Expert: Jim Hise - 4/9/2008

Question
I have recently moved into a 1920s ,1200 sq.ft.home (one story)in Ohio. Evidence shows that this home was in sad repair prior to its face lift last year. I am leasing at this time / with option to buy in one year. This home is located on a level lot with few trees near by, in a neighborhood where most homes are in that age bracket of 80 years. There is a full basement under the house with very thick concrete walls(???) surrounding the original  exterior/ or load bearing concrete walls. These newer walls go approximately 3/4 of the way up on all the surrounding load bearing exterior walls.  The condition of the original concrete walls both inside the basement and outside are loosing the plaster facing. The concrete itself is a mixture of small stone,sand and ??. What I am concerned about is that the original concrete foundation itself is  crumbling ,inside as well as outside, on all four load bearing walls. (The basement does not have any serious water penetration, just one small area in a corner). Is this house loosing its foundation and what would be the steps needed to repair it?  I was seriously considering purchasing this home in a year....but if the repairs are very costly....no can do at the price they are asking. Thanks for any information.

Answer
Ron,
   The second interior wall that you are seeing is often constructed by the homeowner in an effort to stop the exterior wall from moving. Usually these walls are not reinforced or tied in properly and do not withstand hydrostatic soil pressure over time.
   Sometimes the second interior wall was constructed to simply contain
the elements of the original wall from crumbling into the basement.
   Most of the second walls I've seen had little structural benefit toward the original wall. The extra material and width will often curtail water infiltration for a number of years. I would suspect this extra wall is not supporting the existing structure as a wall should.
   When we removed these extra walls we often we'd find the original wall in poor repair. I think you should enlist the aid of a structural engineer for his opinion if you really like this home. He should be able to sort everything out for you and let you know where things stand as far as future repairs and structural integrity is concerned.
  Good luck, jim