This New Westminster House Was Ready to Collapse | Featured Home Inspection

This week’s featured Home Inspection is a home in the Queensborough neighbourhood of New Westminster.

Age: Unknown

Stories: 2 (Plus finished attic)

A quick look at the front and one side of the home showed no real concern – a young (less than 5 years) roof and some newer windows.

Complete Foundation Failure

However, the south side of the home revealed a catastrophic foundation/wall framing problem. The wall was bowed considerably, and the poured concrete foundation was in pieces. The amount of lean on this wall is evident in the photo below:

What causes movement like this?

This part of New Westminster is situated on the Eastern tip of Lulu Island, which is also home to Richmond. The whole area is a flood plain, and the water table is extremely high. New Construction homes in this area are now built on pile foundations due to the poor soil conditions, however, due to the age of this home, it was a typical Slab on Grade foundation. Coupled with poor drainage and surface water management, and over time the home began to sink and lean.

Here we see one of the bathrooms, where the extent of the structure damage was visible. The bathtub was pulling away from the wall. There were also gaps where the wall was breaking away at the corners…

Because of the cracking…

…The tile shower enclosure was badly damaged – here’s a moisture meter reading showing complete water saturation behind the tiles.

Knob and Tube Wiring

Another problem with older homes is electrical wiring. In the basement and attic, old knob and tube wiring was present. Knob and tube wiring is an obsolete wiring material which is considered potentially dangerous, and needs to be evaluated by an electrician, particularly to keep the insurance company happy. (They are extremely careful about it)

A ceramic knob and the associated wiring is visible in the above photo. Coupled with the structural issues, this home requires some fairly major work. I recommended they contact a structural engineer, and an electrician to review the home. Safety is the top priority!

Call us today to inspect your home in New Westminster! – 604 395-2795