Ruins and Foundations

Ruins and foundations are the remnants of previous buildings. Ruins and foundations can be used to identify the buildings historical uses, and can also be used to identify items that were removed from the property or building that is not able to be seen today.

Ruins and Foundations may pose unique Environmental Problems

Old buildings and structures commonly mean new environmental problems. Your environmental professional should have a keen understanding of historical industrial processes.

Foundations can be key to determining the date of building and any additions or removals of sections of a building. Older foundations can show were the original building used to be and the newer foundations can show where the additions were put in. Additionally older foundations discovered that are not currently under the improvement show that there was a previous building that has been demolished.

Ruins and older buildings may contain asbestos-containing building materials or lead paint. Both of these can be harmful to people and are regulated. Ruins generally suggest that something has been removed improperly and may have lead to contamination. The most common ruins are fills and vents left behind by old underground storage tanks. Even though the tank is no longer there, it may have leaked or spilled while being filled and left contamination.