take a look at the windows also doors. Your home inspector should pike at the various ways that these work and whether or not they are influence good shape. Nail down that if you compulsion to replace them it bequeath rate a lot of wealth, inasmuch as you yearning to be direct that you are either getting that fascinated off the price or that you don ‘ t have to disturbance about it.

10. Lastly, you want to ask your home inspector about the fable of the home. There is a lot that the home inspector care perceive, just by looking around, so you should ask about is since that you notice what the home has been through.

a/c ask compnents cooling electrical electricity Foundation furnace heat home home inspection inspection plumbing questions roof structural structure things to consider wiring

Top Ten Questions to Ask Before a Home Inspection

1518 days

by ClintonR in Uncategorized

Well-qualified are many things that you are going to yearning to ask before you have a home inspection. When actual is time for you to begin preparations for your home inspection, there are probably all kinds of things that are flying around supremacy your mind. Therefore, you craving to take a moment and actualize yourself, and get ready to make the highly apparent of your home inspection.

If you are inspecting a home because you thirst to buy it, masterly are things that you are going to want to know. Likewise, if you are having your home inspected because you are selling corporal, there are also things that you are going to requirement to be sure that you ask. Then, you should make a wary list.

Lead off of all, if you are having a home inspection because you want to comply your home, remember that this is your one chance to cause sure that you are buying a worthy home that is exactly what you are looking for. Therefore, make sure that you ask your home inspector about all of the things that he or she power pride.

1. Make sure that you name that you would like them to look carefully at the foundation, because this is one of the most important things. This is the first question that you are going to hunger to ask your home inspector. You hunger to be sure that the foundation is solid and is not cracked in any way. This will make the basis of the rest of your life, so body specific that it is solid.

2. Make irrefutable that you are asking your home magistrate about the various plumbing systems. This should include the water vim in and out of your house, the pipes, the toilets and the sinks. You want to be sure that gross of this is included so that you obligatoriness make the most out of your home inspection.

3. The heating again cooling systems are also correct important. This is being if your furnace or central air breaks after you have purchased the house, you commit find that you keep much more to worry about and it is reaction to cost you a lot of wampum. Therefore, you will longing to recognize if there is extensive wrong with any of the central air or furnace components so that you can either excite it fixed or replaced before you buy the house.

4. Larger thing that it is ideal important for you to ask before you home inspection is for the umpire to look for termites of for other bug problems. Even though these might seem simple, they can actually be a huge problem now you. So, if you believe that you are agility to have to deal suppress these things, you can figure out how to act them before you buy the house.

5. The roof is numerous place where lots of problems happen. Consequently before your home inspection you need to appear as incontestable that you are asking about the roof. You want to be absolutely special that there are no cracks, and the home hard rapper can help you find this out before you spend your first humid night there.

7. Other buildings should be included sway the home inspection. This would mean even garages and sheds. You want to be sure that if you are purchasing these things they are being used for the right reason again you are successful the right assessment. Therefore, be sure that you are putting your best suspicion these.

8. Remember to ask your home conciliator to look at the fire proofing and the electrical wiring systems in your home. You want to be unambiguous that these are functioning and that you know you are your family are safe in the home. The wiring should be done correctly and should not cause any problems for you.

9. Also, remember that you want to take a look at the windows and doors. Your home inspector should look at the various ways that these work and whether or not they are in sound shape. Remember that if you need to replace them it cede cost a crowd of riches, so you longing to be sure that you are either getting that into off the price or that you don ‘ t obtain to headache about it.

10. Lastly, you want to ask your home inspector about the history of the home. There is a gang that the home court onus observe, just by looking around, thence you should ask about is so that you know what the home has been complete. Know onions are many things that you are going to want to ask before you have a home inspection. When it is time for you to originate preparations for your home inspection, there are probably all kinds of things that are hypersonic around in your mind. Therefore, you want to take a moment and beget yourself, and get hypersonic to compose the most out of your home inspection.

If you are inspecting a home because you want to admit bona fide, there are things that you are alacrity to want to know. Likewise, if you are having your home inspected because you are selling it, there are further things that you are proposition to want to be sure that you ask. Therefore, you should make a careful list.

First of all, if you are having a home inspection because you need to buy your home, remember that this is your one happen to make sure that you are buying a good home that is of course what you are looking for. Thence, originate sure that you ask your home inspector about unreduced of the things that he or she might find.

1. Make perfect that you mention that you would like them to look carefully at the foundation, because this is one of the vastly meaningful things. This is the first issue that you are alacrity to want to ask your home inspector. You want to be sure that the foundation is driven and is not cracked in any way. This will effect the basis of the uphold of your life, so personify indisputable that it is unflinching.

2. Make sure that you are asking your home inspector about the various plumbing systems. This should include the water action reputation and out of your castle, the pipes, the toilets and the sinks. You want to serve as sure that all of this is included so that you can make the highly out of your home inspection.

3. The heating and cooling systems are also very important. This is for if your furnace or central disposition breaks after you have purchased the pigpen, you entrust find that you have much heavier to worry about and undoubted is going to rate you a lot of money. Therefore, you will want to know if there is smash wrong with any of the household air or furnace components so that you can either get it distinguishing or replaced before you comply the house.

4. Another thing that substantial is very important for you to ask before you home inspection is due to the bench to look for termites of for other bug problems. Even though these bent seem simple, they can actually be a chock-full worriment for you. So, if you believe that you are going to have to vigor with these things, you can figure out how to fix them before you buy the house.

5. The roof is another place where lots of problems happen. Therefore before your home inspection you requirement to be sure that you are invitation about the roof. You want to be absolutely certain that experienced are no cracks, and the home inspector can help you jewel this exterior before you spend your first rainy nighttide there.

6. The coin itself is another thing that you are functioning to want your home inspection to focus on, so be sure to look at that. Substitute actual to ask about the driveway besides other aspects of the property since that you can get a superb deal on these things.

7. Other buildings should sell for included in the home inspection. This would mean even garages and sheds. You longing to act as unmitigated that if you are purchasing these things they are being used for the right reason and you are palmy the right market price. Therefore, be forcible that you are putting your best consequence these.

8. Extract to ask your home inspector to swivel at the blaze proofing further the electrical wiring systems in your home. You want to be sure that these are functioning further that you know you are your family are safe pull the home. The wiring should represent done correctly and should not cause any problems for you.

9. And, remember that you want to take a look at the windows also doors. Your home inspector should look at the various ways that these work and whether or not they are influence good shape. Nail down that if you compulsion to replace them it bequeath cost a lot of wealth, inasmuch as you yearning to be sure that you are either getting that fascinated off the price or that you don ‘ t have to worry about it.

10. Lastly, you want to ask your home inspector about the fable of the home. There is a lot that the home inspector care discover, just by looking around, so you should ask about is so that you notice what the home has been through.

a/c ask compnents cooling electrical electricity Foundation furnace heat home home inspection inspection plumbing questions roof structural structure things to consider wiring

Structural Components

1556 days

by ClintonR in Exterior, Interior, Soil, Uncategorized

FOOTINGS

Transmit the weight of the house to the ground, while disallowing the house from sinking into the soil. All homes exhibit some settlement, typically shortly after being built.

The footings are placed below the foundation walls and posts. The bottom surface area of the footing is larger than the foundation, allowing the load of the home to be distributed out over a wider area. These components are usually 16-24 inches wide and 6-13 inches thick. Footings carry the house loads to beneath the frost line in areas where the soil is suseptible to freezing. The more weight the building has and the weaker the soil, the larger the footing.

Common Material Types: Concrete, Brick, Stone. Recently, almost all footings have been poured concrete.

footings freezing frost line home load settlement size Soil surface area weight