My house is sinking
 

I am considering the purchase of a house built in 1935. House has lots
of character, beautiful hardwood floors and fireplace. Here is the
catch, 2 previous sales have fallen through because each home inspector
has said "it cannot be fixed" The back corner of the house has sunk 8"
according to reports. This can be seen inside with a rise in the floor,
and on the outside with a diagonal line of bricks that have seperated
about a cm. I have photos- I need someone's opinion: can this be saved?

This is a totally amateur reply, I'm not in the building trades.
Offhand I'd guess anything can be saved but at a significant cost.
There's companies that do hydraulic (?) raising of foundations etc.
I'd expect it to be expensive, like in the tens of thousands of
dollars. Where I live we get these radio ads for Olsham Foundation
Repair - no clue if they are any good or if they work in your area.

You would not want to buy the house without understanding the problem,
& the cost of fixing the problem, because You Buy to Sell.

In article . com,
wrote:

I am considering the purchase of a house built in 1935. House has lots
of character, beautiful hardwood floors and fireplace. Here is the
catch, 2 previous sales have fallen through because each home inspector
has said "it cannot be fixed" The back corner of the house has sunk 8"
according to reports. This can be seen inside with a rise in the floor,
and on the outside with a diagonal line of bricks that have seperated
about a cm. I have photos- I need someone's opinion: can this be saved?

It would not be a problem to fix it, other than the cost of the
repair. What they are telling you is that the cost of the
house plus the repair is more than the value of the house in
the open market. Put another way, you would be financially
ahead to level the house and start over. I'd rather see you
start over without this problem to begin with.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

In article . com,
wrote:

I am considering the purchase of a house built in 1935. House has lots
of character, beautiful hardwood floors and fireplace. Here is the
catch, 2 previous sales have fallen through because each home inspector
has said "it cannot be fixed" The back corner of the house has sunk 8"
according to reports. This can be seen inside with a rise in the floor,
and on the outside with a diagonal line of bricks that have seperated
about a cm. I have photos- I need someone's opinion: can this be saved?


doesn't actually seem like it's your house.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am considering the purchase of a house built in 1935. House has lots
of character, beautiful hardwood floors and fireplace. Here is the
catch, 2 previous sales have fallen through because each home inspector
has said "it cannot be fixed" The back corner of the house has sunk 8"
according to reports. This can be seen inside with a rise in the floor,
and on the outside with a diagonal line of bricks that have seperated
about a cm. I have photos- I need someone's opinion: can this be saved?


has sunk 8" = 20 cm
separated about a cm

I guess some pictures might help.

Find out how the foundation was build and why the back corner has settled so
much. Repair shouldn't be too bad, just lots of digging and a new
foundation. How is the house build? Out side walls brick ? or just a fake
wall on a wooden building. Soil conditions, moisture, climate?

No emails to this address please, slow connection and a very good spam
blocker, please reply in newsgroup

Richard

The Bald Ass Prairie Farm

I'm also not an expert but have had some experience as a home owner
with a foundation problem. You will need to hire a good structural
engineer to assess the problem and give an honest opinion and plan for
repair. This will cost a few hundred at least, more if they do any
testing, assuming the house's owner will allow testing. Sometimes
testing is "destructive," so it's understandable if the owner won't
allow that. You'll also need an expert estimate of how much the repair
would cost. It's probably true that almost anything can be fixed for a
price, so consider that if you make an offer on the house. Historical
buildings may be worth spending big bucks on to fix but if a house is
not worthy of that expenditure it's likely to be deemed unfixable. Be
realistic and avoid falling in love with a house. Love is blind.
Foundation repair is expensive. And new houses can have faults just as
bad, so whatever way you go, protect yourself and don't let love blind
you.



The Bald Ass Prairie Farm wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I am considering the purchase of a house built in 1935. House has
lots
of character, beautiful hardwood floors and fireplace. Here is the
catch, 2 previous sales have fallen through because each home
inspector
has said "it cannot be fixed" The back corner of the house has sunk
8"
according to reports. This can be seen inside with a rise in the
floor,
and on the outside with a diagonal line of bricks that have
seperated
about a cm. I have photos- I need someone's opinion: can this be
saved?


has sunk 8" = 20 cm
separated about a cm

I guess some pictures might help.

Find out how the foundation was build and why the back corner has
settled so
much. Repair shouldn't be too bad, just lots of digging and a new
foundation. How is the house build? Out side walls brick ? or just a
fake
wall on a wooden building. Soil conditions, moisture, climate?

No emails to this address please, slow connection and a very good
spam
blocker, please reply in newsgroup

Richard

The Bald Ass Prairie Farm

I used to work with a foundation repair company (located in Virginia)
that did foundation repair. Perhaps I can provide insite?

Photos would truly help. The downfall with a visual look is that the
the corner could be dropping, or the floor could be rising. Though its
pretty obvious in your situation, its tough to tell with the naked eye.
Typically, a laser level is set up and measurements are taken to
determine exactly where the structure is settling or heaving (lifting
upwards).

Feel free to email me picture at and I may be able
to provide further help, or refer you to someone local that can.

Good Luck!

Damion

My advice is to walk away unless the price is so low you can't afford
to pass it up. The costs associated with foundation repair are so high
its almost not worth doing and it doesn't guarantee future problems
won't occur. If I see structural damage or even repairs, I walk away
and I don't think I am the only one, so you may have a hard time
selling it in the future. If you plan on selling the house, make sure
after the repairs are done that there is no noticeable structural
damage still showing or it will kill deals.


wrote:
I am considering the purchase of a house built in 1935. House has
lots
of character, beautiful hardwood floors and fireplace. Here is the
catch, 2 previous sales have fallen through because each home
inspector
has said "it cannot be fixed" The back corner of the house has sunk
8"
according to reports. This can be seen inside with a rise in the
floor,
and on the outside with a diagonal line of bricks that have seperated
about a cm. I have photos- I need someone's opinion: can this be
saved?

I completely disagree.

I've been on jobs that have been very expensive ($50K plus), and looked
at jobs that were small enough that a few products from Home Depot and
the homeowner could do it themselves. In the end, the best idea is to
get a few opinions and weigh the options. The downfall is that a view
with the naked eye just isnt enough. Some repair look major that turn
out minimal, and vice versa.

Many times, the price of the repair can be deducted from the asking
price of the home, so everyone wins in the end.

In article .com,
"damionvabeach" wrote:

I completely disagree.

I've been on jobs that have been very expensive ($50K plus), and looked
at jobs that were small enough that a few products from Home Depot and
the homeowner could do it themselves. In the end, the best idea is to
get a few opinions and weigh the options. The downfall is that a view
with the naked eye just isnt enough. Some repair look major that turn
out minimal, and vice versa.

Many times, the price of the repair can be deducted from the asking
price of the home, so everyone wins in the end.


but I agree...posting something without at least quoting some relevant
text is a clear sign of being a webtv or aol user