Distress commonly assumed to be due to foundation movement
The Foundation Performance Association publishes a document that lists many different types of distress that are commonly attributed to foundation movement but which are not usually caused by foundation movement. Every home inspector should read and reread this document very carefully. The title of the document is Distress Phenomena Often Mistakenly Attributed To Foundation Movement.
A few examples of the distress phenomena described in the document are listed below:
- masonry cracks along steel lintels
- spalled concrete at corners of foundations supporting brick walls
- sags and cracks in ceiling drywall
- cracks in coffered, gambrel and vaulted ceilings
- doors that open and close on their own, sometimes ghosting doors
- doors that do not latch
