Cracked stem walls, wet footings, dropped corners and soft crawlspace posts in Mountlake Terrace, a Snohomish County city, are handled by Bothell Foundation Repair.
Of the three cities we cover, Mountlake Terrace has the oldest housing: about 61 percent was built before 1980 and 37 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, with 1973 the median year. Whatever the house, we look at cracks, water at the footing, floors and the framing under the house.
House in Mountlake Terrace with a concrete stem wall and a crawlspace
Original request
A spot on the floor near the wall that feels soft
What shows
A dark, damp-looking sill plate and joist, with a rusted fastener
Post
One post near that wall, soft at its base
Not included
Sill plate or joist replacement, quoted separately once it is seen
Cost
$700
In this example, the owners of a house in Mountlake Terrace feel a soft spot in the floor near an outside wall. In the crawlspace, the sill plate on the stem wall is dark and damp, and one post nearby is soft at the base.
A fine crack is one thing and a growing one is another, as the page on foundation crack repair explains.
Foundation drainage
HUD notes that existing footing drains may not be adequately sized or working properly. The page on foundation drainage covers inside and outside drains, downspouts and grade.
Foundation settlement and piering
When a crack tapers, a door gaps or a floor falls away toward one room, the footing is the first suspect. The foundation settlement and piering page sets out the options and where they stop.
Crawlspace post and beam repair
A bouncing floor in Mountlake Terrace points to the posts, pads and girders beneath it, which the crawlspace post and beam repair page describes along with sills.
Homes and foundations here
In Mountlake Terrace, 37 percent of homes went up between 1960 and 1979, about 16 percent in 2000 or later and about 2 percent before 1950. One-unit buildings hold around 55 percent of the housing; owner-occupied homes have a median value of $667,300.
Damp wood loses weight and strength, according to the Forest Service decay manual, so a wet crawlspace is a case for looking at the framing as well as the walls.
Mountlake Terrace is a Snohomish County city, and its own permit office is the first call for foundation work. What the city exempts or requires is for its permit office to say, and we do not assume that structural repair is permit-free.
State law applies everywhere. Cities must classify geologically hazardous areas such as landslide and seismic areas as critical areas, and a contractor doing repair work as a business must be registered with the state. Ask the city whether your lot is mapped as a hazard area.
Does foundation work in Mountlake Terrace include crawlspaces?
Yes. We look at the framing under the floor when floors bounce or slope.
Who issues the permit for foundation work in Mountlake Terrace?
The city does. Ask its permit office before work starts, since exemptions are the city’s to decide.
Is a crack in my foundation a problem?
Not necessarily. Measure it, date a photo and check it again in a few weeks. A crack that is growing or tapering calls for a closer look.
Lynnwood, the other Snohomish County city on our list, is a few years younger at the median (1979); see foundation repair in Lynnwood.
Request a free foundation repair quote
Tell us the Mountlake Terrace address and where in the house you noticed the problem, whether a wall, a floor or under the house. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
