Sink hole in the crawl space

[jfunderburk (Joe Funderburk, CMI)]

This house has a ‘daylight basement’ at the rear of the home and a crawl space at the front 1/2 of the home. Inside the crawl space, there are 2 HVAC units. The condensate drains didn’t work (covered by landscaper 8 years ago). They have never worked.

The crawl seemed dry except for the condensation issues (drains overflowing and lots of moisture at the units).

The soil in the crawl space has fractured and sunk. I suppose because of the constant moisture from the AC drains.

Not sure if you can make much of these pics. A hole in the soil near the door was about 16" deep (I could still see the foundation wall there). Deep fractures inside the crawl. There were no piers…just foundation walls because of the narrow design.

Would this sort of ground condition cause you any concern?

[bking (Bruce A. King)]

Are you in California?

yes, observe and report, let a gen contractor/foundation guy make the recommendation.

Remember the old saying “you can report it now or pay for it later”

Even if it is not a big deal that does not prevent the client from getting a $3k estimate to correct it later on if you did not report it.

[lkage (Larry Kage, CMI)]

It is hard to tell from the pictures if the structure is undermined. If it is, repairs for maintaining the structural integrity would be important…report what you see.

[dandersen (David Andersen, TN HI# 40)]

You don’t think the HVAC equipment had anything to do with this do you?

[jfunderburk (Joe Funderburk, CMI)]

@dandersen

You don’t think the HVAC equipment had anything to do with this do you?

Yes I do. But do you think it might now be a structural issue?

[jfunderburk (Joe Funderburk, CMI)]

This is what I said about it:

“Standing water and wet soil were observed in the crawl space due to condensation from the HVAC units. Moisture can facilitate the growth of a variety of molds that can promote unhealthy conditions and excess humidity can cause decay to wood structures over time. Additionally, chronically moist conditions can cause foundation settlement or deterioration over time.
The soils in the crawlspace show signs of settlement due to chronic moisture in the soil. The issue may also be the result of using loose, un-compacted soil for the house foundation. Very large soil fissures and sink holes up to 18 inches deep were observed. We did not observe any issues related to the foundation walls. This issue may be of no structural consequence, but since we cannot be certain we therefore recommend that a licensed general contractor or structural engineer evaluate the soil quality and its capability for supporting the foundation.”

[Brian_A.MacNeish]

@jfunderburk

This house has a ‘daylight basement’ at the rear of the home and a crawl space at the front 1/2 of the home. Inside the crawl space, there are 2 HVAC units. The condensate drains didn’t work (covered by landscaper 8 years ago). They have never worked.

The crawl seemed dry except for the condensation issues (drains overflowing and lots of moisture at the units).

The soil in the crawl space has fractured and sunk. I suppose because of the constant moisture from the AC drains.

Not sure if you can make much of these pics. A hole in the soil near the door was about 16" deep (I could still see the foundation wall there). Deep fractures inside the crawl. There were no piers…just foundation walls because of the narrow design.

Would this sort of ground condition cause you any concern?

Run!!! RUUNNN!!!

[cevans (Chuck Evans, CMI)]

Ted Bundy’s old house?

[sstanczyk (Stephen Stanczyk, WA License #221)]

@cevans

Ted Bundy’s old house?

Nope. I inspected Ted Bundy’s old house last year. Yes there was a basement, along with some other stuff that would seem normal on any other day but sure had a different feeling that day. :shock: