Emerson Geek

This term indicates a method of building on a concrete foundation that goes into the ground only slightly below the frost line. The frost line is a point in the ground below which the ground never freezes. As you might guess, the depth of the frost line depends on many variables besides degree of northern latitude, such as groundwater, shade conditions, and composition of the subsoil (e.g., sand never freezes). In the coldest parts of the United States, the frost line is a maximum of about four feet down. Most people excavate at least that deeply to be sure of avoiding the frost heaves that can ruin a house’s frame. Point is that you have to make judgments about soundness on a house-by-house basis.
So what should you look for?

Slab foundations are level pads of concrete that are poured on top of the ground underneath the floor of the house. This method is seen from time to thne in the Northeast, where it was favored in the post—World War 11 building boom because it was fast and cheap. It is more common in the South and California, and it is seen everywhere in Florida, where the groundwater is only a few inches below the grass. If there’s no frost to worry about, why not use a slab? If there’s no need for oil storage, no need for a place to put the heater, and no need for occasional plumbing and wiring changes, a slab is all right.
I really wonder about slabs for main house living, though. For one thing, they can crack. For another, many people find them cold and hard to walk on, even though judicious use of carpeting and tile can moderate the problem somewhat. If they’re not well insulated, they add to your heating costs and make plumbing additions very difficult. To add a new bathroom off the family room, you have to put a jackhammer to the slab. If you find yourself with a termite problem, it’s almost impossible to cure.

It’s a mistake to assume that an older house, just because it is older, is somehow sturdier than a newer house. True, they don’t build them like they used to, but that can mean many things, not all of them negative for the newer structures. Today’s home- engineering technology can fulfill a dream of domestic comfort that the greatest builders of the past could hardly imagine. On the other hand, some modem contractors may be more willing to use lesser-quality materials and to take unsound shortcuts with their work than were their Victorian counterparts, The wall is something the inspector ought to notice and explain. In bad cases, problems of this kind can require substantial rebuilding of the whole foundation. That’s not common, but it happens, and you’d rather it didn’t happen to you.