What type of foundation are you describing? Slab, stem walls, basement?

Why would you want to limit yourself to using someone else’s footprint? What about the condition of the rough plumbing? What about all of the rest of the site’s infrastructure?

Have it tested and have the cost of the tests factored into your decision process.

Have a house designed for you for the site ignoring the existing foundation and compare it to what you would build on the existing foundation.

The entire home foundation: walls, basement floor and garage slab.

The footprint is very workable and traditional to the homes being built in the area, so conforming to what's built is easy. Also has existing "acceptable" plans. The foundation is for a 2000sf footprint with a full basement on a 180 degree view site. So, it's also all about cost. The price being asked for is either the cost of the view lot or the improvements (grading, foundation and septic)...so it's a workable situation and a good deal..IMHO.

Check with local building Dept as to what they would require regarding inspections of the existing structure.

Will have an engineer inspect during due diligence. This forum is for pre-due diligence findings. As said earlier, it's about cost, yet also time. The improvements will cut 2 months delivery.

I've found that county inspection departments typically will ask for a sealed report before making that judgement...especially here in laid-back Blue Ridge. :)

Excellent questions and I agree there's nothing more important! That's why I'm polling for thoughts to derail my initial approach to all of this. The reason this exists is very understandable and the builder is well respected...but still concerning that it's sat there for 12 years. Then again, Blue Ridge is just now recovering from 2008. Abandoned foundations are not atypical up here.

First: We have the plans the foundation was built for and working with the original builder too. Next: The local jurisdiction seems fine with it for a fee to reactivate the original permit. and Finally...in full agreement on structural engineer. The environmental was approved and septic is in. No visual signs of soil erosion, just overgrowth for siting there.

YES

That foundation could be of significant value of course. I've done a couple of "walkouts" this year where excavation and foundation costs exceeded $100K and consumed 120-180 days. That's a fairly new foundation with modern specification & engineering standards. Employ (as your talking about anyway) a structural engineer, maybe find the original engineer of record and/or soils/geotechnical engineer to inspect. Original inspection records are available.

People rebuild burned homes off older original foundations all the time. Same process.

Agreed...the devil's always in the due diligence.

In our northern climate, a foundation that has sat unattended for even a week or two in sub zero weather is at risk.

worthy......do the engineers NOT approve after foundation is set??????

Do you have absolute faith in the "facts" about WHY this was abandoned?

re: chisue: you sound like me...really "never" have absolute faith in anything other than myself. But in this instance, we do have the level of faith to proceed forward, yet it'll be the engineer that inspects what's there and what the county inspected and signed-off on at the time it was poured that will say what's really what. Thx!

Hah! I was once a trusting soul. Then we built a house.

do the engineers NOT approve after foundation is set??????

I only know what is done in our regulation-heavy jurisdiction. Pre-pour is sometimes checked. Afterwards, no special attention. Every winter, I drive by in-fill build footings and poured walls in sub-zero C. weather where no precautions are taken whatsover, i.e., thermal blankets or old-style straw.