real estate or construction gurus: cinderblock foundation okay?

[novon]

Looking at a house, I was wondering if a cinderblock foundation is acceptable, or is it harder to sell a house with cinderblocks? What are the drawbacks vs. poured concrete?

 

[FoBoT]

where is it? what type of soil? is that type of foundation common in that area?

 

[Heisenberg]

I've always heard poured concrete is better, but I'd like to hear what somebody with actual knowledge thinks.

 

[Analog]

We built a house and we opted for poured walls. Poured walls are less likely to crack and are generally stronger and less likely to leak. We wanted the faux brick moulded concrete to give it texture, since we just painted the walls. If the block walls are reinforced properly, some people prefer them, because they are generally more straight and 'cleaner'. The problem is, when buying a house, it is impossible to know if they were reinforced properly, where concrete is concrete - can't hide that fact. HTH.

Edit: I'm not sure if you have a full basement or not. We do.

 

[amdskip]

Lots of homes have cement block basements. I think they were popular before concrete forms became mainstream. I really don't think there's anything wrong with blocks. My parents house uses blocks and its fine.

 

[novon]

I live in seattle, so it rains a lot, and the soil is a bit soft. The foundation is from 1928, and they installed a drainage system. Not sure what the neighborhood uses.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

I suppose it depends on when it was built. If it is new construction, I would think it rather odd. If it is appropriate for the time period and in acceptable condition, then no worries. Remember that a hundred years ago foundations were 1.5 square foot pilons on top of dirt.

 

[FoBoT]

just get a good home inspection done by a licensed home inspector if you want to go for the house