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We just had the home that we wanted to buy inspected, and a few major things were brought to our attention. We love the house, but being first time home buyers, we are not sure just how bad these problems may be, or if they are common and easy to deal with. We would appreciate any advice as to whether we should try to work things out, or move on.
Problem 1: Standing water in crawl space. One half of the crawl space is dry and has a sump pump. The other half has a large mass of standing water, and nowhere or way for the water to drain. The floor is concrete, so we were told someone would have to go down there and drill (ceiling height is about 3 1/2 feet, so would be difficult job) to create a channel to the sump pump. It is very musty smelling in the house, and carpets seem damp. However, we did not see any mold.
Problem 2: Aluminum & copper wiring. The homeowner says that an electrician has remediated all the aluminum wiring that they could “get to”. It seemed like the inspector was saying that often, there is no way to really be sure that it was all found and that if it is still there, it is a fire waiting to happen.
The other problems that we know we can deal with are: the house needs a new roof, new water heater, and a new Central Air unit.. We are not worried about this because it seems like just typical maintenance.
Both issues you stated probably aren't serious...but before you go any further I would get a contractor(of your choosing) to give you an estimate on getting both things addressed.
Then you can decide what to do, wether to abandon or ask for some type of credit from the seller.
Assuming you're in NJ, you really have your choice of some phenomenal contractors...
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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What was the "remediation" done for the aluminum wiring? Was it pigtailing? The crimp method endorsed by the CPSC? Or was the wire replaced with copper? We have some aluminum wiring, but hubby is an electrician, so we are replacing it as we remodel. In theory, by the end of today, the only thing left will be some outlets in the bedrooms. Did you inspector pull off the faceplates to look for signs of overheating? We pulled off all our faceplates when we bought and (amazingly) saw no signs of overheating. Hubby then tightened all the connections and put anti-oxidizing stuff on them to tide over until we replace the wiring. With the price of copper these days, its taking longer than we expected LOL
Personally, I want all my aluminum replaced with copper. My next choice is the CPSC method (I know the folks who did the tests and wrote the report). But that method is expensive and its hard to find people who use it. Most electricians will pigtail and say its fine.
Thanks so much for the link. They used pigtailing to fix the problem(as best they could, since they don't know if they found everything). The inspector did not look behind the faceplates, but recommended getting an electrician in to better assess the situation. We will definitely do that if we decide to move forward.
I don't understand the stuff about standing water in some crawl space. Seems there is a concrete slab under there. Sort of makes no sense. Is there a basement somewhere? Might just be able to drill a few holes thru the slab and let it drain that way. Easy to drill concrete with a hammer drill. Few pixs would help a lot. Might think about how is the water getting in there in the first place. Stop the source of that water by changing drainage or whatever would be one thing I would look at first.
Or how far is the level out on just filling it with something to cause it drain a particular way, sounds like it is dished and collects in the middle. Lots of ways to use some type of barrier applied, like thickness of ceramic tiles to block / direct water. Would bond good using thin set to concrete, cutting channels does not sound like a good solution.
The wiring parts sort of tells me about what I have always experienced from them inspector types. Half arsed work. I would think you would check all the runs in the panel first, then all the outlets, switches, places that are accessible. One assumption would be all the circuits were done in aluminum, hopefully they are pretty simple one shot deals.
Whatever I would demand it all come out by one method or the other. Just too dangerous. Sounds like all the risk is being passed on and folks are covering themselves. Would be a deal breaker for me. Are all the boxes metal in construction?
Water in a crawlspace is never good, you need to find out where it is coming from. Fix the problem so that it does not happen again, and have the home in that area inspected for mold.
Is there any water running from the sump into this larger pool of water? Typically if there is a sump pump, there is a higher water table in the area. The water may be seeping up from under the slab as well.
This is a picture of the standing water. It might be hard to tell from the picture, but the ceiling height is about 3 1/2 feet. The floor is concrete. And the water is seeping up from the ground apparently(seasonal high water table), if that helps. The recommended treatment for this is a french drain that will lead to the other side that has the sump pump. (The other side with the sump is dry. The wet side is wet because the standing water has no way to get to the sump. ) Then, they recommend putting a vapor barrier (thick sheet of plastic) over the floor so that any water that collects below it does not evaporate up and cause mold or mildew on the wooden frame above it.
It seems like that would fix the problem going forward. But, I am worried that the damage has been done to the wood. When you walk in the house, you can smell mildew. The inspector did not see signs of mold or mildew in the house, but I am still suspicious. But maybe the smell comes from the standing water below? That would be the best case scenario, but I wonder how likely that is....
I guess what I really need to do is get some type of mold company in to investigate. But maybe I should cut my losses now and walk away based on my suspicions before spending more money for more inspections....It is just very confusing!!
Anyway, sorry for rambling on. I appreciate all of the advice you all have given me. THanks!
This is a picture of the standing water. It might be hard to tell from the picture, but the ceiling height is about 3 1/2 feet. The floor is concrete. And the water is seeping up from the ground apparently(seasonal high water table), if that helps. The recommended treatment for this is a french drain that will lead to the other side that has the sump pump. (The other side with the sump is dry. The wet side is wet because the standing water has no way to get to the sump. ) Then, they recommend putting a vapor barrier (thick sheet of plastic) over the floor so that any water that collects below it does not evaporate up and cause mold or mildew on the wooden frame above it.
It seems like that would fix the problem going forward. But, I am worried that the damage has been done to the wood. When you walk in the house, you can smell mildew. The inspector did not see signs of mold or mildew in the house, but I am still suspicious. But maybe the smell comes from the standing water below? That would be the best case scenario, but I wonder how likely that is....
I guess what I really need to do is get some type of mold company in to investigate. But maybe I should cut my losses now and walk away based on my suspicions before spending more money for more inspections....It is just very confusing!!
Anyway, sorry for rambling on. I appreciate all of the advice you all have given me. THanks!
no problems at all, It is up to you if you accept the stuff and buy the house of not. I would defiantly make the current owners pay for any repairs before you close on this house. The smell could come from anywhere, and I would have a mold mitigation company inspect before closing.
Back to what I said before. I would try to understand where the water is coming from. Try to block off or catch that source before it got under there.
Next I would try to fill that depressed area to change the overall grade of the slab and make it drain naturally to a dry state even if it did get some water under there.
Might try using thin set mortar like you use for setting ceramic tile. A tad more expensive but it will typically bond to cured concrete and retain that bond. Surface looks rough enough to help a lot too. Fill and screed, smooth finish to fill the depression and make it have a natural drain slope to cause all the water to flow out by gravity. Probably a couple hundered dollars at the most for materials. The standing water only looks a fraction of inch deep in the deepest spot. Most other cement products probably will not retain a bond to the slab over time, this is outside and that has a big effect.
Messing around cutting the slab seem to me to be asking for more problems than you might solve. Get it dry most of the time and your mold problem should disappear.
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Did you inspector pull off the faceplates to look for signs of overheating? We pulled off all our faceplates when we bought and (amazingly) saw no signs of overheating. Hubby then tightened all the connections and put anti-oxidizing stuff on them to tide over until we replace the wiring. With the price of copper these days, its taking longer than we expected LOL
This is a picture of the standing water. It might be hard to tell from the picture, but the ceiling height is about 3 1/2 feet. The floor is concrete. And the water is seeping up from the ground apparently(seasonal high water table), if that helps. The recommended treatment for this is a french drain that will lead to the other side that has the sump pump. (The other side with the sump is dry. The wet side is wet because the standing water has no way to get to the sump. ) Then, they recommend putting a vapor barrier (thick sheet of plastic) over the floor so that any water that collects below it does not evaporate up and cause mold or mildew on the wooden frame above it. 
H'mmm ..... I would still just try to fill it..
