Thank you! I completely agree. I have 2 guys coming out tomorrow, and just put in a request with a company that specializes in foundations (we'll see if they get back to me) The house does have a slight tilt, and the porch floor bows, as well as the living room. The ultimate cause is most likely: age (100 yo) and improper water drainage from the roof. Oh, and possibly termite (we are still waiting for the report) We just don't want to move into the money pit. The unknown is the scary part! It could be a relatively simple, inexpensive fix, or it could be very costly. We have til Friday - only 1 full day - to make our decision before we're locked in, so it's a mad scramble. We only got the home inspection done yesterday and report came today, with more details. It's a REO, so negotiation may not be an option. Thank you again - and any other thoughts are appreciated. All the best, LC

"least amount construction" The foundation is an area where you don't want the least amount of construction even if it means moving up your budget. Pier foundations have many negatives and you first need to find out if they are going to allow that type of foundation concerning your project. If it were mine, I would go with a block or concrete stemwall tying into your existing by way of drilling/epoxying in rebar keeping the same elevation as the existing, unless you want the room to step down. It would be a good idea to get a structural engineers take off of your final plans for not only the foundation type you are considering, but all structural elements as well tying it all in to the existing.

Ours was $8000 for 230sf foundation, but we didn't have to go anywhere near 2' below grade. You must be in a colder climate. 6 piers and an 18" stem wall, all going about 12" below grade. This included some patio work, so only about $5500 of it was the foundation. Yours is about double the footage and double the piers, so I'd guess double ours, plus a bit for going deeper.

Contractor came by and was shocked at how much moisture was there, seems to be groundwater under the house rather than a leaky pipe. I don't know why I am surprised, I knew that about this house, but I guess when I repeatedly mentioned concerns about water under the house and they thought I was worrying too much, I eventually gave up. Kicking myself for not pushing even more on the idea of installing a French drain around the foundation and adding a layer of moisture barrier between the ground and the insulation when it would have been easy, ugh. Also, I am now re-concerned that new part of the foundation has no vents installed at all. My contractor suggested ripping up part of the closet floor to dig a gravel pit and install a sump pump, and my father suggested also cutting in vents and installing a fan underneath. I can't believe this is happening 6 months after "finishing" our beautiful reno!!! Frustrated and confused, any suggestions? Oh, and this is in addition to finding out that the contractor probably incorrectly installed our bathroom fan because water dripped back out of it all winter after two showers, the AC unit that he promised was worth saving has now conked out, and I have to decide if it is worth redoing the roof when they remove the old unit, even though it has about 7 years left in it...and also figure out if we should run an external duct because the AC guy ducted our bedroom improperly and it blows directly on our faces at night and the air doesn't return properly (when it works at all). It sounds like I am someone who paid no attention to anything they were doing here 6 months ago, but I actually really was and unfortunately found myself having to pick my battles during the whole thing. I don't know who I am more frustrated with, them for not being more diligent or myself for losing track of certain things and not figuring out how to put my foot down or speak up more or something. It is a hard balance to keep a positive working relationship and also keep vigilant about soooo many different aspects of a project, oy. I feel for all of the contractors, architects and designers who coordinate all of these elements routinely, you really have a lot of factors and personalities to manage on these jobs!!!!