Foundation repairs are expensive; help avoid major problems in the future by doing a regular checkup on your home. Inspect foundation walls for cracks; these can be caused by settling, expanding tree roots, or improper drainage. Inspect and clean out your gutters regularly and be sure that the drains direct water away from the foundation.

Bob's back at the Mashpee site where he meets with developer Joe Valle to discuss the foundation that is being poured. Valle explains that the excavation work for an average foundation costs about $5,000 and includes the digging, backfill, and finish grading. The poured foundation also costs about $5,000, divided equally between the cost of labor and the cost of materials. Valle estimates it will take about 30 yards of concrete to pour the average foundation, which is equal to three truckloads. Bob questions the decision to pour a full foundation and wonders if it might not be more economical to build a crawlspace. Valle explains that the advantages of a full basement far outweigh any cost savings from digging and pouring a shallower foundation. The added living space is well worth the cost, especially since the foundation must be dug and poured regardless of the depth. As for a concrete slab, Valle says that the market does not support it in the Massachusetts area. Even with a slab house, a frost wall must be dug and poured, before the concrete arrives for the slab. Once the foundation is poured for this River Hill home, posts are set every 16 inches so that the sill can be bolted to the foundation and the house can be tied down to its base.

Bob is with Tim Berky, the general contractor for the Rowley Victorian addition and kitchen remodel. He updates Bob on the progress since the footing for the new foundation was poured and repairs to the original foundation were made. Berky and his crew found dry rot in the existing entry and had to remove it completely. The mason had to create a sloping course to level out the existing entry foundation and repoint it to blend it into the new foundation work. Inside, Berky and his crew removed the bathroom fixtures, secured the pipes to prevent leaking, opened the walls to expose wires and pipes for shutoff, and began to cut the entry into chunks for removal. The sill was releveled and an adhesive was used to attach the new sill to the brick foundaiton.

Bob and Ryley make their first tour of the site where the foundation is already in place. Ryley notes that with a sloping grade you want to drop the foundation as you follow the grade so that you don't have a lot of concrete sticking above the ground. Bob points out that the beauty of a sloping site is that the basement provides really good living space. Looking at the smoothness of the foundation wall Ryley can tell that the contractor used new forms for the pour. The horizontal line in the wall indicates where during the pour one truck pulled out and another pulled in, not uncommon in a large pour. The honeycombing that Bob notices is purely an aesthetic issue which could have been avoided by vibrating the concrete during the pour but does not compromise the wall's structural integrity. Bob and Ryley finish up with a quick look at the plans for the basement layout.

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