FOUNDATION SECTION NOT APPARENT OR NON CONTINUOUS FOOTING NOTED

FOUNDATION SECTION NOT APPARENT OR NON CONTINUOUS FOOTING NOTED (possible condition): The inspector will check this item if it is noted that a footing section is, or appears to be, missing from under the slab or if the building is supported upon piers without a continuous perimeter footing. Usually there will be an undercut condition for the inspector to have noticed a missing footing under slabs, since this is a visual inspection and digging is generally not allowed. Often the inspector will suspect a missing footing if it is noted that a patio or other exterior slab has been enclosed and/or made into a habitable room. Often a property owner will add a room or enclose a deck or patio without building permits and not know to install the perimeter footing. The main problem with the lack of a footing under a slab is that earth lift from freeze or expansive soils can damage the walls or floor. Buildings built on piers around the perimeter can be more prone to uneven lifting and settling causing uneven floors, sticking doors, cracked walls and ceilings, etc. One method of correcting this situation is as follows. Excavate for a footing a trench about 12 inches wide, and 15 or so inches deep, and about 6 inches under the affected slab. Using a 5/8 inch masonry bit, drill holes in the slab about 30 inches apart and within 6 inches of the outer wall where a footing is to be placed. Install 1/2 inch reinforcing bars into the drilled holes allowing the bars to hang down almost to the bottom of the trench and just below the surface of the slab. Fill the trench and the rebar holes with concrete. This is one way to add a tremendous amount of strength to the outer edge of a building without spending much money. If you feel you need assistance you should call on the services of a Concrete Contractor or a General Contractor. It may be necessary to have the repair engineered and to obtain building permits. 

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