Thread: EXTREMELY important question on a house and wooden foundation

Okay, I have found the house of my dreams. (I am buying my first house) It is everything I have ever wanted in a house. However, my realtor says the price is low b/c it has a wood foundation, not concrete. She says the resale value will be low b/c of the wood foundation. The company that made the house (melody homes) is bankrupt. The area the house is in, all the houses were made like this. It is an extremely up-class neighborhood.

Does anyone know ANYTHING about wood foundations? I want this house sooooo bad, but even my father (the all around handy-guy) doesn't know about this. This could be one of the important decisions of my life and I really need input. Thanks for ALLLL your help!

i've never head of a foundation referred to as wooden. by wooden foundation, do you mean pier & beam? pier & beam means that the floorboards are built directly on blocks. the house is raise off the ground with a crawlspace undenearth. the only concern here is making sure that it is enclosed it to the ground (by skirting or extending the siding dwn to the ground), or else it works just like logs on a fireplace grate if there is ever a fire. meaning the fire gets plenty of circulation under it. which is why the ins is usually higher for P&B foundation (worked in ins for a long time)

unless there is a bad history in the area of the land shifting, it's really not that big a deal. just some maintenance issues are different than a house on a slab.

I have not had it inspected yet, but the realtor told me that the whole thing is on lumber. It was built by a company called melody homes that gave new home buyers the opportunity to have an upscale home at a low cost. However, their idea wasn't accepted or liked in Indiana, so they went bankrupt. They supposedly built the home on lumber instead of laying concrete.

Captor, you don't think its serious? I really love this home. Thank you all so much for your input!

it's usually NOT serious, but it can be if it was done poorly to begin with. All the historic houses in the Heights (100+ years old) are built on them here. Of course, the floor joists and boards are hardwood!

Pier & beam is more prone t termites if left untreated, and like i said there's the risk of fire damage being more severe should there be a fire, and, if not done properly, as with any foundation, you get uneven settling, etc which can cause other problems, usually plumbing isues and visible cacks are noticed first when there are foundation probs. how old is the house? how reputable was the builder?

WOOD FOUNDATIONS

Inspecting: When looking at a house with a wood foundation become familiar with the design practices for wood foundations or hire an engineer or home inspector who is. Be sure all requirements were followed faithfully by the builder. Understand that many details will be concealed.

Key items to check include:

sizing, grade, and spacing of wood framing members, and grade and thickness of sheathing materials (typical basement walls use 2x6 or 2x8 studs at 16" or 12" on center, and 5/8" thick plywood.);
proper preservative treatment of wood members, as indicated by the treater’s stamp;
use of proper corrosion-resistant fasteners;
exterior polyethylene water barrier (protected above grade), proper backfill, and proper drainage;
floor slab poured against bottom plate of wall;
Proper fastening of walls to floor system.
signs of excessive bowing or cracking of studs, or of movement of top of wall; and
signs of water entry.


Consult the design, fabrication, and installation manual for the Permanent Wood Foundation for detailed information on proper construction. The manual is available from the American Wood Council (AWC) by calling 800-890-7732; or on the internet at http://www.awc.org. The AWC also publishes Basic Requirements - Technical Report No. 7 for wood foundations.

captor: This is what I know. The house was built in 1992. The company, Melody Homes, put up their first community in Fort Wayne, Indiana. All the homes in the district are built the same way, with wood foundations. It all seems very upscale.

the company did not fare well in Fort Wayne. My realtor says she went to a meeting when they first came to Fort Wayne and walked out when she heard that the foundation was going to be put on lumber. They said during the meeting that the foundation would be guarenteed for 25-30 years. That was 10 years ago, and the houses all seem in great condition, but the company went bankrupt in this area. I found a melody homes on the net, but they are out of Canada and I still wrote to them to see if they knew anything.

frebie, it looks like what i have in mind is not the same thing. loks like fugitive has given you some good resurces.

does the house have a basement? if so, it's NOT the same thing! No basements here!

fugative- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I've looked all over the net for that!

Originally posted by freebiegrl22
fugative- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I've looked all over the net for that!

You are Welcome

so everyone knows what the house looks like, this is the listing

http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/Home...=8&poe=realtor