Before purchasing any of the Homes for sale in Wellesley MA or other townships, you should take a good hard look at the home’s foundation. In this installment of the Home Buyer Education 101 series, we will discuss the importance of thoroughly checking the condition and integrity of a home’s foundation. Knowing what to look for right from the start can save you thousands of your hard earned dollars in repairs. It’s a matter of knowing the early signs of foundation trouble and recognizing them for what they truly are before you sign the purchase and sales agreement.
First off there are various types of foundations regardless of whether your looking at homes for sale in Wellesley MA or any other area within Massachusetts.
Field Stone Foundations
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I have seen many of the older homes for sale in Wellesley MA that have these beautiful stone foundations, which probably date back to the early 1900′s. When walking through these older homes you want to inspect the basement for dry crumbly white mortar usually located in small deposits around the perimeter floor. The small deposits usually will show the location of a problem area in the wall above. You may find cracks and voids between the rocks and loose or falling stones. Older homes with stone foundations require continued maintenance to insure the parging (white chalky substance) around all walls throughout the basement creates a solid layer of protection. Its lack of maintenance within the stone foundation that can create cracks, voids and loose stone ultimately allowing both water and radon gas to enter the basement.
Poured Concrete Foundations
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Most of the newer homes for sale in Wellesley MA have a poured concrete foundation that is commonly seen today. During your inspection of a concrete foundation you may notice cracks that have formed. In most cases these cracks are a normal part of the concrete curing process, but identifying the location and degree to which cracks have formed is something to take serious. If you find cracks that are wider than 1/4″ or any type of horizontal cracking at the base of the foundation wall you should have this inspected by a professional. Some solutions might be as simple as repairing the effected areas with hydraulic cement, but the areas need to be prepped appropriately to receive the cement patch. Also look for any type of bulging in a wall; this could be a sign of larger problems that may need to be looked at by a structural engineer. Remember to look for cracks at the base of the Lolly column, which support the main beam above, cracks in this area could signal a problem with the footer below grade.
Neglecting to look into the condition of your home’s foundation could be an added expense after you close on any the homes for sale in Wellesley MA. Be an educated home buyer and seek assistance from a Massachusetts licensed home inspection professional.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Roger Martin is a licensed Massachusetts Real Estate salesperson and General Contractor with over 20 years experience in residential and commercial real estate. Serving the Ashland, Boston, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Framingham, Lexington, Natick, Needham, Newton, Sherborn, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley and Weston areas.
If you have questions, comments or suggestion for future articles please feel free to contact me by
email roger@realestateinmassachusetts.org
phone 617-365-4311
or visit my blog site www.realestateinmassachusetts.org
