How do you measure your homes foundation levels (like home inspectors do)?
Question:I was wondering what device do home inspectors use to measure the level of all sides of ahome foundation?
Just I could measure foundation levels myself.
Answers:
Well the simplest way would be to crawl under the house and with a measuring tape, measure the distance between the ground and the bottom of the house; usually the joists (the big wooden beams that support the weight of the house.
The joists are usually held in place by concrete footings, so don't count those.
The ground won't be 100% even of course, it may drift by an inch or so, but you'll get the general idea.
The other thing they look at outside the house is how high the surrounding yard is in relation to the house. The ground should slope down and away from the house, as opposed to up. This is to keep water from building up around the base of the house and causing rot. To measure that, you would hold a level at the bottom of the house, and keep it level, extended away from the house. Then (you may need someone to hold it for you) measure from the bottom of the level to the ground at that point. Again it won't be exact, but you'll get the general idea.
I'm not an inspector, or an engineer, so I may be way off, but it seems like that's what I've seen them do.
Level. It's what's used to set Mobile homes on foundations. Quick and easy. Will also work in typical house to see if foundations have settled or heaved.
if you are in the business there are all kinds of laser levels to use
if you have a friend--get a couple of water hoses and a couple make up clear ends
fill with water and hold on corners outside
water seeks its own level,,so where ever you are the ends of the water are level(make sure no air is in hose)
you can do this inside with a yard stick- start at 30 inches from floor and see what the other end is on
play with it some and you will get good at it
Most of the inspectors around here use a Laser level set inside the largest room in the house.
The laser is self leveling. so no need to level that like a Transit.
Set the thing in the middle of the room. Then as the beam rotates take and put a piece of masking tape at the laser line on the middle of each of the 4 walls, put a mark of the laser beam with a pencil exactly where it hits.
Then you simply go around and measure the distance from the beam's mark on the mask tape right to the floor and right thru the carpeting.
If the house is dead level, all those distances measured to the laser line will be exactly equal.
You can do the same thing where a long hall way is available too, by puting a mask tape and mark at the end of the hall and on the opposite wall. Those too, for a level house should have the same distance to the floor at the wall.
A rotating laser is fairly cheap instrument, Black Decker makes a self leveler for about $35 or less.
Here's a very easy and inexpensive way to check your slab floor home for level, find the center inside of the home and measure to the corner of the home and add 10' then go buy that amount of 3/8" clear plastic tubing, a funnel that will fit in the tubing and 2 yard sticks, now tape one yard stick to a chair with the stick touching the floor and tape one end of the tubing to the yard stick leaving a few inches above the yard stick and tap the tube at the bottom of the yard stick, now tape the other end of the tube to the other yard stick again leaving a few inches above the yard stick now stick the funnel in the tube that is taped to the chair and with the other yard stick standing beside it start filling the hose with water until it comes up to 24" on the yard stick, now you have a level, just move the yard stick around the home and you can check the level of all the rooms from the center point of the home as if the floor is lower to the center of the house then it will read 24 + inches and if it is higher then the center it will read 24 - inches.
you could use a water level. they use it to level a mobile home. you might be able to use a transit, also. you can rent a transit from a construction rental place cheap. wont take long.
you need to use a transit level like the ones surveyers use
I would use a laser level
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