Newcastle, Washington is one of the two neighbors Bellevue Foundation Repair covers beyond Bellevue, about 6 road miles away. The work is piers, wall cracks, crawlspace posts and beams, bolting and bracing, and drainage.
Newcastle is a younger place than Bellevue. Only 18.1 percent of its homes were built before 1980, 33.4 percent went up from 1980 to 1999 and 48.6 percent from 2000 on, and the median home dates from 1999. Houses of that age have fewer old crawlspace posts to rot, so this page is about hillside lots, drainage and cracks.
House in Newcastle with a concrete foundation wall and basement windows
Original request
Water that stands along one wall after heavy rain
Trench
Along the outside of the wall, down to the footing
Drain
A black perforated pipe laid in rounded gravel
Not included
Lawn and planting restoration
Cost
$3,400
In this example, the owners of a house in Newcastle see water stand along one basement wall after heavy rain. The wall has basement windows, and the lawn beside it stays wet.
Foundation repair services in Newcastle, Washington
Foundation settlement and piering
A newer house can still settle if the soil under it moves. HUD’s list of causes includes poor soil, poorly compacted fill and water moving through soil. A job in foundation settlement and piering begins with a look at the house and lot to see which applies, if any.
Foundation crack repair
Concrete and block foundations usually pick up some cracks, says a University of Minnesota extension page. In houses of this age the foundation crack repair question is whether a line is plain shrinkage or still moving.
Crawlspace post and beam repair
The need for crawlspace post and beam repair is greatest in the older stock, so it comes up less here, and when it does the page covers what is under the floor.
Seismic retrofit and foundation bolting
The case for seismic retrofit and foundation bolting is strongest where the house is not fastened to its foundation. Houses built to later codes may already be fastened down, which can only be checked in the crawlspace.
Foundation drainage
Water runs through every hillside job, and foundation drainage on a slope meets the city’s critical area rules: gutters, grade and footing drains all count.
Homes and foundations here
Newcastle’s population is about 13,000, with 63.3 percent of homes in one-unit buildings and a median owner-occupied value of $1,205,600. Just 0.4 percent of homes predate 1950, and 13.0 percent were built between 1960 and 1979.
With so little older stock, the questions on hillside lots are about drainage, cracks and soil on slopes. We say that the foundation can only be judged by looking at it.
Permits and rules to check
Newcastle’s critical areas chapter sets landslide hazard area buffers from a geotechnical engineer or geologist’s report. If no critical area report is submitted to the city, a default minimum buffer applies, so a report can change what a lot allows. The chapter also has rules for seismic hazard sites, where development must satisfy the foundation standards of the building code without the code’s exceptions, and for steep slopes and coal mine hazards. Ask which, if any, touch your lot.
Newcastle’s own permit staff decide whether a particular repair needs a permit. We do not promise permit-free work.
Yes. Poor soil, poorly compacted fill, and water moving through soil are on HUD’s list of causes of foundation failure, and age is not one of them.
Is a crack in a poured foundation wall serious?
Not always. HUD rates shrinkage cracking rarely serious, but a crack that tapers, runs sideways or keeps widening should be checked.
Do landslide rules affect repairs near a slope?
They can. The city’s critical areas chapter sets buffers for landslide hazard areas and asks for a geotechnical report to set them, so check with the city before digging near a slope.
Where in Newcastle is the house, how old is it, does the lot slope? Add what you have noticed: a crack, a sloping floor, damp, or water along a wall. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
