Even though the subfloor had the same cracks/gashes, the extra underlayment we bought and put down (underneath the laminate's built-in underlayment padding), plus the fact that the floor is one solid piece, seems to be much better for our situation.If you're on a 100% flat subfloor you might have better luck, but especially if this stuff is going to hold up to tenants, I would advise against it.

What you walk on and touch is hardwood, the difference is the base layer underneath.

Paper will rip and tear and  sand and loose screws will get underneath it and still cause damage.  

Also I need to separate the two yards (each unit of this duplex has their own yard), the deck is in the yard for the upper unit, and the patio underneath the deck leads out to the yard for the lower unit, so I need to separate the space; original builders used corrugated fiberglass.

move soil, stone ?

@Josh Skogen   I just sold a house with a disconnected fuel oil tank,, 265 gallon..I called tank removal company.. he said about 700 bucks to remove,, some locations require a permit for removal,, If you called a company that does this they will know what's requiredNot worth the headache or mess to do .Youtube has some videos on the subject..What's worse is disclosing that you don't have the permit, signed off, and can't prove it was done properly and might have to pay for soil test if you sell ...

The exposed aggregate or "honey­ combing" within the concrete is indicative of a "cold­ joint".Without reinforcing steel, the wall was not able to resist the high lateral loads associated with the expansive clay soils, especially saturated soils, prevalent in this area.While not in danger of impending structural failure, this wall should be reinforced, probably with a "Strong-back" system to help maintain structural integrity.

Skunks dont climb, so if anywhere it would be underneath the house. 

In contract with a house, had the inspection complete and it uncovered that some footers need to be replaced (sitting on cinder blocks and on soil) and the main beam has a slight bow in it. 

It LOOKS like the outside had excess moisture which froze and expands the soil pushing the wall in.