Here's the update on that house that, according to a structural engineer, sloped precariouly from the back to the front of the house. After talking to a geotechnical engineer (who said I shouldn't bother to get my soil tested after almost 40 years with no problems), my husband and I finally discussed our settlement issue with an architect. We had been talking about an addition and weren't sure if it would go down with the ship. The architect said that our house was structurally sound but had some erosions issues in the back, which probably caused the cracking. The front of our house sits on a steep slope and the back area has two retaining walls that are supposed to keep dirt and water from sliding onto our patio. When it rains, however, dirty water pools in our patio area.

He also mentioned that the back of the house is probably sitting on the slab and is subject to freezing and thawing. He advised us to seal up the cracks and move on to happier thoughts. He was incredulous when I showed him the estimate of the structural engineer for $21,000 to jack up the house 2 inches and put piers in the ground. All I can say after this whole experience is be very careful who you invite into your house when you have foundation issues--the sharks are circling.

From the information you give, neither one is convincing. Did anyone do a thorough investigation of the house, including checking all floors for levelness, and all walls for plumbness? If those things are done thoroughly, meaning in a million places in the house, they can reveal a very complete picture of the kinds of movements the house has undergone. Then, the house structure needs to be checked visually for signs of movement, and that information would be added to the picture. Examination of cracks should be done also, and monitoring cracks over a period of time, like months, to determine whether movement is still taking place or has stopped.

It has been my experience that a few structural engineers overdesign, or fail to properly diagnose the problems, and that a few architects have no clue as to structural matters, so if you run into one of those few, odd things will be proposed. You may have run into at least one of them, and as you have discovered, it's always good to get more than one opinion.

Take a look at the trees on the slope and see if they are growing straight. If they are tilted the slope is active. Soil borings are expensive, but so is spending money on the issue without being sure what's happening beneath your feet. The borings will give you a definitive direction to pursue once you know if the slope is a problem or not. If piering is required...tie-backs must also be considered. www.basementanswers also address some of these things.