Old Prescott homes with driveway bridges (lenders, motorhome, buying)

[The Dells]

Does anyone have experience purchasing a mid-century home in Prescott which has an old driveway bridge that goes over a creek?

Does the bridge need to be inspected / certified by someone other than a regular home inspector?


Just a quick search turns up costs to replace an old bridge @$20,000 + and probably a lot more. Supposedly a numerous amount of permits are required including, Fish and Game, FEMA, Building, Hydraulic Report, Geotechnical Report, Structural and General Design, U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers (USACE), Endangered SpeciesAct checklist and more.


Has anyone had to replace a driveway bridge and deal with the city?



This home is being sold as is.I am guessing that it is because of the bridge and lenders don’t want to deal with the problems associated with it.


I hope that this is not the case as there are some great old homes built in the 40’s that need a little restoration and it would be a shame if they are not worth it just because they have a small bridge going over a creek.


What is the true reality with old driveway bridges as Prescott has creeks all over the place?

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by The Dells

Does anyone have experience purchasing a mid-century home in Prescott which has an old driveway bridge that goes over a creek?

Does the bridge need to be inspected / certified by someone other than a regular home inspector?


Just a quick search turns up costs to replace an old bridge @$20,000 + and probably a lot more. Supposedly a numerous amount of permits are required including, Fish and Game, FEMA, Building, Hydraulic Report, Geotechnical Report, Structural and General Design, U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers (USACE), Endangered SpeciesAct checklist and more.


Has anyone had to replace a driveway bridge and deal with the city?



This home is being sold as is.I am guessing that it is because of the bridge and lenders don’t want to deal with the problems associated with it.


I hope that this is not the case as there are some great old homes built in the 40’s that need a little restoration and it would be a shame if they are not worth it just because they have a small bridge going over a creek.


What is the true reality with old driveway bridges as Prescott has creeks all over the place?

That house is smack-dab in the middle of the flood plain. It could be as-is for a lot of reasons. Probably the seller is just not in a position (older or lack of money) to make repairs.

[The Dells]

This house was in escrow but fell out fast. Does anyone have experience with 40's or older homes?


Would the electrical and plumbing have had to been redone by now or could it possibly still have the original?


Could the siding be the original?


Prescott seems to have really dry air. Does this add longevity to its homes? Prescott has tons of historic homes.


I would hate to drive a motorhome over that bridge and wind up doing a face plant into the creek.

[fluffythewondercat]

Have you toured the property or are you house-shopping from a distance?


If you've done the tour, I'm curious as to what the "private living room" that is only accessible from UPSTAIRS is all about.

[The Dells]

I am shopping from a-far right now although we have made numerous trips to Prescott and know people there.


There are two staircases. One staircase leads to a private room above the master that has no other access.


Two front doors, huge front deck and the washer and dryer in the kitchen. These older homes are funky and really bring the charm to Prescott. In stark contrast to the massive housing tracts that they are building in PV.

[gemstone1]

Homes within flood plains come with special FEMA restrictions on the monitory value of any additions/refurbs. Your refurbs are limited to a certain % of assessed value in a given 5 year period....exceed the assessed value by a certain percentage and you could be made to raise the entire home 1 foot above flood plain, and bring the entire home up to current building code. if anyone is interested in flood plain homes, please spend time with the local building officials to get a handle on the FEMA/County restrictions to avoid buying a pig in a poke. Been there/done that.


Regards
Gemstone1