Did you know that a home actually moves? And did you know that footings and the foundation are to a home what a person's legs and feet are to their body? Like the bones of a house, footings anchor the home to ground, support the foundation and distribute the weight of a house.

Today's foundations are typically made of poured concrete, and depending upon a home's design and soil considerations, the foundation will be built as a concrete slab-on-grade or as a basement foundation.

"The purpose of an engineered foundation is to support the superstructure of the home with consideration given to the existing soil conditions. The walls and roof of a home bear down on the foundation that rests on the soils that differ. With every house that is built, the soil must be studied to determine the engineer's design criteria," says Steve Bible, director of Operations for Medallion Homes. Based in San Antonio, Texas, Medallion Homes is a nationally recognized builder of homes that are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. If the soil is not accurately studied and compensated for, your house could be on shaky ground.

Geography Plays a Role

Slab-on-grade is frequently used in earthquake zones of the United States, but this form of foundation is not the only choice in such areas, according to sources within the industry.

Homeowners expect basements in the Northeast, but it is becoming a fading trend, says Dennis Gottstein, a community builder with K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. Based in Red Bank, New Jersey, K. Hovnanian designs, constructs and markets single family homes, townhouses, and condominiums in planned residential communities throughout the United States. "People have perceived that basements are better than slab-on-grade foundations, but there is no real difference in the home's stability," adds Gottstein.

Finished Basements a Popular Trend

"Basements are more expensive to build, but where land costs are high, basements allow for the more living space and homebuyers are willing to pay for it," says Scott Widener, vice president of construction for Del Webb. Del Webb, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is the nation's leading builder of active adult communities throughout the country.

Homeowners are turning their basements into recreational rooms, gyms and entertainment centers for the family. If the lot site slopes or allows for a walkout configuration, the basement will have more natural light, good ventilation and will feel larger.

Water: A Foundation's Number One Enemy

One of the most important things a new homeowner needs to know is that water is the number one enemy to any building's foundation. "A house can experience movement. Once the initial drainage is established, water should be kept away from the foundation. Positive drainage needs to be maintained away from the foundation, typically at a distance of ten feet -- and this includes shrub and flowers beds," cautions Bible.

This word of caution pertains to both slab-on-grade and basement foundations. While there are a number of excellent water proofing and drainage systems that insure a high quality moisture barrier and drainage, the system has to be installed correctly. "This is one of the major reasons to buy a new home from a builder with a long-standing reputation. It's a complex process to design and construct a home and it's a process that is difficult for a consumer to know all there is to know," says Widener.

Signs of Trouble

Small shrinkage hairline or spider web cracks are typical to a new foundation. But if the crack or cracks are in an excess of 1/4 inch thick, Bible advises consulting an engineer. "Cracks that appear in mortar joints of veneer such as the outside brick of your home, or interior drywall by themselves do not necessarily indicate a faulty foundation but are worth inspection by the builder," he says.

Gottstein warns that horizontal cracks can be a sheer point in the wall and the wall should be checked carefully if it is bulging inward. "This is very rare, however, and may be caused if the backfilling was done without the concrete curing enough, or if there's a ground water shift and poor grading," he reassures.

Why an Independent Inspector May be Worth the Small Investment

Most homebuyers hire an independent building inspector during the preconcealment or final home building stage; but Jules Falcone, a Philadelphia-based inspector with US Inspect, says it is worth the extra couple of hundred dollars (depending on whether you live in a metro or rural area) to have the foundation inspected before the building stage begins. US Inspect is a national home inspection company headquartered in northern Virginia.

"If I do a 100 new homes, less than 20 have a foundation inspection. Most don't enlist an independent inspector until they have problems or there's been a breakdown in the communication between the buyer and builder. An independent inspector will educate the consumer on what to expect, what to look for, as well as make sure the foundation is built right. It's not unusual for the footings of a foundation to be off by a couple of inches," says Falcone. "You always have to check for the workmanship."

Protect Yourself

Working with a reputable builder, hiring an independent inspector at each of the three stages of building, and taking care to protect the foundation are the best ways today's homebuyer can make sure that their home is on solid ground. What is true of the family is also true of the home they live in: a stable home is a happy home.

Sherry Karasik is a freelance writer living in Stillwater, New Jersey.

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