In the last post I covered some typical issues found on the ground level, and now I'm going to discuss from the ground to the first floor.
Pilings & Plumbing:
Many homes here are built on pilings, which is an excellent foundation system for sand. Instead of "pressure" bearing, pilings are "friction" bearing, which means they are much less susceptible to shifting or cracking over time when compared to a masonry foundation.
Look for pilings to be 8"x8" rather than the 6"x6" size that was used in the 70's. Look where the pilings meet the ground for any sign of rot. Look for pilings to be braced with large "X"s of 2x10s rather than smaller "Y" supports under the beam.
The one disadvantage of pilings is that the house will shake more than on a masonry foundation, especially if there are no rooms on the ground level. Enclosed garages and storage areas can really help the rigidity of the house by creating "shear walls" of plywood between pilings.
Next, look to see if any plumbing is exposed. If there are any supply side pipes exposed to the wind, you can bet they will freeze during a winter cold snap. Copper pipes will burst or split, and so will polybutylene (gray pipes). PEX (white or red) will handle freezing weather better, but if the sun shines on the pipes, make sure it's the red PEX as that type is UV resistant.
The grey Polybutylene pipes have other problems which have been well publicized, but here's a synopsis: If there are plastic elbows with aluminum crimps - plan on replacing all the plumbing. It WILL leak. If there are copper elbows and copper crimps, it should be ok in conditioned spaces, but will still have a high incidence of failure when exposed to temperature extremes outside. PEX is a far superior material, and it usually only costs around $1000 per bathroom to replace, plus any drywall repair.
More to come soon!
