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We just got a home inspection back for a home we're thinking of buying. Overall the inspector told us he's really impressed with the house. But some of the things he listed as "needing major repair" seem pretty serious. For example, he writes that there are three wooden columns bearing directly on the ground. He didn't say much more about this, but on poking around online, this seems to be a very serious problem. It apparently means that when the ground frosts, the columns will be pushed up by up to six inches, stressing all of the structures in the house, and it apparently also means that the columns are going to rot (I am told, "quickly," though I don't know what this means in terms of years.)
It seems the only viable solution is to have them resting on concrete with the concrete extending four feet into the ground (and I think something has to be added to the bottom of that, though it's not clear to me yet what that is exactly).
I have no idea how much to anticipate that this might cost. Do you have any idea? If we end up needing to save money to fix it, how long can we reasonably wait before fixing it?
It seems to be a code violation so we're communicating that to the sellers, but they may want to just offer a credit rather than paying for it themselves so I'm trying to figure out whether I should buy the house with such a credit even on the risk that the credit may not end up being enough.
Wooden columns to what? What do they support? Is it a new or old house? Even without knowing, I can't think of any wooden columns which should be directly on the ground with no foundation.
I don't know what they support, it doesn't say in the inspection. The house was built in 1890, but I don't know if these are original or additions.
In my OP I'm not asking whether they can be permitted to be supported on the ground--I agree that they shouldn't--I'm asking how much it might cost to get this fixed, and I'm asking just how serious the problem is, in terms of urgency in the sense of "how long can we reasonably wait to fix it".
ETA: It may be relevant (I don't know) to note that the house has a cellar that covers about 25% of the bottom floor, with the rest being a crawlspace.
I live in Florida so your freezing scenario isn't one that I know much about but I saw a "This Old House" episode last week where they dug down three feet, put gravel down, compacted it, then used pre-formed concrete pyramid shaped columns on that to make footers for a bearing wall. Down here, that wood could rot within a year, and be subject to termites, carpenter ants, etc. It sounds like you will need to get a contractor out there to give you a price to support the structure, remove the existing posts, and do it the right way. What does your agent suggest? I would push for having the work done before closing, and if that wasn't in the cards, I'd want 125-150% of the projected cost of repair to be escrowed at closing which would then be used to pay the contractor upon completion and closing of the permit. Understand that such an addendum to the contract should be written by an attorney YOU hire.
Edit: I just read your second post. Can you get an engineer who is familiar with older homes to evaluate the situation for you? Your agent might know someone.
I don't know what they support, it doesn't say in the inspection. The house was built in 1890, but I don't know if these are original or additions.
In my OP I'm not asking whether they can be permitted to be supported on the ground--I agree that they shouldn't--I'm asking how much it might cost to get this fixed, and I'm asking just how serious the problem is, in terms of urgency in the sense of "how long can we reasonably wait to fix it".
ETA: It may be relevant (I don't know) to note that the house has a cellar that covers about 25% of the bottom floor, with the rest being a crawlspace.
I'm guessing that this is a smaller wood-frame house and the wooden columns--or posts--are in the crawl space providing support to the floor joists. (Maybe they really have block or brick under them on the ground?) I've seen a few of these in my area in houses built in the early 1900s. If the columns are original, there is probably little urgency to fixing them if they've lasted since 1890--as long as the crawl space remains dry. However, you really need to pay special attention to the condition of the floor. A friend of mine owned a house with supports like that and the floor had some serious sloping issues. Some areas weren't too noticeable, but some were quite dramatic. It really lowered the resale value but, at that point, there wasn't much which could be done, economically, considering the overall value of the house.
So, urgency-wise, it may not be too much of an issue--but I haven't seen the house. Try to get some more information from your inspector and he may recommend a subsequent inspection by someone more knowledgeable about this particular issue. If it is something which needs to be corrected, make that a condition of your purchase offer, and not something that you would do later on your own.
Thanks for the advice. We have actually already given the seller our inspection response and we're waiting to hear back from them about it. We just said we plain want it fixed... We'll see if they're up for it. I'm actually not planning to literally walk out on the deal if they say they can't fix it, but I figure they'll have looked at the costs and then via that I'll have more information to go on to decide whether we can realistically have it done ourselves in the next few years or whether we'll insist on at least a credit from the seller.
Sorry to be dense but what exactly does it mean to say a cost is "escrowed at closing."
It just means that you and the seller will agree to have a portion of the money paid at closing to be held by a third party (usually the attorney or title company handling your closing) until something happens that triggers a disbursement. In this case, it would be payment to the contractor. If any money is left in the account, the balance goes to the seller. If there isn't enough, well, that is something you would want to address with your attorney before writing the addendum. Ideally, you don't want to get stuck footing the bill....pun intended.
Just be aware that if the ground in the crawl space is dry--which is often the case--the concerns about frost heave are greatly lessened. Those concerns are also lessened if the crawl space is insulated to the outdoors and the house remains heated throughout the winter...but I believe that dryness of the soil is the biggest factor. Of course, it all depends on your particular situation. I've seen some crawl spaces--especially adjacent to 1/2 basements--which were essentially bone-dry.
Just be aware that if the ground in the crawl space is dry--which is often the case--the concerns about frost heave are greatly lessened. Those concerns are also lessened if the crawl space is insulated to the outdoors and the house remains heated throughout the winter...but I believe that dryness of the soil is the biggest factor. Of course, it all depends on your particular situation. I've seen some crawl spaces--especially adjacent to 1/2 basements--which were essentially bone-dry.
Are rot concerns also lessened if it's bone-dry? (Which it is, per the inspector.)
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