ATOT home experts wisdom needed

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I found a beautiful house I'm in love with. Everything was great until I spotted some cracking in the mortar along the bricks on two sides of the house all on the east side. Which could mean foundation issues or just normal settling of the house from what I've read? I stated in the contract to buy that I would need them to pay for a provide a structural engineers report before I purchase. Now that I've had more time to think about it I'm wondering if I'm heading down a slippery slope. I'm worried that even if it does eventually get repaired I might be looking at issues in the future. Anyone had foundation work done and it came out good? Or should I just run for the hills?

Also it was reported that it did in fact have termites in 1995 and it was repaired and treated.
Are these normal things to expect when dealing with a house built in the 70's?

 

[brblx]

i would say so, but i'm pretty damn far from an expert. 70's houses around here....not great. seems like most people with 20-30 year old houses end up needing things like foundation work and other major repairs.

my mom's house, 70's with brick on the bottom half, was jacked up and had the foundation repaired quite a while ago. still holding up. but i don't even thing the mortar was cracking at that point- my worry would be that the whole wall is compromised on the house you speak of. but i'm sure a bunch of people have had personal experiences that they can describe much better.

to me, though, it's like buying a used car with a wheel missing. even if the wheel's not that expensive...who sells a car with three effing wheels?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

i would say so, but i'm pretty damn far from an expert. 70's houses around here....not great. seems like most people with 20-30 year old houses end up needing things like foundation work and other major repairs.

my mom's house, 70's with brick on the bottom half, was jacked up and had the foundation repaired quite a while ago. still holding up. but i don't even thing the mortar was cracking at that point- my worry would be that the whole wall is compromised on the house you speak of. but i'm sure a bunch of people have had personal experiences that they can describe much better.

to me, though, it's like buying a used car with a wheel missing. even if the wheel's not that expensive...who sells a car with three effing wheels?

I could buy a newer house but this house has the most awesome yard ever. 2.3 acres of very scenic views. If not for that I wouldn't be dealing with the other issues. Newer neighborhoods just don't have the same maturity to them. It's usually a bunch of cookie cutter homes with trees that were planted within the last year or two.

 

[brblx]

and unfortunately i don't think think they're really built any better, either.

the ones i see around here, it seems like the modern materials and contruction methods could yield slightly better results, but they cut so many damn corners. something doesn't line up? fuck it, fill the gap with caulk.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'm a little confused, who chooses the structural engineer to make a report?

 

[Humpy]

How wide are the cracks? 1/8" or 1/2"?

Take a look around the house for things like doors that have been trimmed off at odd angles so they still open and close, windows that show uneven gaps when opened a little, dips in the floor in corners, wall repairs, cracks in floors that show vertical movement, etc. A house with foundation problems will always show symptoms unless it was totally rebuilt.

Mortar is brittle and will crack with very little movement. It's not usually a big deal by itself. The bigger issue with that is water intrusion and/or freeze thaw cycles that can lead to more expensive repairs if ignored.

The house is forty years old, if all it shows are some narrow cracks in the brickwork you're doing OK. I'd be more concerned about termite damage.

 

[Modular]

Dude, houses settle. I'm willing to bet that there are no major problems, but if you already have it in the contract that they will pay for an inspection by a pro - what are you worried about?

I have a crack in my foundation 60's era home and had a structural engineer look at it before we purchased. He laughed and said "it's a 50 year old house; they settle!"

Edit: In the end if you aren't comfortable with it - I'd say walk. There are so many homes out there... but definitely have it looked at.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Dude, houses settle. I'm willing to bet that there are no major problems, but if you already have it in the contract that they will pay for an inspection by a pro - what are you worried about?

I have a crack in my foundation 60's era home and had a structural engineer look at it before we purchased. He laughed and said "it's a 50 year old house; they settle!"

Edit: In the end if you aren't comfortable with it - I'd say walk. There are so many homes out there... but definitely have it looked at.

Pretty much this. Wait for the engineer's report. If you're still uncomfortable after that walk.

Oh... Never fall in love with a house. Don't make an emotional buy. A house is a thing. It doesn't love you back.

 

[stargazr]

Take a look around the house for things like doors that have been trimmed off at odd angles so they still open and close, windows that show uneven gaps when opened a little, dips in the floor in corners, wall repairs, cracks in floors that show vertical movement, etc. A house with foundation problems will always show symptoms unless it was totally rebuilt.

Good advice. Cracks coming from windows are another bad sign. Also often it will be the corners of a house that will settle, but it can happen anywhere. Problem is most cracks can be covered up.

This seems to be a common problem in south Texas. There is a whole industry built up around it. What they do is dig out under the low spots, then jack it back up and put concrete piers underneath. If the low spot is in the middle of the house they have to rip up the floor accordingly.

We got $10,000 knocked off the assessed price of our house due to problems with an addition. So far it's only been cosmetic damage. I have to run a soaker house around the foundation when it's dry to keep it from dropping a few inches!

Coming from the east coast, I never understood why they don't build more substantial foundations down here. All they do is pour a concrete slab. The ground doesn't freeze, but still moves around a bit from storm runoff etc. I know that something about the soil apparently forbids basements, but why not build a real foundation, 6-8" concrete footer 3-4' down, with cinder blocks up to ground level.

Anyway, as others have said you will find out from the report if there's any problems. They check various points through the house to look for low spots, and if there's a problem the information must be revealed when selling a home.

 

[shortylickens]

and unfortunately i don't think think they're really built any better, either.

the ones i see around here, it seems like the modern materials and contruction methods could yield slightly better results, but they cut so many damn corners. something doesn't line up? fuck it, fill the gap with caulk.

Yeah I've noticed that tendency with all the new housing going up in Northern Virginia. Homes that cost half a million are built like crap. They look nice and normally come with neat features, but their actual construction quality is not stellar. They will probably fall apart in 20 years.

Compared to WWI homes that can still be in good shape today if they were given proper maintenance.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

How wide are the cracks? 1/8" or 1/2"?

Take a look around the house for things like doors that have been trimmed off at odd angles so they still open and close, windows that show uneven gaps when opened a little, dips in the floor in corners, wall repairs, cracks in floors that show vertical movement, etc. A house with foundation problems will always show symptoms unless it was totally rebuilt.

Mortar is brittle and will crack with very little movement. It's not usually a big deal by itself. The bigger issue with that is water intrusion and/or freeze thaw cycles that can lead to more expensive repairs if ignored.

The house is forty years old, if all it shows are some narrow cracks in the brickwork you're doing OK. I'd be more concerned about termite damage.

Yeah the cracks are maybe 1/8". They havent been repaired so I was worried about water intrusion as well. Did the houses built around then have anything behind the brick to stop moisture from getting to the wood?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Cracking in the brick mortar isn't the end of the world and is normal, depending on the age of the house. At some point, most houses will have to have some of their mortar repointed/tucked. We just had quite a bit of our mortar repointed and it wasn't terribly expensive (about $2K) for a large amount of work we had done. Ours was built in the late 80s for reference and they were probably due to the house settling and not properly repaired. You're not going to avoid stuff like that. Hire a reputable home inspector and get an inspection report to determine the severity.

The problem with cracks in the mortar is that in the winter months, water will seep between the cracks and then freeze. After many freeze/thaw cycles, the mortar will start crumbling and can result in bricks falling out (or worse). That's why it is important to stay on top of it.

 

[squirrel dog]

also check the wiring.Houses from that time frame could be wired with aluminum wire.No big deal as long as every outlet/switch and main panel is for aluminum wiring.

 

[Greenman]

Minor cracking is acceptable, without separation or differential movement, it's probably not an issue. I'd be surprised if you could find a thirty year old house without some movement.

 

[SandEagle]

Dude, houses settle. I'm willing to bet that there are no major problems, but if you already have it in the contract that they will pay for an inspection by a pro - what are you worried about?

I have a crack in my foundation 60's era home and had a structural engineer look at it before we purchased. He laughed and said "it's a 50 year old house; they settle!"

Edit: In the end if you aren't comfortable with it - I'd say walk. There are so many homes out there... but definitely have it looked at.

had a buddy who noticed cracks and what not in the basement. he hired a professional to assess and then ended up paying 4-5k to install steel beams around the walls to prevent them from further moving inward.....or something like that

 

[Humpy]

Yeah the cracks are maybe 1/8". They havent been repaired so I was worried about water intrusion as well. Did the houses built around then have anything behind the brick to stop moisture from getting to the wood?

Construction practices varied (and still do) quite a bit in different parts of the country, but in general, yes they did.

I am familiar with central Illinois where builders used an air gap and a tar paper water barrier behind brick along with weep holes to allow moisture to escape.

In New Mexico it is the same but often people cut corners with flashing and water barriers since there isn't much moisture to begin with. Not good. Even with new houses I get calls asking about water intrusion every monsoon season.

 

[BoomerD]

If the house is already showing you its cracks...it's ready to love you back...but, like most wimmenz, you need lots of moneys to buy teh affecktions...

I don't think I'd be too interested in any house that had structural issues like a bad/cracking foundation. Even "normal settling" can cause problems that will cost many thousands of dollars to correct...and may continue to be a money pit.

Houses built in the 70's may not be any better/worse than houses built today...except that they MIGHT not be as well insulated, will probably require the addition of better, more energy efficient windows, and updated heating/air conditioning equipment, and the electrical system may not be up to current code for grounding/GCFI protection. Upgrading the electrical can also run into many thousands of dollars.