Anyone know anything about construction?

[Deleted]

We got the inspection report back on our house and it says "Improper notching of engineered structure under the master bath."

This is what the inspector wrote in his email:

The notched joists do present a significant weak area of the floor/ceiling assembly, especially under the tub where a large amount of weight is applied to a relatively small surface area. Because the joists are engineered assemblies and are not conventional lumber, I honestly would not feel comfortable assigning a cost estimate or repair options. My advice
would be to seek further review by a qualified general contractor who is familiar with structural framing. Something to remember is that this condition has been present since the house was built and did not appear to be causing any visible issues. However it would be a good idea to have it double checked by a professional to verify what repairs, if any, need to be done, how soon they would need to be done and how much the repairs will cost.

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From what I understand, the plumber notched the supports when he installed the spa tub. Our inspector won't give us a ballpark on cost, and I have no idea how big of an issue this is. We are trying to get a general contractor in but with the holiday it has been impossible. Has anyone ever dealt with something like this/have further information about it?

[gretchenindisguise]

Hire a structural engineer to check it out.

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[ax2]

Is the ceiling open under the tub? If the joist is accessible, it should be easy enough to add some extra support. I don't know much about engineered structure thought, only lumber joists, so I couldn't guess on cost. If it can be supported by lumber and the ceiling is open, it shouldn't be a bad fix.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2013 12:10:35 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Hire a structural engineer to check it out.

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Ha! We have been saying this, and our friend who is a real estate broker said to, but our agent insists we need a general contractor. We don't have time for either. There is crawl space to fix the issue though.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2013 12:11:22 GMT -5 ax2 said:

Is the ceiling open under the tub? If the joist is accessible, it should be easy enough to add some extra support. I don't know much about engineered structure thought, only lumber joists, so I couldn't guess on cost. If it can be supported by lumber and the ceiling is open, it shouldn't be a bad fix.

Yes, it is. This is why the inspector (on the phone) said it wouldn't be an expensive fix, but he won't put that in writing.

[gretchenindisguise]

Oh and I'll also say that when my parents sold their house the general contractor said something similar and was wrong. Just really flat wrong. Two structural engineers confirmed it.

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[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2013 12:16:34 GMT -5 @kizmet said:

What kind of time frame are you working with? This is really something for a structural engineer AND a contractor.

We are supposed to waive this contingency Monday. We have been trying to get a GC in since last week but no one is around because of the holiday. If we can't waive the contingency then we won't, but I don't want to risk losing the house in a particularly hot market over a $5K repair. If it is a $50K issue then we won't waive contingencies, but if it is less then we will. And I have no idea how to ballpark it.

[Deleted]

Jul 7, 2013 12:19:40 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Oh and I'll also say that when my parents sold their house the general contractor said something similar and was wrong. Just really flat wrong. Two structural engineers confirmed it.

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Wrong, like - identified this as an issue and it really wasn't wrong? I hope that's what's going on.

[gretchenindisguise]

Jul 7, 2013 12:20:46 GMT -5 elle said:

Jul 7, 2013 12:19:40 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

Oh and I'll also say that when my parents sold their house the general contractor said something similar and was wrong. Just really flat wrong. Two structural engineers confirmed it.

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Wrong, like - identified this as an issue and it really wasn't wrong? I hope that's what's going on.

It wasn't this same issue, but it was a structural issue in the basement. The gc said they needed to hoist up the house to fix the "problem" and it was a huge thing.

Yeah, he was just wrong. There is no issue with how the house was built.

That said get a structural engineer in. Of course you agent doesn't want you to, because it could cost the sale. I don't think it'll take a week like SueSue said. You need one in the house to give you a look and rough estimate. Should take an hour.

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[Deleted]

I spoke to my uncle (a general contractor) and he seems to think it might not be an issue depending on where the notching is. So I guess we need to push on the structural

[pantsparty]

Structual issues make me nervous. We backed out of a house in Lake Arrowhead last year because of it. I would not want to move forward without having a structural engineer take a look.