Fix the valley where water goes elsewhere, rather than to the house. Dig out dirt that is against the wall, repair the wall and waterproof it, drain tile the trench, refill with rocky/Sandy soil to allow water to get to the drain tile.

This would be the minimum if I were buying the house. No house should have water drainage running to it.

For your first house? Save yourself the headache...don't do it.

quote:

Originally posted by gambit123:

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:
I’d say you’re looking at closer to $10k if not more. Foundation work is far from cheap, throw in sump pumps, French drains, liners and on and on. Things add up real fast under a house.

this is what i am thinking, and the thing that really pisses me off is that we passed on a house that was great with no issues like this that was 40,000 cheaper.

So, why are you thinking about buying this problem house? I'm puzzled.

Here the houses are all built on clay. So foundation issues are common. I’m on slab, but had to pier it. I wouldn’t run. Foundation issues are not uncommon. Get quotes to see what it will cost to fix permanently, then make decision. My first estimates to fix mine (installed steel piers) were 14k. I got it down to 10k, put in 27 piers, not a problem since. Good luck sir.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by gambit123:

quote:

Originally posted by MattW:
I’d say you’re looking at closer to $10k if not more. Foundation work is far from cheap, throw in sump pumps, French drains, liners and on and on. Things add up real fast under a house.

this is what i am thinking, and the thing that really pisses me off is that we passed on a house that was great with no issues like this that was 40,000 cheaper.

So, why are you thinking about buying this problem house? I'm puzzled.

very good question. i was never in the drivers seat to begin with.

IF the fix is $1,000 it's not much of a problem.
IF

as an engineer and having a wee bit of insight into structural issues, I'd look for another house to buy

this could turn out to be the money pit as you're addressing only the visible result but not the cause

you can patch it, but thats only a band-aid - what else has been affected?

I’m in the “run” camp.

There is zero chance this is going to be only $1000. Installation of the sump pump alone will exceed that, and you should really get a city water pressure back up sump for when the power goes out, and installing that will be about $1000.

French drains, etc will get expensive. That's all preventative, then you still need to get the foundation fixed.

If you get the deal of the century on the house maybe it's worth it, but I would walk away. If this is what you now... Imagine what you have left to discover.

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
There is zero chance this is going to be only $1000. Installation of the sump pump alone will exceed that, and you should really get a city water pressure back up sump for when the power goes out, and installing that will be about $1000.

French drains, etc will get expensive. That's all preventative, then you still need to get the foundation fixed.

If you get the deal of the century on the house maybe it's worth it, but I would walk away. If this is what you now... Imagine what you have left to discover.

sorry need to clarify that. the 1000.00 is just for the wall repair. he said the french drain would be 2000.00-3000.00

here is another photo i found

I would not in a million years buy this never ending headache.

How do I know?

My daughter bought one of these cracked foundation houses because it was below market price for homes in her immediate area.

The problems with cracked sheetrock, windows that won't work, and on and on and this was after a foundation repair company 'fixed' the foundation twice.

Run!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Birdvol,

We've been in our current house for ~20 years. As part of the purchase process we had a structural engineer analyze the front foundation wall because it had a horizontal crack about mid-height and many "feeders" from that crack.

He told us that was a common issue in our area, and since it had been epoxied by a firm with a transferable lifetime guarantee, we should be good. I'll also add he told us to fix the gutter problems, slope the earth away from the front foundation wall, etc.

Skipping all the other details surrounding our home search since the builder who was building us a new home went belly up, we bought the house.

Well despite the fact the prior homeowner said they never had water in the basement, we got water in the basement. I bet we had the Crack Team re-epoxy the wall 8 times over several years. Then the owner told me he had told the previous, and original, home owner he could not keep putting a band aid on the wall, it needed more help.

Hence another structural engineer recommended 3 tie backs. We paid for that and it helped - for a while.

Then Crack Team went belly up so we were now on our own.

Where we stand now is I still have to Shop-Vac the water whenever we have heavy rains. The permanent fix is to either replace the front foundation wall, or, have the front of the house dug up, a French drain with a separate sump pump, sealant, a barrier between the sealant and the rock.

Cost for either option is about $10,000.

For the time being I will keep shop-vacuuming and so bear my story in mind as you think about the house you are looking at.

Run. Seriously. You know this is the right answer.
The house is a money pit, a loser, a bad investment.

Your wife has made and emotional attachment that the sellers have picked up on. They consider this deal done. You don't have any negotiation power. It's time to walk and keep looking.

If you have to ask, you already know the answer.

quote:

Originally posted by gambit123:

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
There is zero chance this is going to be only $1000. Installation of the sump pump alone will exceed that, and you should really get a city water pressure back up sump for when the power goes out, and installing that will be about $1000.

French drains, etc will get expensive. That's all preventative, then you still need to get the foundation fixed.

If you get the deal of the century on the house maybe it's worth it, but I would walk away. If this is what you now... Imagine what you have left to discover.

sorry need to clarify that. the 1000.00 is just for the wall repair. he said the french drain would be 2000.00-3000.00

Theres no way that wall repair will only be $1000, unless it's a half assed repair.

Run.

EJECT! EJECT! EJECT!

Those pictures look expensive to me.

I'd keep looking.

Ever see the movie, The Money Pit , with Tom Hanks.....

As a structural engineer, I would keep looking at different houses. This could be simple fix and remediation of the cause for the movement, but is worth the headache at the beginning of owning the home?

Good Luck..

Best to walk away from this.