House With Bad Foundation..

ruskent

So i have been house shopping. There is a forclosure that has been sale for a long time. Over a year. They finally dropped the price so low that its a very good deal. So I go look at it.

There are major cracks throughout the CMU foundation along all four walls. It appears the foundation is shot.

Its a small house. My crew could block it up in a few days. My question is, why would a foundation crack? The house is 60 years old. I am just trying to see if there is a underlying proablem that may make the repair more then just building taking out the old wall and replacing it with new. Is this something I should have a engineer look at before I make a offer? Would one be able to just look at it and diagnosis it, or do they have to do alot of test?

Cole

Definitely get an engineer to look at it.

They might be able to give you an answer based on how it looks, but tests will probably have to be done.

You used the word "Major", be safe, hire someone to look at it.

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ruskent

Well they certainly arn't hairline cracks. I'll give my engineer a call in the morning.

rbsremodeling

Have a soil test done also if you can afford it

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genecarp

if you are going to replace the walls , what do you need an engineeer for, the job was probably not on terra firma, originally, or the concrete was bad.

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rbsremodeling

Thats why I suggested the soil test. The house I bought had the same problem I had to replace some of the walls and add columns and wider footings in the corners and through out sections of the exterior walls

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ruskent

I am thinking there is also a water issue. Basement smells musty. There is a walkout basement where there should not be one. Backyard slope right into the basement with no drain. Part of slab was cut up along wall with 3/4 gravel exposed as if a drain was ran. There is a sump pump pit with water in it.

genecarp

if this is a water table problem, underground spring, artesian well, the neighbors will be a good source of info, knock on doors, the type of issues i just mentioned will in most cases impact many homes in the area, not just one..good luck

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rbsremodeling

Gene is right again all my neighbors have the same foundation problems as I do

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Captainsls

Hey Matt, My house has the same issues. It was build in 1935 and there are many cracks in the block foundation. All of my floors are warped, some as bad as a few inches of bow. In talking to people, I have learned that the settling occurred many years ago and that it is unlikely that it will continue to fail. My land is worth 5x what my house is so I just plan to tear it down once I can afford it. But right now I just turn on the lights and keep the heat on. No reason to through money at it.

ruskent

Cracks also seem to be horizontal (side to side) instead of floor to celian.

essrmo

burn it down and start over.

Tscarborough

Why even look at buying a problem.

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reveivl

If the price is right...

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Tscarborough

"If the price is right..."

So sayeth another soon to be broke and sad person....

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Tscarborough

The only right price is the one someone else pays YOU to fix issues like this.

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cleveman

I would generally prefer to burn it as well.

However, if it is a small house, you can probably lift it up yourself and have new footings and poured walls installed.

I bought one with a crawlspace and did this. the footings were about 2' deep in a 42" climate. I spent about 25K on the lift, dig, and basement and it was money well spent.

I was able to use the same sewer line and replace the water line at no cost while the house was up. It was only 10' or so from the water line and the city put it in real quick for free.

But if it is small, say 24' wide, lift it yourself and bring in an excavator and a foundation/basement wall crew to do the walls. Waterproof it and insulate it and get a good grade outside. Heck, do a 9' basement if you wish. It's the last frontier.

reveivl

So you have never made money off buying cheap, fixing up (which we do for a living) and selling? Too bad, it's a good gig. You should try it.

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From where does knowledge come? If you need to know what is in a box, you could ask someone (not reliable), you could pray, (not useful), you can consult with the scripture (not helpful) or you could open the box (science)

reveivl

Why not pay yourself the right price and take the profit, margins and everything else, too? I don't get it, I thought you were a contractor.

Or are you assuming the op is not going to sell this place?

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From where does knowledge come? If you need to know what is in a box, you could ask someone (not reliable), you could pray, (not useful), you can consult with the scripture (not helpful) or you could open the box (science)

skyhook

You are right, these days it would be money well spent. Puts Americans to work.

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