Stone foundation inspection, diagnosis, repair: this article explains Stone Foundations & Walls: How to Recognize & Diagnose Stone Foundation Cracks, Bulges, Movement, or other Stone Wall Damage such as damage due to impact, settlement, frost or water damage, and other causes.

Types of foundation cracks, crack patterns, differences in the meaning of cracks in different foundation materials, site conditions, building history, and other evidence of building movement and damage are described to assist in recognizing foundation defects and to help the inspector separate cosmetic or low-risk conditions from those likely to be important and potentially costly to repair.

Examples of structural & other failures in Stone Foundation Walls & Stone Foundations

The photograph shows a bulged and leaning stone foundation on an 1885 building in Rhinebeck NY. We suspect that a combination of steep bank, nearby highway, lack of adequate footings, and failure to control roof spillage along the foundation wall are the forces behind this troublesome damage.

Of these stone foundation damage cases, roof spillage by the foundation is most-often the prime source of damage. Particularly in a freezing climate the force exerted by freezing wet soil against a foundation wall is tremendous.

The stone and brick foundation shown above is common in older buildings, in this case a church in Staatsburgh, New York.

Brick foundation walls constructed above-grade were set on a stone foundation. This Staatsburgh NY basement and an adjoining crawl space had suffered a long history of flooding and an occasional sewage backup.

Stone foundation walls on pre-1900 buildings are often quite thick, up to four feet at their base. In their original design these walls tolerated water in the outside soils by permitting it to seep through the wall and often to drain away through a dirt floor or even a through-wall drain in a low corner.

Such dry-laid structural stone foundation walls rarely fail by leaning but are often found bulged or damaged by water, frost, vehicle traffic, or by modification by the building owner.

Stone walls, like other masonry walls, are often damaged by water and frost, especially where roof spillage splashes close to the foundation wall. In this photograph we see a combination of stone and brick foundation wall. Brick was often laid in finish courses atop a stone foundation wall.

In other buildings the entire wall may be stone except that bricks may have been used at windows and doors (to give a nicer square opening).

In this photo the mortar, probably a soft lime and sand mix, has washed out of stones at this inside corner of the building foundation where the corner is below a roof valley - a source of frequent spillage during rain and melting snow.

This photograph shows the futility of trying to keep out water by applying mortar to the inside of an old stone wall.

Near the entering water pipe we see ice forming in this wet basement, perhaps because lots of surface and subsurface runoff are being caught and directed towards the foundation wall by the trench dug to install the new water line.

But so much of this wall is wet over so much of its height that we can be sure that roof spillage and surface water are entering the building.

Beware of old dry-laid stone foundation walls which were later made "water proof" by mortar or by casting an inside thin veneer of concrete against the stone.

People often point the gaps between the stones in such a wall as an attempt to reduce water entry or to try to keep out vermin. If this change is made without also taking steps outside to keep water away from the building, frost and water damage to the wall may occur.

Common Stone foundation wall or stone structural wall defects

This sketch of the components of a preserved stone foundation with a solid masonry exterior wall is courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing tool company [ carsondunlop.com ].

• Dislocations and loose stones, commonly at building walls and corners above grade where exposed to splashing roof runoff.
• Buckled, Bulged, Leaning stone walls : due to frost, water, or occasionally from vehicle loading if vehicles are driven close to foundation walls

Below: these foundation damage photos, contributed by ASHI home inspector David Grudzinski illustrate the importance of looking carefully at the building exterior for early clues that you may track down to more-significant damage.

This masonry block (above-grade) foundation was xxx out of plumb, as Grudzinski noted.

A very rough measurement showed that the block surface was six degrees out of plumb.

Even a casual and thus incomplete examination of David's photos provides an experienced inspector with more foundation damage and damage history clues.

Above in our first photo notice that sloppy spilled concrete at the juncture of concrete sidewalk and foundation wall? That may be an attempt to seal water leaking between the sidewalk and foundation, but

notice too that the sidewalk, though it slopes nicely away from the home, dumps water into a water trap (as from there soil slopes uphill) that will pretty much trap water along the building, inviting water seepage down into soils close to the foundation - adding to the risk of frost damage.

Notice below that rather new asphalt paving has been put around these foundation areas,sloped away from the home. Someone may have been attempting to stabilize the foundation and stop water and frost damage by adding this paving and drainage.

But notice too the frost damaged concrete blocks at the corner: probably frost heave.

And notice as well the crushed downspout end still spilling (if it could spill) close to the foundation? So we have a clue that the building owners/occupants are not aware of or don't notice critical roof drainage system maintenance tasks.

For the scientists among us,

see ROOF SLOPE CALCULATIONS

for formulas to convert angle or slope over a distance to inches out of plumb over a height. A foundation wall that is bulged an inch or more out of plumb at its most-bulged point over its height is considered significantly damaged and needing further evaluation and possible repair. (Friedman & Seaquist).

Details are at FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY

and at FOUNDATION or WALL BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS

Inspecting the building interior Grudzinski found still more-significant damage to the stone foundation laid below-grade.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Here are Mr. Grudzinski's notes to us:

Attached in several emails will be photos of a stone foundation severely buckled in from expansion in soil caused by frost heaves. The home is an 1980 Colonial 2-family home in Pawtucket RI. The prospective buyer is a past client, and saw the home under limited lighting in the early evening hours.

The home was being "flipped" by a contractor. The first signs of concern were walking around the exterior.

The foundation is stacked Rubble stone to grade, with cement block above grade. There was an obvious deformity in the Block foundation condition. It was not plumb, and when sighting the foundation on the longer planes, the center was buckled in at least 6 inches when compared to the corners.

The gutter downspouts deposited the water right at the base of the home, rather than away from the home.

The rear wall was notably more deformed than the side walls. I used an angle gauge with a level to come up with a rough idea of the angle of the foundation from grade level to the Mud Sill. The block portion of the foundation was 8 Degrees out of plumb. This translated to 3 inches over 2 ft.

Upon entering the basement, the stacked stone showed an inward displacement of around 12 inches at the farthest point. The stone wall had large openings where smaller stones were missing and the mating surfaces of the stones had separated. The line where the Blocks were stacked on the stone showed openings.

Because of the movement, the rear wall of the 1st floor was angled outwards about 6 inches, and the siding was separated from its original location.
This foundation will need significant structural repairs to the foundation.

• David Grudzinski, Advantage Home Inspections, ASHI cert # 249089, HUD cert# H-145, is a professional home inspector who contributes on various topics including structural matters.
  David Grudzinski, Cranston RI serving both Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut can be reached at 401-935-6547 fax- 401-490-0607 or by email to Davidgrudzinski@aol.com
  
  Mr. Grudzinski is a regular contributor to InspectAPedia.com

Our illustration below, adapted from Farouki (1992) illustrates the heat flow down into the surrounding soil from an insulated building in a freezing climate. This illustration explains how to AVOID frost damage to foundations.

Farouki notes

... insulation is used in association with foundations of structures as part of a process of thermal engineering to produce safe and economic designs for various structures.

The use of insulation enables heat management that allows shallower foundation depths and prevents damage from frost action.

Results are given from the Norwegian Frost I Jord research project and the work at Lund University, Sweden, both of which provided the basis for the design guidelines of Norway, Sweden and Finland. -References or Citations

If we reverse the size and direction of that big orange arrow we might portray frost push effects on the foundation wall.

 

Continuing our list of stone foundation defects

• Cracked stone walls (if mortared)
• Stone wall settlement 

• Stone foundation wall interruption, removal of portions of the wall, & loss of structural integrity 
  
  such as where stones have been removed from a structural wall to add a door or to provide access for mechanicals.
  
  Unless appropriate measures are taken, such as adding a lintel or other support, removing stones from a structural stone wall may destroy the integrity of these walls. Click to enlarge the stone wall photo above for a sharper view of the cracking, bulging, collapsing stone wall resulting in part from removal of some of its components.
  
  In original construction stones were placed in an interlocking and overlapped pattern from course to course. Removing a section of wall may result in future wall movement unless other steps are taken to stabilize the modified section.

The Carson Dunlop Associates sketch below shows typical construction of a stone foundation atop which is placed a wood frame structure. We continue with our list of inspection points for stone foundations.

Below the stains down this stone foundation suggest a history of leaks focused around the basement window.

• Water leakage 
  
  is very common with all stone walls, especially dry-laid stones which were placed without use of mortar. In original use such walls were often expected to be leaky and provision was made for water passing through the wall to continue across a sloped (dirt) floor and out of the basement or crawl space.

• Building modernization effects
  
   on homes built on stone foundations:
  
  As such older buildings have been converted to modern use often owners add insulation, storm windows, siding, caulking, central heating, and a basement or crawl space floor slab.
  
  These improvements make for significant changes in how the building works and how water and moisture can (or cannot) escape, and can lead to severe water entry problems and related problems of insect damage, rot, and indoor mold in the building.

Research on Frost Heave & Frost Push Damage to Building Foundations

• Bonshor, Ronald B., Lesley L. Bonshor, and Roger Sadgrove. Cracking in buildings. Construction Research Communications Limited, 1996.
• Crory, Frederick E., and R. E. Reed. Measurement of frost heaving forces on piles. No. CRREL-TR-145. COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH, 1965.
• Everett, D. H. "The thermodynamics of frost damage to porous solids." Transactions of the Faraday society 57 (1961): 1541-1551.
• Farouki, Omar. EUROPEAN FOUNDATION DESIGNS FOR SEASONALLY FROZEN GROUND [PDF] No. CRREL-Mono-92-1. Cold Regions Research And Engineering Lab Hanover NH, 1992. Retrieved 2019/11/11 original source https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a250833.pdf
  Abstract:
  
  The report deals with the design of foundations against frost action in Europe, particularly as practiced in the Nordic countries. It describes how insulation is used in association with foundations of structures as part of a process of thermal engineering to produce safe and economic designs for various structures.
  
  The use of insulation enables heat management that allows shallower foundation depths and prevents damage from frost action. Results are given from the Norwegian Frost I Jord research project and the work at Lund University, Sweden, both of which provided the basis for the design guidelines of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
  
  Detailed slab-on-grade designs ensure that frost heave does not occur.
  
  Consideration is given to the design of foundations with a crawl space or basement, with their problems of sidegrip and horizontal frost pressure. Frost protection for unheated buildings is described, usually involving the use of insulation and drainage layers below the foundation with ground insulation nearby to retain soil heat.
  
  Designs with open foundations are described as well as foundations for retaining walls and bridges. Frost protection required during winter construction is detailed. Building foundations, Foundation design, Frost heave, Europe, Frost action.
• Gullfiber (1986) Gullfiber insulation system. Gullfiber AB, Billerholm, Sweden (in Swedish)
• Haley, James F., Kenneth A. Linell, George A. Crabb Jr, Harry Carlson, and A. W. Johnson. "Soil temperature and ground freezing." HIGHWAY RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON DC, 1953.
• Hansen, N-E. Ottesen, and Helge Gravesen. "ENGINEERING PRACTICE FOR ICE FORCE DESIGN IN DENMARK." [PDF]
• Lin, Jun, and D. Scott. "Assessment of significances of building failure induced by foundation failure: facade failure, and moisture problem." In Building Integration Solutions, pp. 1-13. 2006.
• Lisø, Kim Robert, Tore Kvande, Hans Olav Hygen, Jan Vincent Thue, and Knut Harstveit. "A frost decay exposure index for porous, mineral building materials." Building and Environment 42, no. 10 (2007): 3547-3555.
• Penner, Edward, and Lorne W. Gold. "Transfer of heaving forces by adfreezing to columns and foundation walls in frost-susceptible soils." Canadian Geotechnical Journal 8, no. 4 (1971): 514-526.
  Abstract:
  
  The paper gives results of field studies on uplift forces on small-diameter columns of steel, concrete, and wood caused by adfreezing in frost-susceptible Leda clay. Adfreeze strength values would appear to be highest for steel and concrete, followed closely by wood. The heaving pattern and the heaving force transmitted are shown to be different for long foundation walls than for isolated columns. This compares favorably with the deformation pattern induced in an ice cover around offshore structures, during a change in water level.
  
  Attention is also given to the relative movement of the heaving soil with respect to the structure and the influence of the heave pattern on the transmission of forces.
• Penner, Edward. "Uplift forces on foundations in frost heaving soils." Canadian Geotechnical Journal 11, no. 3 (1974): 323-338.
  Abstract:
  
  Field studies of uplift forces by frost heaving are described for columns of various types and sizes and for a block concrete wall. The changing ground surface heave pattern around the block wall was used to predict the maximum heaving force which compared favorably with the measured value.
  
  Unit adfreeze strengths and maximum uplift forces were highest for steel columns, followed by concrete and wood; the lowest values were for the block concrete wall.
  
  In general, unit adfreeze strengths were highest for the small diameter columns and lowest on the largest columns. Differences are ascribed to the response of the various materials to air temperatures and to the shape and size of the structure.
• Penner, Edward. "Particle size as a basis for predicting frost action in soils." Soils and Foundations 8, no. 4 (1968): 21-29.
• Rockwool (1984) BYGG - A Book on Building Insulation. Rockwool AB, Skovde, Sweden (in Swedish)
• Saetersdal, Reidar. "Heaving conditions by freezing of soils." Engineering Geology 18, no. 1-4 (1981): 291-305.
• Stuart, Matthew, "Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
• Vialov, S. S., V. G. Gmoshinskii, S. E. Gorodetskii, V. G. Grigorieva, and Iu K. Zaretskii. The Strength and Creep of Frozen Soils and Calculations for Ice-Soil Retaining Structures (Prochnost'i Polzuchest'merzlykh Gruntov I Raschety Ledogruntovykh Ograzhdenii). No. SIPRE-TRANS-76. COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH, 1965.
  
  Abstract : Mechanism of Rheological Processes; Principles of Calculation for the Creep and Long-Term Strength of Frozen Soils; Cryogenous Texture and Strength of Frozen Soils;
  
  Methods for Testing Frozen Soils in Creep and for Long-Term Strength; Experimental Study of the Creep of Frozen Soils; Experimental Study of the Long-Term Strength of Frozen Soils; Calculations for Strength and Creep of Mine Shaft Retaining Structures Sunk by Means of the Freezing Process; Models of Ice-Soil Cylinders; and Comparison of the Analytical Solutions with Model Results, and Recommend Formulae for Calculations.
• VTT (1987) Frost protetion guidelines for house structures, Technical Research Center of Finland Geotechnical Laboratory, Helsinki, Finland (in Finnish)
• Also seeReferences or Citations at the end of this article

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: what kinds of stone are used for building foundations?

2019/08/13 Kavya said:

Which all stone used for foundation.

Photo: stone walls, pyramids and steles at Calakmul, Yucatan, Mexico.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Reply:

K

I don't understand the question as phrased but I'll take a stab anyway:

If you're asking what kinds of stone were used in building foundations, there is not one single answer;

Foundation stone choice by proximity

In most parts of the world builders used whatever reasonably-hard stone was closest to the job site, since transportation cost is a significant factor.

Of the 3 broad classes of stone, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary, the first two make best foundation material but some sedimentary stone too may be hard and stable enough to use.

Foundation Stone types / names

Photo: the Balsatic Prisms of Santa Maria Regla, near Husaca de Ocampo, las prismas balsaticas in Hidalgo, Mexico, photographed by the author in April 2018.

These basaltic canyon walls are lined by tall vertical 5-sided or 6-sided polygons of basalt that range in height from just a few feet (at the canyon bottom) to 164 feet high above the water level.

Popular for centuries among Mexican peoples the canyon was promoted among Europeans and tourists from the north following a visit to the site by German geographer Alexander von Humboldt in 1803.

Below our second photo gives a closer look at the pentagonal and hexagonal layered basalt columns while the author [DF] provides a reference of scale.

Popular types of stone used for foundation use include

• Basalt - (our favorite) is a very dark / black fine-grained volcanic rock, sometimes formed in a columnar structure.
• Gneiss - a metamorphic rock that is banded, layered, or "foiliated" in structure, coarse-grained, principally made up of feldspar, quartz, and mica

Photo: the Balsatic Prisms of Santa Maria Regla

• Granite - a very hard granular, crystalline igneous rock widely used in building construction
• Laterite stone is formed by the weathering of igneous rocks in moist warm climates, or a clay-soil high in aluminum oxide and iron.
• Limestone (depending on the quality and hardness) - limestone is a hard sedimentary rock, principally Dolomite or Calcium Carbonate
• Marble (rare as a building foundation or wall stone except where construction is close to marble quarries )
• Quartzite - a very hard granular rock, possibly silicified sandstone (sarsen stones)

Photo: deteriorating brownstone lintels in the brick wall of a building in Hudson New York.

• Sandstone - a sedimentary rock formed by sand (quartz) grains cemented together, typically red, yellow or brown in color; (may be used in foundations depending on quality, hardness, stability). Brownstone, popular for building facades, lintels, steps, is a type of sandstone.
  
  See also MASONRY FACADE / WALL, LINTEL & BROWNSTONE DAMAGE

Photo: de-laminating slate on a New York home.

• Slate "stone" (not so common, again depending on hardness and stability and resistance to fracturing)
  
  See also SLATE ROOF COLORS & SLATE CHEMISTRY
• Trap stone - any dark igneous rock crushed to random shapes
• Travertine stone - stone formed in hot springs and/or limestone caves, similar to marble, granite, onyx, limestone, slage (thanks to travertinewarehouse.com )

Popular foundation stones by stone shape or form

• Fieldstone - un-finished stone that is used in its natural form as found in nature, typically from arable or pasture land, in piles also called "clearance cairns".
• River stone - stones of various types found in a riverbed, typically smoothed by the action of water and movement of other stones and abrasives carried by water.
• Quarry stone - stone removed from an open pit mine, excavated, usually finished on one or more sides. Some quarry stones of particular properties or from a specific location take their name from the quarry, such as bath stone. Bath stone is an oolitic limestone formed 195 to 135 million years ago during the Jurassic period and mined in Bath in Somerset England, the U.K. (Bath so named for its Roman-constructed baths).

Soft Forms of Stone to Avoid for Foundations

What people would avoid (but you may still find) would include softer stones or stones that fracture or cleave easily, such as
SOFTER forms of

• sandstone
• brownstone
• slate

Popular stone foundation materials by form in which used

Stone may be used in its natural form or shape, rubble, rounded, or it may be worked into squared faces or into just one or two squared faces.

On 2022-02-26 by Dawn D. - evaluate the condition of this old stone foundation - 100 year old building in Illinois

I took this one the day of our closing. This message comes 10 months after. Since closing we added drainage hoses to direct water away from the foundation.You are looking at the west foundation wall of a 100 year old Dutch Colonial home in north central Illinois.

The two concrete blob stones on the bottom right slightly away from the home is suspected old foundation footings. It is not pictured, but it looks like they have an indentation like a corner of a box rested there at one point. Although we have not had the basement drilled for exploratory footing inspection, It is possible they were removed during a bathroom install in the basement that is no longer functional.

The sill plate showing is wood to support a gap from what we suspect was a previous repair to remedy a house leveling issue. It was not logged with the local building inspector's office. The home still feels unlevel when inside.

We had a building engineer assure us the building is sound and will not collapse, but the appearance of the sill and noticeable un levelness inside the home is a little unsettling to us.

We asking around to see what our options are to fix this even though we may need to contract it out. We have had Permaseal and US Waterproofers (sp) out, but they only do water proofing and mentioned they could drill the corner to do a footing inspection for a fee under 1K.

On 2022-02-26 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Dawn D.,

If I understand your question you're concerned about whether there is adequate footing under part of your old house stone foundation.

Often Stone foundations were built with no concrete footing, simply stones laid into the undisturbed soil.

It's not necessarily a problem.

Rather than doing any expensive Drilling and digging to investigate, I would expect your on- site inspector to look first for signs of foundation settlement or movement.

On 2022-04-03 by Dawn D.

@Inspectapedia Com Moderator, thanks for your response. Our inspector mentioned there were no new boards added to the sill plate recently, but my gut is telling me it may have moved since the last house leveling.

There were several cracks in the closet above that corner on the second floor before we spackled them. The good news is there are no new cracks forming inside the home since we have repaired them, so I think we are going to retuck the foundation ourselves with a lime mortar and see what happens for now.

I am keeping an eye on a seal coat line on the stone as well, but it seems to have risen from the time the driveway was seal coated years ago before us. Maybe they were just stupid sloppy. Here's the tar line.

 

 

On 2022-04-03 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - Virginia farmhouse needed leveling

@Dawn D.,

Photo: Vinita Farm 1962 - Goochland County, Virginia

The most obvious concern in your original photograph is that a downspout is directing roof drainage onto the ground immediately next to the foundation. That invites water and frost damage to the structure. We see that there has been asphalt paving and a downspout extension added in your later photo - if that's the same corner of the home.

There are, indeed, options for leveling an old house as well as for adding support beneath the structure, but you should weigh the cost of doing that against the severity of the present condition and the cost which is likely to be quite high.

If your on-site expert is confident that there is no ongoing structural movement nor related safety concerns you would only want to consider additional house leveling if the out-of-level conditions are rather extreme.

Keep in mind as well that even following the most careful house jacking and leveling job there's likely to be some settling-in and further cracking and movement in the structure afterwards as well.

In the 1960s my family purchased an old farmhouse in Goochland County Virginia. There was a small pantry between the dining room and kitchen across which the floor sloped 18 in in a matter of a few feet of horizontal travel.

My parents had the entire house jacked and leveled. Then the plasterers came in and fixed all of the walls.

In the ensuing year there was additional settling-in of the house in its new position, causing all of the walls in the house to crack.

My mother was so frustrated that instead of repairing the plaster against she simply wallpapered the walls using a thick burlap fabric.

Below: same building in 2007 demonstrating that you can easily post multiple photos, one per comment.

On 2022-04-08 by Dawn D.

@Inspectapedia Com Moderator, thank you for the added story about your family's home and reaffirming what our realtor and inspecting engineer told us.

Your story reminded me of how we felt when buying this house. It was blind love. We saw through the years of neglect. It was the first house my husband was worthy of his time.

Since these pictures, we have added downspout extensions to channel the water away from the foundation. It was the first purchase we made last year after we bought the house.

I think the house has or had footings. I noticed at least one in one corner from the basement. I will be taking and posting more pictures for curious minds; some measurements; and monitor the movement over the years. So far, the cracks we repaired are still sealed. Fingers crossed.

On 2022-04-08 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Dawn D.,

Indeed, patching the cracks in a masonry foundation using mortar or a masonry patch compound that is itself cementious is an easy way to see if there is ongoing movement.

Details are at CRACK MONITORING METHODS

A good place to start a review of foundation crack size, shape, location, materials, pattern, and thus what the crack can tell you about what's happening to the building is at

FOUNDATION FAILURES by MOVEMENT TYPE

Often an experienced eye can combine site features (drainage, runoff, water, in-slope grade, nearby traffic) with the types of foundation observations I described above, with other observations of signs of building movement (plaster cracking, jamming doors, etc) to get a quite-confident understanding of what's going on, without necessarily excavating the footing.

Excavating to inspect footings before we have other evidence that points to a concern in that direction is almost like drilling a tooth because your neck hurts. A bit of expert interrogation might be worthwhile if that hasn't already been done.

On 2022-04-09 by Dawn D. - How do I evaluate damage to a 100 year old stone foundation"

@Inspectapedia Com Moderator, I read most of the measurement methods, and I am confused on which type to use. I am think it's the plum line method?.

I think a previous owner may have already installed one(pic attached) and hooked it in the rafters of the basement ceiling. It is farther from the wall than recommended here though. I see a bit of efflorescence and a few rocks had lost their face, but I do not see any bowing in my foundation walls or cracking from the inside.

If I were to take an educated guess at the moment of the foundation over time, it had sunk on the southwestern corner where those blobs of concrete are. That is how the floor seems to slope slightly, and the front porch (east side) seems to slope down slightly away from the house slightly. Maybe indicating some upward movement of the east and north side?

The house doesn't look cockeyed when looking at it from the front (east side) though, so it's a puzzle. I think the tar line on the stone foundation from the asphalt drive way is indicating the driveway has settled.

I use to think the stone foundation was rising there. I can't tell anything from the basement floor because it was purposely sloped down from the east wall to the west wall. Adding a pic of what I think is one of the footings. It is the only one visible from the inside of the basement. And a pic of the possible footing in southeast corner.

On 2022-04-09 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator - 100 year old stone foundation concerns of settling, frost heaves, mortar cracks, and amateur workmanship

@Dawn D.,

Looks like old diagonal cracks, with mortar or other sealant & paint atop that area, and we see modest signs of recurrent water entry

Any experienced home inspector who is familiar with old houses ought to be able to tell you considerably more about the construction and condition of the home including its foundation and framing. The very point that you were discussing digging to verify the presence of a footing on this house suggests you've not had an old-house or stone foundation expert on site.

A very old stone foundation won't be built on "footings" so it's pointless to have someone dig to prove their presence. Rather the builders would have placed the initial courses of (often large flat) stones on (hopefully) virgin un-disturbed soil to which they excavated to start the foundation.

If a footing is "rising" it would be due to frost heave, or in some locales, expansive clay soil (unlikely to find clay soil and stone foundations in the same area).

Your last photo shows

1. Someone pounded a short 6x6 atop a longer 6x6 probably just sitting on the concrete floor (no footing, possibly not the most-reliable fix) in trying "jack" and "level" the home.
Note that we can see NO structural connection between the stacked 6x6s - so we know this is unreliable as a permanent repair, and it's a sign of amateur workmanship.

Amateur workmanship might mean that diagnosis as well as repair were incomplete.

2. points to the hammer marks trying to pound the short 6x6 into place, suggesting that no one was actually "jacking" the house to level it as a professional would have done

3. points to a shim used to try to secure and provide lift for the pounded-in 6x6. There is zero chance that one could possibly hammer (note the small hammer marks) a 6x6 post into place with sufficient lifting force to actually jack and level an old house that was askew or whose foundation or framing were damaged. All that might accomplish is to shove into place a snug post that reduces future settlement.

4. points to insulation hiding the foundation at the end of the center beam carrying those floor joists - further inspection is appropriate

5. points to mortar or some similar material troweled onto the inside of the stone foundation - often a clue that someone was trying to reduce water entry through the stone wall - in turn a clue of a history of water entry and, if you're in a freezing climate, frost push on the foundation.

Frost can push a foundation in (you don't see bulging or leaning, that's good)

FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB

Frost has enormous lifting force and can heave a foundation or lift parts of it by ice lensing.

FOUNDATION DAMAGE by ICE LENSING

6. looks like a short section of 2x6 whose function is unclear: check for damaged ends of the joists atop the main girder

On an old house like this some settlement besides foundation movement can be due to rotted, or insect-damaged sills and rim joists or floor framing.

On 2021-10-12 by Lindsay Wiley - is this foundation seriously damaged"

I want to buy this house but this looks like a foundation problem or does it just need mortar? Yikes help please.

On 2021-10-12 by inspectapedia.com.moderator

@Lindsay Wiley,

All we can see is a blurry photo of a stone foundation with some missing mortar;

At the very least one would

1. stabilize the stone foundation by replacing the lost mortar

2. diagnose the cause of mortar loss (such as a gutter spill-over or improper downspout nearby) and fix it

3. inspect the basement or crawl space and structure for signs of additional foundation movement, damage, or need for repair.

Nothing in your photo tells us that there is a major structural problem, but my goodness, no one should be buying a home without a competent home inspection by an inspector who has no conflicts of interest (no relationship with the seller or real estate agents involved in the transaction).

On 2020-06-22 by Jennifer - evaluate the foundation of an 1835 church in New York

I am trying to purchase a church from 1835 in the NY Capital Region. Very glad to have found this page! The original foundation was stacked stone which looks in terrible shape above grade. Inside, a concrete floor was poured and a second foundation was built from cement block (1960s?) which supports the beams and joists so that they effectively are cantilevered out over this new foundation wall.

Do you think I will need to have the exterior stone walls excavated to the base and repaired? Any help would be appreciated!

On 2020-06-24 by danjoefriedman (mod) - 1835 church with stacked stone foundation

Jennifer

I am too nervous to bet your money on so little information - you want a thorough inspection, starting with a sharp home inspector (ASHI has a chapter in your area) I suspect that the design you described is supporting the structure and the stones we see are thus cosmetic infill.

But there are still some questions like: does this design invite termite or carpenter and damage? Is there wood framing behind the stone or just concrete and block?

On 2020-06-10 by Dolores - loose missing foundation materials - stone

In addition to removing unwanted vegetation and cement applied by previous residents, we uncovered the foundation below grade to a depth of 1 foot. It appears that this stone was dry laid however there are huge gaps. The stones are very irregular, uncut, some round like river rocks.

This part of the house was built in the mid 1700s and there is no basement underneath. What would be the proper thing to do before the dirt is replaced? Thank you.

On 2020-06-13 by danjoefriedman (mod) - loose and missing stone in foundation below grade

@ Dolores

I would examine the foundation with care inside and out for loose, un-stable stones, and add stone in those areas. Often we an simply drive in a suitably sized and shaped stone using a mallet.

In a freezing climate we want the foundation to extend below the frost line.

Above ground we want roof spillage and surface runoff directed away from the building.

...

Continue reading at FOUNDATION DAMAGE by ICE LENSING or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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STONE FOUNDATION DEFECTS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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