home inspection---specific things to watch out for (Denver, Highlands Ranch: real estate, new house)

[bob32]

Hello all,

I am as of today under contract for a home in Littleton and need to set up a home inspection. My realtor recommended an inspector and recommended I do a radon test and a sewer scope as well. I trust my realtor so I plan on doing these things. My question is, are there any other specific concerns I should inspect for other than radon and sewer? I have read about soil/foundation issues; does this require a separate inspection or is this something that should come up in the general/basic inspection?

Thanks in advance for any input!

[mic111]

Congratulations!

Expansive soils are sometimes an issue but the inspector should be looking for associated foundation issues and will let you know if you need something extra like a structural engineer. Usually with an older home, if there are expansive soils that haven't been properly mitigated, the damage has already shown up. The place to be careful is new builds as the damage can take 5 years or so to show up.

[sunsprit]

re: "new builds" and damage showing up due to expansive soils ...

ANYTIME after a house is built in this area on expansive soils without a properly prepared foundation area, damage can occur.

This can be as simple as a change in the siting/drainage from adjacent properties, or a particularly "wet" year that overwhelms the foundation area clay after some years of drier conditions. Or even due to a homeowner changing the landscaping and/or irrigation for a lawn/shrubs at a site.

For example, a relative recently bought a house built near Old Mayfair. A scrape and rebuild on a lot, the prior house had not experienced foundation issues and had a drainage system/sump pump to protect the foundation. The new house appeared to be OK for a few years without the French drains and sump pump below the basement slab, and probably would have been fine except that two lots behind this house were then scraped and redeveloped. The new footprint of those houses changed the sub-surface stream flows, and within a year of those new houses being built, the expansive soils at the relative's house site crumpled the foundation on two walls in the basement. The estimate to repair the damaged house was in excess of $300,000 ... the house would need to be lifted off the foundation, the site re-done with effective moisture barriers, and then all of the damage to the interior walls/floors/cabinets/closets due to the settling would need to be repaired.

As well, in bentonite prone areas of the metro area, subsequent owners may not be advised or know of original site grading to control the stream flows. My first house in KenCaryl Ranch (Williamsburg Filing 1) was in such a location with many houses having damage show up very quickly. The original grading between houses diverted surface water flows away from the houses and the builder (MEDEMA) specified to the buyers that the site grading was not to be altered. So my house and neighbor's houses were fine ... until 2nd and 3rd owners came in and didn't like the loss of use of their backyards due to the drop-off of about 1/2 the yard area. They started regrading and leveling the sites, which created an entirely different stream flow between the houses. The first houses to be damaged where the ones immediately below the leveled sites, but in time ... houses down the block from these also were damaged.

IMO, very few "house inspectors" know what to look for when bentonite damage is minimally cosmetic in appearance. If your house is in a neighborhood with such soils ... whether damage has been noticed or not to the houses there, I think it imperative to call in an engineer who knows what to look for on your behalf. I've personally looked at many houses in this area where the apparent damage was minimal, perhaps hidden by some wall coverings ... but an engineer was able to spot the areas of concern and advise the damage in progress and the risk potential if the moisture wasn't controlled. Sometimes, installing French drains outside the structure to channel water away avoided a prospective catastrophe. Sometimes, the damage had already been done and it was only a matter of time before serious structural issues presented.

Don't let anybody in this area, especially a real estate agent with a commission at stake ... make light of the seriousness of this problem in the area. Do your own due diligence and be informed about what you are purchasing. Once the closing is finished, you will be the sole owner of the problems and everybody else will have plausible deniability of an issue ... especially a "home inspector" who has a finely crafted contract which basically says that if they didn't find the problem at time of their inspection, "too bad".

[Good Red Road]

Originally Posted by bob32

Hello all,

I am as of today under contract for a home in Littleton and need to set up a home inspection. My realtor recommended an inspector and recommended I do a radon test and a sewer scope as well. I trust my realtor so I plan on doing these things. My question is, are there any other specific concerns I should inspect for other than radon and sewer? I have read about soil/foundation issues; does this require a separate inspection or is this something that should come up in the general/basic inspection?

Thanks in advance for any input!

I would recommend you don't use your Realtor's recommendation.
They tend to refer inspectors that are deliberately not going be "deal busters". I guess I would do the same.

The inspector knows if he raises too many red flags and blows the deal, he won't get referred again.
Conversely, any inspector will want you to feel you got your $300 bucks worth and will always produce a long list of repairs from minor to major.

You have to use your best judgement when reading their report.

I believe there are some real estate investors on this forum that may be able to guide you to some good venders if you choose to stray from your Realtors recommendations. Good Luck!

[bob32]

Thanks for the help! A few questions:

My home (I guess it's not mine yet) was built in 1974. When we walked through we didn't notice any obvious red flags---no obviously sunken floors or cracks in the walls or such. So it looks like, based on sunsprit's comment, the steps going forward are to 1. check if this home was built on expansive soils, and 2. if it was, find a structural engineer to inspect it. Does that sound correct? If so, how do you check if it was built on expansive soils?

And Good Red Road, thanks for the advice regarding realtors/inspectors. That exact issue has been on my mind but since my realtor is a brother of a friend I feel that I can trust his recommendation to perhaps a larger degree than usual. Also, I may hire additional inspector(s) if needed (hence this post).

Are there any other local issues that require specialized inspection beyond the basic all-in-one inspection? The roof perhaps?

[Pequeño_Bonsai]

Originally Posted by bob32

Thanks for the help! A few questions:

My home (I guess it's not mine yet) was built in 1974. When we walked through we didn't notice any obvious red flags---no obviously sunken floors or cracks in the walls or such. So it looks like, based on sunsprit's comment, the steps going forward are to 1. check if this home was built on expansive soils, and 2. if it was, find a structural engineer to inspect it. Does that sound correct? If so, how do you check if it was built on expansive soils?

And Good Red Road, thanks for the advice regarding realtors/inspectors. That exact issue has been on my mind but since my realtor is a brother of a friend I feel that I can trust his recommendation to perhaps a larger degree than usual. Also, I may hire additional inspector(s) if needed (hence this post).

Are there any other local issues that require specialized inspection beyond the basic all-in-one inspection? The roof perhaps?

We used this gentleman when we bought our home and were impressed with him:

Brian Murphy
ASHI Certified Member #102749
1527 Mountain Maple Ave
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
Ph 303.791.7824
www.murphyinspection.com
www.ashi.org

He checked absolutely everything! Good luck.

[ArthurDaly]

Quick $0.02 cents: Does the house have popcorn ceilings? In 1974 there's a good chance your popcorn has asbestos in it - removal and disposal done correctly by a specialist contractor will be expensive.

Take a 4ft level with you next time you go to the house and check floors, walls, door frames, window sills etc.
The closer to level the better. Some out of level is OK - it takes a substantial amount of foundation movement to render a house structurally unsound. That's not to say that remediating settlement damage is cheap, just that the house is still sound.

Things an inspector should check that you may miss are: mold, especially in the ceiling. CO2 leakage from the furnace. Any indication of any work done to the house that is not to code (so the inspector should be ICC certified or very familiar with the residential code). Condition of the roof.

If the house has been renovated ask for copies of the permits for all the work.

Good Luck!

[davebarnes]

You may find something here to be useful
Legal Disclousres for 3968 Vrain Street, Denver, CO

Radon is the least important.
Sewer is important because the fixit cost can be $12K.
Regular inspection is a must. Focus on the important items found, not the minor ones. (I, as a seller, left at least 6 minor items for the inspector to find so I could agree to fix them and appear reasonable.)
If you have the least bit of nervousness about the soil and water conditions, then inspection time.

[sunsprit]

RE: bentonite soil areas ...

Littleton encompasses a wide geographic area which is known to have a lot of bentonite soils present.

If your prospect is in Jefferson County, they have maps showing the areas/subdivisions with known betonite issues, so you could visit the county offices and check your address. If there's any houses nearby with bentonite, it's justification to have your site inspected by an engineer.

Otherwise, you might want to call upon local engineering firms or foundation repair contractors and find out if they've had bentonite sites near your prospect.

If there's any doubt whatsoever, you'd do best to have an inspection performed by an engineer working for you.

IME, many architects/builders/developers in this area did not know about bentonite or were very haphazard about mitigating the possibility of it being present (ie, the soils run in streaks and you can do a number of soil tests which are negative but then have another test a few feet away showing the clay soil. As a site developer, you show the OK tests and forget about the positive expansive soil tests) with appropriate remedial measures on the building sites.

[bob32]

Thanks all! Your comments have been very helpful.

ArthurDaly, I'm assuming those things you mentioned (asbestos, level walls) will be things that should be checked for in the basic inspection? I have a general inspection scheduled for Fri. morning, so hopefully that will take care of those concerns.

Sunprit, thanks for the tips. I'll be paying a visit to the county office or calling a local contractor.