School me on wood foundations

[SupressYourself]

I'm currently looking at a new-to-me property that has a wood foundation, which is a major turnoff.
My research says it can be ok if it's "done right".
Problem is, how can you tell anything when one side is covered with sheetrock and the other side is covered with dirt?
Is there any investigation I can do, or this categorically a no-go?

 

[Colt45]

I have no experience with a wood foundation, I am with you on your reservation about a wood foundation, even "done right" I don't think I would buy a house with a wood foundation............

 

[deleted member]

its the new rage these days. i know of some big ass houses... one probably over a million dollars when its all said and done... that have had wood basements put in lately. my thoughts. cheaper cost. no cracking. when things shift and settle they are more forgiving. you won't get a crack in a wall that could leak. but, i have trouble believing they will last as long as they say when compared to concrete. but, then again, cinder block has its own problems not necessarily applicable to poured though. one thing that also really worries me is that i see most of them essentially have poly stapled to them and then back filled. for the life of me, i can't figure out how each one of those staples doesn't become a route for moisture to enter. i also can't figure out how you prevent ripping of the poly during back filling. you are dumping dirt up against them with. big old chunks often with big machinery. seems like tears have got to be common. and, like you said, there would be no way of knowing about them until the wall rotted away. then what? i still am not sold on them completely either. but, if done the right way and i was sure they were done the right way, i could probably be convinced. right way to me... a brush on sealer that goes down past the contact point of the foundation and the wall at least a few inches, not stapled poly. really good exterior drain tile system. gutters of course. covered window wells.

 

[Retired Educator]

Built my house in the mid-70's with a wood basement. No problems. Did have the sheetrock off one wall about a year ago to to redo one wall. Wasn't because of a problem, wall was covered with a glued on product and wanted to have a finished drywall look. Removed vapor barrier as well as the insulation. No issues with treated wood on exterior. One thing you will never be able to know is whether anyone cut corners and used any non-treated wood. Did replace a patio door a couple years ago where one non-treated 2X6 was used on the sill. Completely rotted. No issues any other place.

There are thousands of houses in ND with wood basements, you don't hear of any falling down if done properly. Do you have any possible way of finding out who built the house. Bullders reputation may still be valid.

Investigation if possible? I would suggest the sill plate is a good place to start. That is the area with the most concrete contact. Even above ground I would recommend treated wood where contact with concrete is present.

- - - Updated - - -

its the new rage these days. i know of some big ass houses... one probably over a million dollars when its all said and done... that have had wood basements put in lately. my thoughts. cheaper cost. no cracking. when things shift and settle they are more forgiving. you won't get a crack in a wall that could leak. but, i have trouble believing they will last as long as they say when compared to concrete. but, then again, cinder block has its own problems not necessarily applicable to poured though. one thing that also really worries me is that i see most of them essentially have poly stapled to them and then back filled. for the life of me, i can't figure out how each one of those staples doesn't become a route for moisture to enter. i also can't figure out how you prevent ripping of the poly during back filling. you are dumping dirt up against them with. big old chunks often with big machinery. seems like tears have got to be common. and, like you said, there would be no way of knowing about them until the wall rotted away. then what? i still am not sold on them completely either. but, if done the right way and i was sure they were done the right way, i could probably be convinced. right way to me... a brush on sealer that goes down past the contact point of the foundation and the wall at least a few inches, not stapled poly. really good exterior drain tile system. gutters of course. covered window wells.

Don't staple below dirt line, use at least 3 layers of heavy poly, backfill with small rock and sand so water easily flows down to drain pipe, and slope away from house to prevent as much water against the wall as possible. Quality work makes a big difference.

 

[Jiggernaut]

I have a 30 year old house on a wood foundation and not a problem. I have two sidewalks that have sank 2-3 inches and a garage floor that has cracked, but no issues with the foundation. I too had the sheetrock off and all was good and dry. Cheaper to repair. Easier/cheaper to add windows. It's treated lumber, so I don't know how long it would take to rot.

 

[Ruttin]

If you can see an exterior wall, perhaps in a mechanical room, make sure the wood/plywood is stamped "foundation grade". Also it would be a good piece of mind to see what types of fasteners were used.

 

[Davy Crockett]

I'd inspect the sump system for any clues of how much it pumps and if it's damp or dry in the sump and what is smells like. Drive around the the neighborhood and pay attention to sum discharges both when dry and after a good soaking rain. Good reason to be leary , I would probably shy away from any place that relies on a sump pump to keep it dry except for emergencies , No matter what the construction materials are.

 

[SupressYourself]

I would probably shy away from any place that relies on a sump pump to keep it dry except for emergencies , No matter what the construction materials are.

I take it you don't live in the RRV .
I don't know anyone with a basement that doesn't have a sump pump running quite often during stints of wet weather.

 

[BDub]

During the eighties we worked in several homes built with wood foundations. In Bismarck. They are still standing. The builder was great at cutting corners. I might have been screwed during the 11 flood with a wood foundation. The floor trusses did just fine despite being in the water.

 

[guywhofishes]

get someone (a pro) who has probes/experience for looking in basement walls for black mold

if there's black mold the moisture barrier failed and it's doomed

 

[SupressYourself]

That's probably good advice, but the housing market as it is doesn't afford much time for such things.
Maybe an offer contingent on foundation inspection would be the thing to do...

 

[LBrandt]

If where your at is heavy river bottom like the RRValley I would shy away. Fine sand or gravel is much better. Frost does not move it around as much and drainage is a lot better.

 

[RNinND]

There's an article in Family Handyman in support of it

https://www.familyhandyman.com/walls/wood-foundation-basics-and-techniques/view-all/

 

[Duckslayer100]

I take it you don't live in the RRV .
I don't know anyone with a basement that doesn't have a sump pump running quite often during stints of wet weather.

Way north Fargo. Live a block from the river. Our sump hasn't run for the past two years. Height is key! Home was built in the 70s, and they obviously had some forethought. My old house closer to 12th Ave was a different story. We were the "lake" of the block every spring. Sump ran non stop. Basement flooded twice in two years. Got the hell out of there, and glad we did.

 

[( deleted account )]

Even put in supposedly properly and inspected and all that, in retrospect I’d say NO! We were talked into one, lived there 20+ years with absolutely no problems, dry location too, but a few years later the current owner started having problems. I’m not sure what the problems are or if they are continuing but on the basis of what I hear, I’d say that good old concrete would be my first and ONLY choice were I going to build or buy again.

 

[eyexer]

absolutely nothing wrong with them. I have put in quite a few. It was actually a pretty common thing in the mid to late 90's but has died off as the price of lumber has gone up. It's now pretty equivalent in cost to concrete basement. Except those with ICFS walls. But after doing ICFS concrete basements that's all I do anymore. Expensive but well worth it. One thing I will tell you. The wood foundations (product) is guaranteed 75 years. Try to get your concrete company to guarantee their concrete for 75 years lol. There is a large area of southern saskatchewan that has such a high alkali soil they can't put in concrete basements. They have been doing wood up there for one hell of a long time. They can be tricky to put in . The style of house plays a big roll on how tricky they are. But if done right they are just fine. And you'll know in a few short years if they are done right or not.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

https://youtu.be/_qP5lqqmh68

 

[fj40]

25 years and not a problem with our wood basement. Sump pump has only run during the big one of 2011. Warm and dry. Did put in one helluva drain tile system, however.

 

[SupressYourself]

Thanks for all the reponses. I think if I were building a house and could supervise it and know whether or not it was "done right", wood may not be a bad choice.
But the unknowns of an existing house are troubling. I get there are always unknowns in that situation, but a foundation is particularly hard to inspect and expensive to fix.

 

[guywhofishes]

good call

yep - bad bongos when things go south with basements - no do-overs