Settlement of garage slabs, drives, and walks typically do not indicate a structural issue with the home. In most cases, the slabs are poured over backfill material after the foundation of the home has been poured. The most common settlement of homes is at porch areas that are supported by a pier pad that was poured independent of the foundation. These pads typically will settle along with the front porch.

Changing the design of older homes to an "open concept" has become very popular. Walls are removed to achieve this design.  Unfortunately, load bearing walls are sometimes removed.

At this very high prices home located on Mercer Island, several design changes were made to create an open concept floor plan. During the Home Inspection, I saw that the bedroom door would not stay open. There was also a depression in the ceiling of floor 1 between the door and hallway to the bathroom. The structural sag was noted in the inspection report.  During repairs, it was found that the joists of floor 2 spanned roughly 20 feet above the Family room with no center support. A glu-lam beam was added.