FML house woes

[verycontrary247]

Omfg.

When we bought new house we knew the second story floors (main level where living/dining/kitchen) were not level, and that they would need to be corrected before we could replace the hideous carpet/linoleum. I assumed it'd be 3-5k to level it out, then another 3-5k replace the floors just on that level.

Today we had someone come out to give us a quote. Looks like it's a structural support problem that will probably cost at least $12.5k to fix, not including the replacement flooring.

And they may have to tear out the kitchen and the half bath on that floor to do the work as well.

And if we don't get it fixed it's probably going to get worse.

FML.

[ohgillian]

That's awful. I'm so sorry. We had to have our house jacked up and the main support girder (I'm sure I'm not saying it right) replaced/supported. It sucked and was expensive.

[dock]

.... this is not an issue I would’ve assumed anything about before purchasing.

[spindle92]

If it is structural, wouldn't that have been disclosed in the inspection?

[verycontrary247]

Feb 17, 2020 15:34:29 GMT -5 spindle92 said:

If it is structural, wouldn't that have been disclosed in the inspection?

No. The inspector noted the floors weren't level, but they aren't qualified to diagnose issues further.

In order to confirm their suspicions today, the specialist guy had to get permission from us to cut a hole in the ceiling on the first floor to determine if the joists were supported properly.

[isabel]

Feb 17, 2020 15:34:29 GMT -5 spindle92 said:

If it is structural, wouldn't that have been disclosed in the inspection?

Not if the previous owners didn't have it assessed. You're only required to disclose known issues, not suspected ones.

I don't want to be the asshole here, but honestly, this is something I would have had a structural engineer look at on inspection, especially if it was noticeable when you saw the property.

I'm sorry. Stuff like that really sucks.

[letsgetweird]

Yikes. Sorry to be that person but why didn't you get a quote before buying?

[icedcoffee]

Yeah that sucks, but you should have gotten a professional opinion before closing.

[isabel]

I mean, in the grand scheme of things, if you were expecting up to $10k out of pocket to fix the floors anyway, $12.5k plus new floors really isn't that far off. Structural issues can be crazy expensive to repair, so it feels like it could have been worse.

[verycontrary247]

Feb 17, 2020 15:55:58 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

Yikes. Sorry to be that person but why didn't you get a quote before buying?

Because the sellers weren't going to let anyone cut open walls and ceilings before buying it.

[Patsy Baloney]

Unfortunately, the non-glamorous, but you have to do it to make sure the house stays sound stuff is often very expensive.

Our house is older and the inspector noted that the very large brick fireplace was pulling away from the wall in our inspection, but that the floor had been previously reinforced and he had no reason to believe it would get worse, but that it needed to be a priority on our fix list. It has been expensive, but worth it. The facade has been replaced to be 1/4 of the original weight. The chimney will be next, and I suspect the most expensive part. But, that is the risk you take with structural concerns.

Hopefully, you'll be able to get other estimates and find a good team and a cost-effective fix.

[verycontrary247]

Feb 17, 2020 15:58:37 GMT -5 isabel said:

I mean, in the grand scheme of things, if you were expecting up to $10k out of pocket to fix the floors anyway, $12.5k plus new floors really isn't that far off. Structural issues can be crazy expensive to repair, so it feels like it could have been worse.

You're right. The 2.5k more than anticipated plus a few thousand for floors is whatever.

What's kicking me in the teeth is them saying that they are likely going to have to tear the kitchen and bathroom out to do the work.

We're getting a second opinion, but I'm gonna barf if I've gotta pay for a new kitchen and bathroom too.

[VillainV]

I’m really sorry. It sounds like there was no good way to know about this issue beforehand.

[cleo29]

Feb 17, 2020 15:58:47 GMT -5 verycontrary247 said:

Feb 17, 2020 15:55:58 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

Yikes. Sorry to be that person but why didn't you get a quote before buying?

Because the sellers weren't going to let anyone cut open walls and ceilings before buying it.

This makes me think they knew. If you realize your floors are sloping, it is quite possibly that they had it looked into and decided to not do anything and just patched up the holes.

[VillainV]

Feb 17, 2020 17:36:47 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Feb 17, 2020 15:58:47 GMT -5 verycontrary247 said:

Because the sellers weren't going to let anyone cut open walls and ceilings before buying it.

This makes me think they knew. If you realize your floors are sloping, it is quite possibly that they had it looked into and decided to not do anything and just patched up the holes.

What? No. They probably just thought their floors weren’t level. I don’t see any reason to jump to the conclusion that they knew something even the home inspector couldn’t have known.

[Patsy Baloney]

Yeah, houses settle. Having uneven floors is not necessarily a harbinger of underlying serious structural issues. Sometimes it's just the age of the house.

[cleo29]

Feb 17, 2020 17:40:16 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Feb 17, 2020 17:36:47 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

This makes me think they knew. If you realize your floors are sloping, it is quite possibly that they had it looked into and decided to not do anything and just patched up the holes.

What? No. They probably just thought their floors weren’t level. I don’t see any reason to jump to the conclusion that they knew something even the home inspector couldn’t have known.

I just find it odd, that if something came up, they were essentially standing in the way of people being able to inspect further before purchasing.  Not saying that it is true, but just think it is possible.

[Patsy Baloney]

Feb 17, 2020 17:44:02 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Feb 17, 2020 17:40:16 GMT -5 VillainV said:

What? No. They probably just thought their floors weren’t level. I don’t see any reason to jump to the conclusion that they knew something even the home inspector couldn’t have known.

I just find it odd, that if something came up, they were essentially standing in the way of people being able to inspect further before purchasing.  Not saying that it is true, but just think it is possible.

If you were selling your house, would you let someone cut it open? 

[cleo29]

Feb 17, 2020 17:45:05 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

Feb 17, 2020 17:44:02 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

I just find it odd, that if something came up, they were essentially standing in the way of people being able to inspect further before purchasing.  Not saying that it is true, but just think it is possible.

If you were selling your house, would you let someone cut it open? 

If I felt more certain it was regular settling in the house and they agreed to pay for everything being put back to rights, I probably would. If I feared or knew it was a bigger structural issue; probably not.

I am not saying that is what happened, I am just saying it might be.

[carmenere]

Feb 17, 2020 17:50:59 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Feb 17, 2020 17:45:05 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

If you were selling your house, would you let someone cut it open? 

If I felt more certain it was regular settling in the house and they agreed to pay for everything being put back to rights, I probably would. If I feared or knew it was a bigger structural issue; probably not.

I am not saying that is what happened, I am just saying it might be.

Uh...what? I’m pretty sure any seller would say no to that, and no good realtor would advise their client to agree to that, when they can find a buyer who doesn’t want to cut into the floors.

The sellers probably didn’t know about this specific issue, maybe had an inkling that the house was settling a lot. But if they didn’t know then legally they don’t have any duty to disclose.

[namasteak]

Feb 17, 2020 19:03:33 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Feb 17, 2020 15:54:58 GMT -5 isabel said:

Not if the previous owners didn't have it assessed. You're only required to disclose known issues, not suspected ones.

I don't want to be the asshole here, but honestly, this is something I would have had a structural engineer look at on inspection, especially if it was noticeable when you saw the property.

I'm sorry. Stuff like that really sucks.

When we were buying our first house we had a structural engineer assess it, when we went to sell it 9yrs later we had him come back and do another one to be able to give to potential buyers. No offense OP, I would never have proceeded without more assessments!! Yikes if they have to remove the kitchen and bath!

100 %

There are a lot of old houses in our neighborhood and we walked from 2 I adored because we had a structural engineer come out after we had the inspection.

OP, I really hope they don’t have to redo your bathroom and kitchen too!

[scout8]

Given that the OP has already purchased the house, maybe it's not so helpful to tell her that you would have never bought a house without having a structural engineer out to look at it. It's a bit late for that advice.

I hope that your second opinion is much better than the first. Good luck!

[isabel]

Feb 17, 2020 18:57:41 GMT -5 carmenere said:

Feb 17, 2020 17:50:59 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

If I felt more certain it was regular settling in the house and they agreed to pay for everything being put back to rights, I probably would. If I feared or knew it was a bigger structural issue; probably not.

I am not saying that is what happened, I am just saying it might be.

Uh...what? I’m pretty sure any seller would say no to that, and no good realtor would advise their client to agree to that, when they can find a buyer who doesn’t want to cut into the floors.

The sellers probably didn’t know about this specific issue, maybe had an inkling that the house was settling a lot. But if they didn’t know then legally they don’t have any duty to disclose.

I mean, maybe so, but we had a good realtor advise us to walk from a house we wanted to offer on because of suspected structural issues. Just because most sellers won't agree to stuff like that doesn't mean you should buy it anyway.

[lovelyshoes]

Feb 17, 2020 19:03:33 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Feb 17, 2020 15:54:58 GMT -5 isabel said:

Not if the previous owners didn't have it assessed. You're only required to disclose known issues, not suspected ones.

I don't want to be the asshole here, but honestly, this is something I would have had a structural engineer look at on inspection, especially if it was noticeable when you saw the property.

I'm sorry. Stuff like that really sucks.

When we were buying our first house we had a structural engineer assess it, when we went to sell it 9yrs later we had him come back and do another one to be able to give to potential buyers. No offense OP, I would never have proceeded without more assessments!! Yikes if they have to remove the kitchen and bath!

That’s exactly what you have to do. I wouldn’t take the word of an inspector for any structural stuff, you get an engineer.
I hope you don’t have to end up tearing rooms out. That is awful.

[mags]

We had a sloping fall In our last house. We had a structural engineer come in during inspection and give us a report, check the foundation, etc..we knew how much it would cost before we bought it. We also had some mold and had a mold guy come out and give us an estimate.

I would never just assume to know how much it would cost, would never even know where to come up with a number. I could not afford to buy a home without knowing the costs. You need to get one to come in now.

[Patsy Baloney]

This thread 😂🤣

[isabel]

Feb 17, 2020 21:44:06 GMT -5 Patsy Baloney said:

This thread 😂🤣

I mean, you had to know this was how it was going to go. lol

[pandora89]

OP, I am sorry! That sucks. If it makes you feel better we never had a structural engineer come out to inspect our 100 year old house prior to purchasing it.

[carmenere]

Feb 17, 2020 21:37:44 GMT -5 isabel said:

Feb 17, 2020 18:57:41 GMT -5 carmenere said:

Uh...what? I’m pretty sure any seller would say no to that, and no good realtor would advise their client to agree to that, when they can find a buyer who doesn’t want to cut into the floors.

The sellers probably didn’t know about this specific issue, maybe had an inkling that the house was settling a lot. But if they didn’t know then legally they don’t have any duty to disclose.

I mean, maybe so, but we had a good realtor advise us to walk from a house we wanted to offer on because of suspected structural issues. Just because most sellers won't agree to stuff like that doesn't mean you should buy it anyway.

Agreed, I certainly wouldn’t buy it if there was a reason to suspect structural issues, at least without having an engineer come out to evaluate what they could without damaging the house. But from the seller’s perspective, the idea of letting someone cut into your walls or floors because you don’t think there’s anything to hide is also crazy, especially if you can find another buyer who won’t ask for that.

[scout8]

Feb 17, 2020 21:56:45 GMT -5 carmenere said:

Feb 17, 2020 21:37:44 GMT -5 isabel said:

I mean, maybe so, but we had a good realtor advise us to walk from a house we wanted to offer on because of suspected structural issues. Just because most sellers won't agree to stuff like that doesn't mean you should buy it anyway.

Agreed, I certainly wouldn’t buy it if there was a reason to suspect structural issues, at least without having an engineer come out to evaluate what they could without damaging the house. But from the seller’s perspective, the idea of letting someone cut into your walls or floors because you don’t think there’s anything to hide is also crazy, especially if you can find another buyer who won’t ask for that.

What sometimes happens is that a couple of buyers walk away after inspection. Seller realizes they have a problem and get their own engineer out to open up ceiling and assess the problem. Then they cam fix the issue or offer a credit to future buyers to fix.