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HI Vinny, thanks for the photos.
I'm a home inspector, so after seeing your photos... Go ahead and get the running shoes.
I see undermined footings under the piers (possible undersized footings at that).
The beams and framing are enough reason to run for the hills.
Now if I was doing the home inspection, I wouldn't be able to tell you that, since I must remain objective. What I would tell you in my report was there are significant issues under the house with water, foundation, and floor framing. I would tell you that you would need an engineer to evaluate the problem to be able to design a repair (and tell you how bad it is).
Normally you'll find that anyoen who finacnes homes will have inspection and require the home to be satbise for such a situatio before lending menyo it. Noremally its the seeller that apys altho they can u the price
yes we had that problem. springs under basement and around house that did not show up until a couple years after we bought the house due to the drought.
ended up we managed the water with channels cut into the basement and around the house, which along with the french drains drained down the hill to the creek.
i wouldn't buy a house knowing there was this damp soil and high water problem.
Those "supports" they are using are just homemade band-aids. That's like putting a car up on blocks. Not a real solution for any kind of problem.
The one photo of a puddle of rusty water could indicate a leaky pipe, not necessarily a groundwater issue.
I honestly don't think water is as much an issue as the way the floor joists look, as Barking Spider said, and the unprofessional way they tried to rig it. I would wonder what other "halfway" repair jobs they have done around the house as well.
HI All, just to remain objective, the house is in very good condition otherwise. Its actually in a very expensive area in Los Gatos, CA. Our inspector graded everything above average. After we told the sellers about this condition, they are fixing it right away.
But what we are really scared of is that a similar problem might happen down the road. We already know there are water issues. We already know there are issues related to pier/post moving/sinking.
So the real question is: Given that seller knows about this now, and is fixing it, should we buy with a hope that this issue doesn't happen again? My common sense says NO!! Although we really love the house and the neighborhood and the schools, we would be taking on a big risk.
I wonder what the seller is spending to fix this. The buyer would probably have to spend that money (or more) again in a few years since water issues can arise again
Last edited by vinny1577; 03-21-2012 at 05:11 PM..
Reason: Add more info
If I was buying this house, I would do the following...
Wait, full disclosure here, I WOULD RUN FROM THIS HOUSE!
Ok, but if you feel you must move forward, this is what I would do.
1. Have the seller's get a structural engineer to evaluate the problem, and DESIGN a repair.
2. Have a licensed contractor do the repairs according the the structural engineers design.
3. Have the structural engineer come back and "bless" the repairs.
You have water problems.
You have foundation problems.
You have floor framing problems.
I just thought of something. Is there a chance that the house has been affected by an earthquake in the past? An earthquake could have racked the piers and beams. I'm not saying this as a way to explain the issues, or in any way say, "Oh, its OK, it was just an earthquake". I'm saying this because an earthquake could have affected the foundation in many more ways than the high water table to water intrusion.
>> If I was buying this house, I would do the following...
>> Wait, full disclosure here, I WOULD RUN FROM THIS HOUSE!
I hear you I am just trying to understand as much as I can before pulling the plug
>> Ok, but if you feel you must move forward, this is what I would do.
>> 1. Have the seller's get a structural engineer to evaluate the problem, and DESIGN a repair.
>> 2. Have a licensed contractor do the repairs according the the structural engineers design.
>> 3. Have the structural engineer come back and "bless" the repairs.
All I know is that the seller is getting it fixed by a contractor (licensed hopefully). Dont know anything about involvement of a structural engr. All I know is that we will get a chance to talk to the contractor afterwards and also get a chance to get it inspected by a structural engineer after the repairs, which costs 600$ btw.
>>You have water problems.
>>You have foundation problems.
>>You have floor framing problems.
>>I just thought of something. Is there a chance that the house has been affected by an earthquake in the past? An earthquake could have racked the piers and beams. I'm not saying this as a way to explain the >>issues, or in any way say, "Oh, its OK, it was just an earthquake". I'm saying this because an earthquake could have affected the foundation in many more ways than the high water table to water intrusion.
>> RUN!
Dont know about earthquake issues.
Last edited by vinny1577; 03-21-2012 at 05:56 PM..
Reason: Adding info
Would you buy a lemon car just because it looked good and had nice upholstery. Run run run run and look for a stable house somewhere else. Have you ever seen the movie "The Money Pit"...you could be spending the rest of your life in a losing battle with this situation.
You'll thank everyone later.
$600 is not even close to what I would think it should take, especially at CA prices.
$600 is likely a big ol band aid, and nothing more. You have BIG issues here. The sellers should foot the bill for the structural engineer, and THEN have the licensed contractor do the work that the engineer says is needed.
This problem is not a "seat of the pants" fix, even by a contractor. It is BIG, and needs an engineer. Did I say the problem is BIG????
Los Gatos is known to have earthquakes and I wouldn't want to be in that structure during one.
Los Gatos is a high price town so I'm sure there are more homes for sale there.
If you want to continue, consult with a real estate lawyer and do not use any inspector or other professional recommened by a real estate salesperson as they sometimes work together to get the commission. If you want an inspection after repairs use only a structural engineer.
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I am just trying to understand as much as I can before pulling the plug
