If a house in Carnation has a cracked foundation wall, a floor that has dropped or water standing at the footing, Redmond Foundation Repair can look at it. The town sits in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Carnation is small, about 2,400 people, and its houses come from every era: 30 percent predate 1980, 14 percent predate 1950, and 31 percent are from 2000 on, with 39 percent in between. Median year built: 1993. One-unit houses make up 88 percent.
House in Carnation with a concrete stem wall and a crawlspace
Original request
A floor that dips along one wall
What shows
A dark, damp-looking sill plate and joist on the wall, with a rusted fastener
Posts
Three posts along that wall that have gone soft or tilted
Not included
Sill plate replacement, quoted separately once it is seen
Cost
$2,900
In this example, the owners of a house in Carnation feel the floor dip along one wall. In the crawlspace the sill plate on top of the stem wall looks dark and damp, with a rusted fastener in the concrete beside it.
Houses of different ages share the town, and a crack in an older foundation and one in a newer wall can be different questions. We read the crack first and say when an engineer should. See foundation crack repair.
Foundation Settlement and Piering
Settlement depends on the soil under the lot and the footing more than on the year the house was built. Push piers, helical piers and underpinning are explained on foundation settlement and piering.
Foundation Drainage
Water against a foundation is a matter of grading, gutters and footing drains in a house of any age. See foundation drainage.
Crawlspace Post and Beam Repair
About 14 percent of Carnation’s homes predate 1950. Crawlspace framing varies from house to house, and a look at the hatch shows what is there. What holds up a floor is covered on crawlspace post and beam repair.
Homes and foundations here
The median owner-occupied home in Carnation is valued at about $875,000. With about 15 percent of homes from 1960 to 1979 and 14 percent from before 1950, there is a real older group alongside newer streets, and a house that was built decades ago may have had repairs, additions or changes that are not on paper.
Foundations show their history. HUD’s inspection guide says tapering cracks can point to differential settlement from inadequate foundations or piers under a bay window, porch or addition, and any house may have gained one. Ask what was added and when.
Carnation’s city permit office decides if a repair needs a permit and if the property lies in a mapped critical area. Ask it before work is scheduled.
The state’s rules apply here too: contractors must be registered with the Department of Labor and Industries, and engineering practice calls for an engineer’s registration. Check a contractor’s registration before you sign, and where an engineer is involved, ask who it is.
Is an older Carnation house more likely to have foundation problems?
Age alone does not tell you. A foundation can have cracks at any age, and the soil, the water and any additions matter. A look at the actual house is the way to know.
Who do I ask about permits in Carnation?
The city’s permit office. Ask what it requires for a given repair before work is scheduled.
Do you work in Carnation?
Yes. We cover Carnation along with Woodinville and Redmond.
We need the Carnation street address, the age of the house and any additions to it. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
