Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I have lived in our home for more than 10 years. We had the home built by a developer, it is our starter home. We now have children and the house has gotten smaller and smaller. Through the years we tried to take good care of our investment. we have added hardwood floors, granite, stainless steel appliance updated lighting and hardware throughout. We decided to try to sell the home in hopes of moving to a bigger home for the growth we have experienced. Amazingly, we had it sold in 1 day. Then the inspection came and it was commented that the house needed to be structurally evaluated for possible foundation issues because of very few and small cracks, there are three. We were in complete denial and thought that what we had was normal settlement. So we paid to have a structural engineer come measure. The conclusion is that our foundation in on a diagonal slope of 9 inches and the fix is $30k. We had a plumbing come do hydrostatic testing and it passed. there were no plumbing leaks or issues. Needless to say the buyers passed. We have since had multiple foundation companies come to measure and the result is the same 9 inches and about 45 piers to correct it. Our foundation did exactly what it was suppose to do and has stayed as a whole slab with no cracks, just tilted.
We obviously would still like to move. Do we fix it? Can we sell it without it being corrected, I think I know that answer? If we do fix it, does the home still hold its value? Has anyone ever done this before and if, so was it successful?
I would call your city/county building inspector and see what they say for your own protection. That may play a big part in your decsion. Sounds like a structural remedy will be needed for safety reasons and you may be required to fix it before it can be sold. You obviously want to avoid any legal hassles with the city or new buyers. And you have to inform new buyers of this problem too.
Those with more expertise may be able to enlighten you further.
I'm curious if only your house did this, Any of your neighbors have this problem? What the previous poster said about mud jacking.......I never heard that term used but the theory is the same one I thought of rather then 45 piers.
It's been forever since I seen it but they jack up the slab in the fallen area with giant air balloons and refill the void with lots of concrete, Sometimes one single pier. 45 piers? If that's the case your only alternative is to abandon ship. Give it to the bank.
Have you checked with homeowners insurance to see if you have options there? I'm sure they'll just laugh at you since insurance companies only exist to collect and never pay out claims.
I seen many homes sink in a little but 9"? Wow!!!! None of your doors or windows open or close. I wonder why all the window glass don't explode. Things must just roll off the kitchen table. I also can't believe pipes just don't snap. Do you have gas lines in the house? When they snap you're all dead. The fact that they didn't means someone upstairs is looking out for your family and giving you fair warning to run.
Many years ago - I think it was around 71, we had an issue not so much with the actual foundation, but the land itself. The cement flooring in the garage started to heave... that was our clue something was going on.
We had a 4 inch underground slip at the bottom of the foundation. A whole lot of money later, everything was good as gold.
House is now 53 years old and no further issues.
You'll have to fix it. Geez......9 inches..........that is an awful lot on a small starter home.
Of course, the 9" is relative. Some people's idea of a starter home is 2500 sq/ft. depending upon the floor plan, 9" while not minor, might also not be so great if it is through the maximum distance within the floor plan.
Last post was spot on though, just fix it, just get it done right. Knowing it was fixed and fixed right will give you peace of mind and a very good confidence level when selling it.
Well, they poured it OK (since it sank without cracking much), but sounds like somehow they didn't prepare the site too well. Or maybe there was a drainage issue and it got undermined, or it's a sinkhole. No matter how it happened it's going to have to be fixed. $30k is a lot of money but probably not "give it back to the bank" bad.
Is the builder partially at fault? I would look at that. And yes, you fix it and move on.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
