jasonfen
Premium
join:2001-01-07
Dallas, TX
| Drainage issue with pier and beam.
Ok, never had a pier and beam house, always a slab.
The one we are set to close on has some possible issues with water penetration. The home inspector notices a small amount of standing water during a good rain.
We identified a few possible entry points and requested the seller get a drainage and foundation specialist to look at it.
We received the report today and it basically said nothing was found.
I called the engineer to get more specifics. For one, he rescheduled his appointment because it was raining that day. Ok, seems like a preferred time to locate drainage issues. Then he admitted he did not even enter the crawl space as it was "too muddy outside".
Well the entry point is inside the house for one thing. Being muddy is not excuse not to do your job.
Of course it has not rained for several days and is most likely dry now. So getting a specialist out there may not be as beneficial as before.
My question is how much moisture is too much in a crawl space? In a perfect world there would be none. But realistically, is a small amount that evaporates or goes into the grounds bad?
There were a few areas with mild rot or mold seen on the beams and sub floor. They appear to come from some plumbing that needs attention.
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nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
clubs:
 ·AT&T CallVantage
| Water is the ultimate enemy of any structure.
It sounds like the seller may have hired a "blank checker". There are a LOT of them in the real estate industry.
Even though you may love the house, you have to detach yourself emotionally and look at it strictly from a financial perspective.
Are you getting the answers you want and need from professionals? It sounds like you are not.
Does this have the potential to become a major problem 5-10 years down the road (or sooner)?
Could additional repairs consume any equity you would have built in the home by the time they are required?
Right now you are only out $500-1000 in inspections (if that). These inspections can save you loads of money in the long run.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen people let their emotions guide them on the sale of a home - only to get burned shortly or immediately after taking possession. Completely ignoring an inspection report, or thinking they'll have time and money to deal with it later.
Remember, It's a buyers market. There will be other houses.
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Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America.
Nancy Pelosi - House Minority Leader 2010
Harry Reid - Senate Minority Leader 2010 |
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mityfowl
join:2000-11-06
Dallas, TX
| reply to jasonfen
We had the 7th wettest October on record.
Now that said I don't know if you are from this area but most of the soil in N. Texas is clay.
You have a problem! Either drainage or seepage or both.
Your inspector didn't do his job and I don't know if I would trust him or pay him.
Sounds like other water issues as well.
Maybe I'm just paranoid  |
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cdru
Go Colts
Premium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
| reply to jasonfen
Who paid for the "drainage and foundation specialist" to look at it?
If it was the seller, shame on you. The guy was working for the other side...gees I wonder which way he's going to report.
If you paid for him, shame on you for paying him. There wouldn't be a chance that I would pay for a report from that guy. It would be like hiring a plumber that doesn't like to get his hands wet, or a carpenter that can't stand sawdust. Without entering the crawlspace, there is absolutely no way that he could look at the issue and determine that there wasn't an issue.
If you are interested in the house, hire someone else. You pay the bill. And check previous inspections, references, and verify the "engineer" actually is qualified to do what they say they can do. |
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jasonfen
Premium
join:2001-01-07
Dallas, TX
| Thanks for the replies.
We are having our own "expert" come out to look. I already had a friend in the business check it out. We are fairly sure where the penetration point is and what is needed to remedy it.
However, the deal was for them to take care of it. I spent yesterday lighting fires under people's asses.
The P.E. that did the inspection deals mainly with structure movement and not drainage. He confirmed the house is in very good shape with no visible signs of shifting. We already knew that so it did not get us the answers we wanted.
We are fairly certain the entry point is at the front left of the foundation. Some landscaping changes should take care of it.
Yeah, I should have arranged for my own engineer to come out from the start. I had a very qualified home inspector check it out who is the one that identified the issues in question. We then requested the seller do the repairs. We were under a pretty big time crunch with the sale of our house plus a kid on they way in 6 weeks.
We had already decided that the amount of repairs needed was not enough to deter us from the purchase. The biggest issue was the HVAC closet. It had a leak with produced some mold. The unit was replaced last year but they did not do a good job of removing the damaged sheet rock. So they had to do a full mold remediation job. They pulled the unit, had a mold company remove everything and let it dry out for a few days. That was the biggest issue and our primary requirement.
In a perfect world, we would of had more time and made better choices. Live and learn.
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Watch what happens when I do this. |
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