Foundation Contractors - some cracks a couple inches wide

[Deion Moore]

Looking for foundation contractors in the CT area. Preferably someone with more than a few years of experience. Currently in the motion of buying my first house and have some concerns. If anyone has any referrals please let me know them. East Hartford area helps.

[Marc Rice]

Originally posted by @Curt Bixel:

I am wondering if anyone has any idea how much it might cost, and if it is even a good idea to purchase a property in Columbus, Oh, that has some serious foundation issues.  The home is a duplex in Clintonville, 2000 square feet total, two story, built in 1910.

The problem is that the poured concrete foundation appears to be from a bad batch of concrete.  It looks like what is called "Sulphur attack," and the concrete is simply crumpling away to nothing.  In many places, it seems like I could likely stand in the basement and dig all the way through the 10 inches of poured concrete wall to the dirt on the other side with my bare hands in about 5 minutes.  

If the property can be bought at a hundred thousand dollar or more discount, would it be possible to dig new footers and replace the entire existing foundation with steel beams to support the sill plate.  

I would recommend getting an engineering company to come out an assess the damage. I recommend ProCheck Engineering. They charge $380/structural report and will tell you exactly the solution to remedy. Then you'll take the engineering report to a list of contractors (ProCheck has good recommendations) and get a quote on it. It's tough to say without seeing it or getting it assessed.

If theres enough equity in the deal and you can close in cash/hard money (banks won't lend to foundational issues) then it may be worth it. And option would be to lower the basement while you're at it and then refinish the basement to add sqft'age. 

Let me know if you need any references for contractors or inspectors!