Inspected a house that had a crawlspace that had been partially excavated. A portion of the excavation is near the front wall and there are signs the dirt on the side of the excavation has given way. The distance between the foundation wall and the edge of the excavation is roughly 12 - 18 inches. The excavation is roughly 2 feet deep. The concern is further failure of the crawlspace wall could eventually undermine the foundation wall. I haven’t been able to find any documentation regarding how close a crawlspace excavation can be to a foundation wall. Does anybody have any knowledge they can share? Thanks in advance.
Here is a diagram that my help. The area under the footing must be undisturbed soil. Dugout basements need a retaining wall at the perimeter of the dugout area to reinforce the foundation.
I was looking for that before I scrolled down and Dennis had it all along. I always went from the top of the footing, however.
Nice Jobe Dennis. 
1 Like
Outstanding!! Thanks for the diagram and quick response!
1 Like