---
title: "How to Check a House's Foundations on Banjarmasin's Soft Ground"
description: "Checking foundations on a viewing: Banjarmasin's soft soil, galam timber piles, ironwood posts and concrete piles, signs of settlement and questions to ask."
url: "https://vorneo.id/en/artikel/cek-pondasi-rumah/"
lang: "en"
image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1628624747295-ea5e7fc3d76f?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1280&q=70"
---

# How to Check a House's Foundations on Banjarmasin's Soft Ground

Vorneo Property · [Tips & Inspection](https://vorneo.id/en/artikel/topik/tips-survei/) · 2026-10-25

Foundations are the hardest part of a house to see and the most expensive to fix. On a viewing you almost never see them directly. What you can see is the evidence they leave: the floors, walls, doors and the underside of the house.

In Banjarmasin and the lowlands of South Kalimantan this matters even more. Much of the ground is soft swamp and peat, and a lot of land is filled before anything is built on it. This guide covers how to read the state of the foundations from what you can see, and what to ask.

## Know the ground first

Soft ground has low bearing capacity. Under load it compacts slowly, sometimes over years. Peat can also shrink as it dries out. That's why a house on soft ground needs foundations that carry the load down to a firmer layer, or spread it over a wider area.

Before the viewing, find out a little about the land:

- Was it swamp, rice field or garden before?
- Was it filled, when, and how deep?
- Do nearby houses have cracking or settlement problems?

How to check the history of filled land is covered in [buying filled land](/en/artikel/membeli-tanah-urukan/).

## Common foundation types on soft ground

Ask what foundations the house uses. No single type is always right, since the choice depends on the ground and the weight of the house.

- **Galam piles (cerucuk galam)**. Poles of galam wood are driven closely into the soft ground, and the foundation is built on top. This has long been used in Banjarmasin. Galam lasts well as long as it stays submerged in groundwater. If the water table drops and the wood is exposed to air, it can rot.
- **Ironwood posts (tiang ulin)**. Stilt houses and timber houses often stand on posts of ulin, Kalimantan ironwood, which is known for lasting a long time. Ulin is durable, but the joints, bases and parts that keep getting wet and drying out still need checking.
- **Concrete piles**. Concrete piles are driven deeper to reach a harder layer of soil. They're common for heavier buildings such as shophouses or multi-storey homes.
- **Shallow foundations on fill**. River stone strip footings or pad footings sitting directly on the fill. These can be enough for a light house on ground that has settled, but they're more vulnerable if the ground underneath is still compacting.

Stilt houses and their history are covered in [Kalimantan's stilt houses](/en/artikel/rumah-panggung-kalimantan/).

## What you can see from outside

Walk around the house and look at:

- **The building lines**. Stand back and check whether the roofline, terrace floor and sloof look straight. The sloof is the concrete tie beam on top of the foundation that the walls sit on.
- **Gaps at the base of walls**. Look for gaps between the wall and the ground, or between the wall and the terrace floor. A widening gap can mean one part is sinking.
- **Extensions**. Kitchens, carports or extra rooms are often added later on different foundations. The joint between the original building and the extension is where cracks most often appear.
- **Water around the house**. Standing water that stays near a wall weakens the ground under the foundation. Check whether rainwater drains away from the house.

## What you can see from inside

Inside, signs of foundation movement usually show up in:

- **Floors**. Put a marble or small ball on the floor and see if it rolls one way. Also look for cracked, hollow-sounding or lifting tiles.
- **Doors and windows**. Open and close all of them. A door that sticks, rubs its frame or won't lock can mean the frame has shifted out of shape.
- **Wall cracks**. Diagonal cracks from the corners of doors and windows, or cracks that are wide at one end and narrow at the other, are more worrying than hairline cracks. Reading cracks is covered in [reading wall cracks and ground settlement](/en/artikel/retak-dinding-penurunan-tanah/).
- **Ceilings and cornices**. Cornices pulling away or gaps between the ceiling and wall can also point to movement.

## Stilt houses and timber houses

If the house is on stilts, you get a chance to see the structure directly. With a torch, look underneath:

- Are the posts upright, not leaning?
- Are any posts rotten, cracked, or already propped up with extra posts?
- What state are the beams on top of the posts and their joints in?
- Are there signs of termites, such as mud tubes on the wood?

Rotten wood feels soft when you press it with the tip of a screwdriver. Looking after a timber house is covered in [caring for a timber house](/en/artikel/merawat-rumah-kayu/), and signs of termites in [checking a house for termites](/en/artikel/cek-rayap-rumah/).

## Compare with the neighbours' houses

The house next door often gives you clues. Houses in a row are usually built on similar ground, sometimes by the same developer. See whether the neighbours' terrace floors line up with the house you're viewing, whether any house has already raised its floor, and whether there are similar cracks on their outside walls.

If you have time, chat with a neighbour for a few minutes. Ask whether their house has settled, and what they've had to fix. Their answers can point to problems this house may have too.

## Questions for the seller

- Who built the house, and when?
- Are there construction drawings or a building approval (Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung, PBG)?
- What foundations were used, and was there a soil test before building?
- Has the floor ever been raised or repaired? When and why?
- Have any cracks been patched?

An answer like "we raised the floor because the road outside was raised" is useful. It means water has come in at some point, or the house sits lower than its surroundings.

## When to call a structural engineer

Call a structural engineer or civil engineer if you find:

- Several signs at once, such as a sloping floor, sticking doors and diagonal cracks.
- Cracks wide enough to fit a coin, or cracks that came back after being patched.
- Rotten timber posts or cracked concrete posts under the house.
- A multi-storey house on soft ground with no clear information about its foundations.

An inspection costs far less than repairing foundations. The report can also help you negotiate the price.

## In short

Learn the history of the land, ask what foundations were used, then read the evidence in the floors, doors, walls and the space under the house. One small sign isn't necessarily a problem, but several together should be checked by an expert before you pay.

If you're weighing up a house in or around Banjarmasin and want a second opinion on the viewing, the Vorneo Property team can help.

## Common Questions

### How can I tell if a house has foundation problems?

Common signs are sloping or wavy floors, diagonal cracks from the corners of doors and windows, doors that stick, gaps between the floor and walls, and one part of the house sitting lower than the rest. One sign on its own isn't necessarily serious, but several together should be checked by a structural engineer.

### What are galam piles?

Galam piles (cerucuk galam) are poles of galam wood driven into soft ground under a foundation to increase its bearing capacity. They are common in and around Banjarmasin. Galam lasts well as long as it stays submerged in groundwater.

### Is a house on filled land always a problem?

No. Many houses on filled land stand perfectly well, as long as the fill was compacted and the foundations suit the ground. What matters is when the land was filled, how deep the fill is, and whether there are signs of uneven settlement.

## Related Articles

- [How to Inspect the Roof and Gutters of a Used House Before You Buy](https://vorneo.id/en/artikel/cek-atap-dan-talang-rumah-bekas/)
- [Checking Bathrooms, Drains and Septic Tanks Before Buying a House](https://vorneo.id/en/artikel/cek-kamar-mandi-dan-septic-tank/)
- [Checking a Home's Water on a Viewing: Mains Connection and Well Water](https://vorneo.id/en/artikel/cek-kualitas-air-sumur-dan-pdam/)

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