How do pre-1950 houses sit on their foundation

Your home’s foundation is one of the most important aspects of its build, and the health of your foundation should be an integral part of how you ensure that your home remains safe from harm when a natural disaster hits, for example a flood, landslide, or earthquake.

We recently had a conversation with one of our clients who owns a home that was built in the 1950s, and he asked us, should I be concerned about my home’s old foundation?  Well, the thing is that interestingly, the concept of building a home on top of a foundation has not changed in 100 or more years.  In fact, most homes in Los Angeles have been built on foundations!  However, while most modern foundations do a good job of protecting a home, older foundations may not!

What is the difference between a modern foundation and an old one?  Well, modern foundations are made out of concrete which is mixed in precise measures in industry “batching plants”, and such plants combine various ingredients such as gravel, cement, and water, to create a strong concrete mixture.  To add extra strength to this mixture, building contractors add steel bars (“rebar”) inside the concrete, reinforcing it, and providing it with great structural and tensile strength.  But this is not how older foundations were made!

So, is there a problem with foundations in pre-1950 homes?

Yes, the problem is, that homes built in the 1950s or earlier (and there are hundreds of thousands of such homes in Los Angeles) were built on foundations made from hand-mixed concrete that contains little or no steel rebar to give it extra strength.  Such old construction homes are also not anchored to their foundations, despite the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (“FEMA”) warning that homes that aren’t bolted to their foundations are vulnerable to damage from earthquake shaking.

Moreover, decades of rainy seasons and bone-dry Summers – as well as frequent earthquakes – could have cause such an old home’s unreinforced foundation to weaken and crack.  And a brittle, damaged foundation can no longer safely support an old home when a natural disaster strikes, especially an old home that is not bolted to its foundation.

Should I worry about my home’s older foundation?

Yes, definitely, if you are the owner of a home with an older foundation, you should be concerned about its condition!  You should be even more concerned if your home’s foundation is not even made out of cement!  Interestingly, many older foundations were actually formed out of bricks or river rocks held together with simple mortar.  Such foundations are completely unreinforced and are, over time, especially vulnerable to moisture, soil settlement, and seismic activity.  If your home sits on top of a brick or rock foundation, it is imperative that you examine it to determine how well it is holding up and whether it requires basement foundation waterproofing!

What should I do with my home’s pre-1950 foundation?

If you are the owner of a home built prior to the 1950s, you should have your home’s foundation inspected by a foundation cracks repair specialist who can assess the foundation’s condition, bolt the home to its foundation, and repair or replace a damaged foundation in a cost-effective way.  All this work can often be done without even lifting the house!  In fact, even the LA Times recently advised that “bracing and bolting your house to current seismic safety standards can make all the difference” when an earthquake hits!

If your home already has a foundation issue, you should also inspect it to determine if you need basement waterproofing, basement wall sealing, basement wall cracks repair, or leaky basement repair.  A Weinstein Construction contractor foundation repair specialist can help you with all your foundation needs!

Before you start searching for “foundation repair companies near me” or “foundation specialists near me”, just call Weinstein Construction!   Our waterproofing and foundation repair specialists will guide you through every step of the process and will be committed to finding you a lasting solution at a cost you can afford!  We can do it all, from seismic retrofitting, to waterproofing a basement wall, to French drain installation!  Call Weinstein Construction today at (818) 855-5752 for a free inspection and review of all your foundation needs!