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We've been house hunting for about 6 months now, looking primarily at homes in or around the Frederick and Montgomery County, MD area.
We've got requirements which make our options relatively limited (trying to stick with homes with 4 bedrooms and at least 2 full baths, plus a strong preference for a garage, at a price in the $200-250K range).
Finally, we ran across a property in the small town of Brunswick which we really liked. It's priced in our range, has plenty of space, a garage, and the area schools aren't rated too poorly either (another consideration for us). The fact the area has a low enough population so it qualifies for a USDA loan is another plus for us. (I'd rather do a USDA than an FHA, if possible -- and we just don't have the money to put a lot down for a conventional loan right now.)
So we made an offer, which was counter-offered, and we accepted. Now, we just had the inspection done and I have some concerns.
First of all, they found termites during the inspection, which the seller has to remedy at his expense. Not so concerned about that, except the general home inspection revealed the likely root cause; at least 2 of the wood support beams rest on exposed dirt. It's a 100 year old home with a stone cellar, which someone obviously excavated out larger than it was originally. It appears that along one wall, they might have excavated a bit too much, leading to some crumbling along the top edge of the cellar wall - and the beams touching dirt.
The inspector wasn't specifically a structural guy, but he's been doing this for many years. He did check the integrity of the beams and felt they were still intact/solid -- not rotted out. However, we saw where a couple of steel columns were set in the floor to help support one or two beams in this same general area of the house. (Looks like a typical repair you'd employ for sagging beams to help level the floor.)
Additionally, there's evidence of some loose/damaged shingles in one portion of the roof. A look in the attic didn't reveal any water leakage, but we did find one cracked structural beam. (I'm told that's a fairly easy fix, by placing new boards on each side of the broken one and attaching them with toggle bolts.) The seller claims no knowledge about the age/condition of said roof, but the inspector believes the shingles to be "18 to 20 years old" and near the end of their serviceable life.
The inside of the house is largely remodeled, and the 2 car garage was just built a couple years ago, along with new concrete walks and a patio between it and the house. The front porch was recently redone, and a new heating/cooling system was put in a couple years ago too.
So basically, there's a lot here to like ... but I've never owned an old home with a crawlspace and a stone cellar like this. They put plastic down over the dirt floor to act as a vapor barrier, which I'm told is the "right way" to do that part of it. Didn't have a musty or moldy smell or anything either. But with the support beams touching dirt like that -- am I looking at a hugely costly repair there, or is that something you can address more inexpensively?
Can't answer about the support beams but the attic fix is normal. Called "sistering" one beam to others. Very reliable, had it done in my previous house.
We have crawlspaces out here. Soil naturally has water that evaporates so that moisture stays below the barrier. It needs to be black so that no light penetrates to the soil to cause growth. You want at least a 6 mil visqueen barrier between the dirt and your house. That is the right way to do it.
Out here they just use a couple of jacks to support right by the beams which they take out the old support posts and put new ones down with concrete footings. The steel posts are probably screw jacks. They are used in old houses to help with sagging floors.
That said, if that corner of the house appears to have a history of sagging, you might have a soils issue in which case helical or push piers might be a better solution for permanent stabilization. That can be a $10k project to support that section.
I would get a general contractor out there asap to further inspect the issue with wood beams touching dirt. And to quote a cost to remedy. Call a few ahead of time and explain the issue. Ask what they charge for an inspection report/quote just for that one issue.
Sounds like the home needs a new roof or will need a new roof within then next few years. Make sure you can afford to get a new roof when the time comes.
Overall, I wouldn't run away from the home over the issues you brought up as long as you are ok with the termite issue.
100 year old house? You will gave some repairs for sure. Unless the roof is on its third shingle reroof you can simply put another whole new roof over the old one. Its cheaper but also won't give you the option of replacing rotted bad plywood or slats.
The support beams can be simply propped up with jacks and cut out the rotted columns. Pout concrete footings and replace with steel beams. You ca always just pour footings and replace the old columns with new. If you do steel you never have to worry about them. As for the cost? I don't know it all depends on your local labor costs
Good information to know... but I failed to mention one other detail. Another item the inspector cited was the old brick chimney stack leaning to one side. The chimney runs through the middle of the house, and is no longer functional. (There are two fireplaces on the main floor, back to back, which have been completely sealed off and are just decorative.)
Am I correct in assuming the chimney could simply be dismantled, at least so it no longer sticks up any higher than the roof-line, and shingles put down over the top of it?
That was part of my thinking ... that the chimney would be no big deal to address as long as the roof was getting re-shingled anyway?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrician4you
100 year old house? You will gave some repairs for sure. Unless the roof is on its third shingle reroof you can simply put another whole new roof over the old one. Its cheaper but also won't give you the option of replacing rotted bad plywood or slats.
The support beams can be simply propped up with jacks and cut out the rotted columns. Pout concrete footings and replace with steel beams. You ca always just pour footings and replace the old columns with new. If you do steel you never have to worry about them. As for the cost? I don't know it all depends on your local labor costs
Yes. When you put up the new roof they can remove the stack down just below the roofline and roof over the top of it. You might need to put in a new vent if the furnace vents out through the chimney which is really common in my area.
Keep in mind it's a 100 year old house, you will have an adventure.
Buy/Sell houses myself and I agree completely. My own home is well over a 100yrs old and shows clear signs of termite damage, be it decades ago. Now they're not there any more but the word termite is not the kiss of death. If they're the subterranean kind especially, there are shockingly effective measures one can take.
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