Put an offer on a house, Inspection Issues.

[Hecubus28]

Has anyone had a home inspection on a new house they were looking at buying and the inspector find possible issues with the foundation? I am not sure if we should walk, have the seller fix it or just lower the asking price. The really are in love with this house.

We just had the inspection done on the house we put on offer in on today. Everything about the house was in really good shape except some cracks in the brick on one side of the house. The inspector recommends we get a Foundation contractor or structural engineer out to look at it.

Has anyone had any luck getting the sellers to pay the cost? I do know the seller has accepted a new job in another state and has been living there for the last 4 months while his wife and kids life in the house. They are in the process of buying a house near his new job but it is contingent on them selling their house first. So depending on what is wrong and the cost I would think we have a good shot of them fixing it

 

[Tweak155]

I'd get it checked out then decide how to move forward.

 

[bignateyk]

Has anyone had a home inspection on a new house they were looking at buying and the inspector find possible issues with the foundation? I am not sure if we should walk, have the seller fix it or just lower the asking price. The really are in love with this house.

We just had the inspection done on the house we put on offer in on today. Everything about the house was in really good shape except some cracks in the brick on one side of the house. The inspector recommends we get a Foundation contractor or structural engineer out to look at it.

Has anyone had any luck getting the sellers to pay the cost? I do know the seller has accepted a new job in another state and has been living there for the last 4 months while his wife and kids life in the house. They are in the process of buying a house near his new job but it is contingent on them selling their house first. So depending on what is wrong and the cost I would think we have a good shot of them fixing it

Once it turns up in an inspection the seller is obligated to disclose that information to any future potential buyers. They'd be stupid not to negotiate with you on it. I wouldn't walk away immediately, but definitely get a structural engineer (a real engineer, not some random contractor) to look at it to guage the severity of the problem. If it isn't a major problem, get some quotes to fix it and nogotiate with the seller.

If it is a major problem I'd walk though.

 

[Theb]

Have it looked at and get some bids.

Unless he hates his wife and kids (and money) he's got to be desperate to sell at this point. I bet you have an excellent chance of getting them to pay for it.

 

[Vdubchaos]

In general, Foundation cracks are normal and quite a common occurrence on MANY houses (my house has one).

If it makes you feel better, def hire an engineer to look at it. PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT BY ALL MEANS.

How old is this house?

PS. Don't get emotionally attached to ANYTHING you buy, you will slowly start thinking with your heart and not your brain.

 

[Hecubus28]

In general, Foundation cracks are normal and quite a common occurrence on MANY houses (my house has one).

If it makes you feel better, def hire an engineer to look at it. PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT BY ALL MEANS.

How old is this house?

PS. Don't get emotionally attached to ANYTHING you buy, you will slowly start thinking with your heart and not your brain.

The house was built in 1987. The crack is pretty large, I could stick my finger in it, this is not just a hair line crack in the mortar but it has gone through the middle of quite a few cracks.

 

[Exterous]

OP is this a brick foundation or a block foundation? Also - are the cracks through the mortar or through the actual masonry? If its through the mortar is not as big of a concern but if it broke a brick then I would be much more concerned about possible issues

In general, Foundation cracks are normal and quite a common occurrence on MANY houses (my house has one).

Yes but in general cracks in brick foundations are more concerning than a poured concrete foundation.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Depends on the size and profile of the cracks, but I'd get a structural engineer to look at it on his dime. If he does not want to then I'd walk. Small hairline cracks are not usually the end of the world. Larger "staircase" cracks are not good. If the cracks are outside and inside then I'd definitely worry. Is the basement open or is it drywalled? If it's drywalled or otherwise covered then it's more of a guessing game. Look for water damage inside where the cracks are outside.

 

[Hecubus28]

This is a poured slab foundation, Wood frame house with a brick veneer. In the picture of the crack you can see it goes through a few of the bricks. On the inside of the house we did not see any structure damage. No cracks in the drywall or ceiling. Doors shut with no problems.

 

[Hecubus28]

Depends on the size and profile of the cracks, but I'd get a structural engineer to look at it on his dime. If he does not want to then I'd walk. Small hairline cracks are not usually the end of the world. Larger "staircase" cracks are not good. If the cracks are outside and inside then I'd definitely worry. Is the basement open or is it drywalled? If it's drywalled or otherwise covered then it's more of a guessing game. Look for water damage inside where the cracks are outside.

This house does not have a basement. A lot of houses here don't have them since it is pretty expensive as the bedrock is not very deep.

 

[Exterous]

The house was built in 1987. The crack is pretty large, I could stick my finger in it, this is not just a hair line crack in the mortar but it has gone through the middle of quite a few cracks.

Ah - I misunderstood. I thought the brick/block was the actual foundation.

Its been a number of years since I was involved in the building industry (and I was never a structural engineer) but cracks through block or brick are always more concerning. If you love the house I would definately get a professional to look at it. Just be prepared that if, for whatever reason, you don't buy the house that is money gone. IMO its well spent but thats up to you

 

[Exterous]

On the inside of the house we did not see any structure damage. No cracks in the drywall or ceiling. Doors shut with no problems.

Drywall cracks are very easy to cover up. Doors less so but how likely those are as indicators would depend on their location relative to the cracks

 

[bignateyk]

This is a poured slab foundation, Wood frame house with a brick veneer. In the picture of the crack you can see it goes through a few of the bricks. On the inside of the house we did not see any structure damage. No cracks in the drywall or ceiling. Doors shut with no problems.

Hmm.. so the crack isn't really in the foundation... just the brick veneer? I wouldn't be as worried about that since the veneer isn't structural.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Oh if there's no basement and it's just a crack in the bricks then yeah I would not worry, most likely not structural. I'd still get a structural engineer to come see it to confirm though.

Even on a brick house, it's actually 2x4 or 2x6 studs behind the bricks that's holding the rest of the house up.

 

[Hecubus28]

What the inspector was concerned about was that the lintel supporting the brick could have broken away from the foundation causing the bricks to crack from the lack of support. He didn't give me any prices but said is usually pretty costly to fix.

If it is just a veneer and isn't supporting a structural load could be a reason I didn't see any foundation issues on the inside of the house I guess.

So hopefully this might be just a minor issue.

We are really ready to get out of our current living situation. We had a house fire last month that was a complete loss.

 

[Exterous]

Hmm.. so the crack isn't really in the foundation... just the brick veneer? I wouldn't be as worried about that since the veneer isn't structural.

It can depend. If the cracks are different widths at the top or bottom it can signify movement. Its the 'why' behind the movement that can be concerning. If they aren't properly supported fixing the veneer can be expensive and finding similar colored bricks can be very difficult

 

[MrDudeMan]

First of all, don't freak out about the crack. It may not be a big deal.

OP is this a brick foundation or a block foundation? Also - are the cracks through the mortar or through the actual masonry? If its through the mortar is not as big of a concern but if it broke a brick then I would be much more concerned about possible issues

Yes but in general cracks in brick foundations are more concerning than a poured concrete foundation.

Brick and block are nonsense. For a house, the foundation is either post-tension slab, rebar slab, or pier and beam. He knows it is slab, but I'm guessing he doesn't know which type. OP, look for marks on the side of the foundation spaced at even increments in the vertical center of the slab. They will look like 1" holes that were patched. If you see these marks, it means the slab is post-tension. If not, it is probably rebar.

The crack is most likely related to one of two things: soil related differential foundation movement or thermal brick expansion and contraction. Answer the following questions please:

1) Is the crack the same width, or wider at the top or bottom?
2) Are there any trees nearby (located a horizontal distance equal to, or less than 1.5x the current tree height)?
3) Are there any retaining walls, slopes or drop offs nearby?
4) How is the drainage around the house?
5) How long is the brick exterior wall of the house?
6) Are there any brick joints in the wall?
7) How long has the brick been cracked?

Any settling the foundation is going to do is likely already done given the age. Brick veneer is more brittle than sheetrock, and as such, shows distress first.

 

[Metron]

Be very cautious... that could be a significant foundation issue. Sorry to hear about your troubles. I built a new house in 1996, and I luckily had no issues.

My next door neighbor was not so lucky. They had a great 2 story with a flying staircase over a 2 story high ceiling living room. About 2 years after moving in, a huge crack went up the middle of the house... inches wide in both the sheetrock and exterior brick of the living room. The neighbors had spent about $30,000 on a very nice pool, integrated hot tub and deck in the back yard.

After having the builder and then engineers examine the property, the engineers determined that a sub-contractor had cracked the sewer line under the center of the foundation. Years of effluent leakage was entering the surrounding clay soil, expanding the center of the house upward and literally splitting the house in two. This, even with a post tension reinforced slab.

The neighbors hired a lawyer, who advised them to sell the house... which was the only way to establish the diminished value, and then sue the builder. As you may know, pools/hot tubs rarely add or subtract value to a home. Neighbors lost their "dream house."

Caveat emptor... don't jump from a fire into a difficult situation. If you really like the house, have a structural engineer examine the house. Get estimates to fully repair any issues, and deduct those from your offer.

 

[Exterous]

Brick and block are nonsense. For a house, the foundation is either post-tension slab, rebar slab, or pier and beam. He knows it is slab, but I'm guessing he doesn't know which type.

Yeah - I didn't read clearly. When I saw the construction year of 1987 I re-read the OP and realized my mistake

 

[Hecubus28]

1) The crack seemed to be a little larger just in the middle, the top and bottom was about the same size.

2) There are two trees, they might be of equal distance to the house. They are not super tall trees.

3) The yard does have a gentle slope away from the foundation on this side of the house.

4) The seller hasn't mentioned any drainage issues. We in a extreme drought part of the country so I haven't seen the yard after it has rained.

5) How long is the brick exterior wall of the house? On this side of the house it might be about 30-40ft,

6) Are there any brick joints in the wall? This question I am not sure.

7) How long has the brick been cracked? The seller didn't say how long it has been cracked and it was not listed on the disclosure form that it was cracked.



One thing to note is that we are in part of the country that has been really dry this summer and we do have expansive clay soil. Most of the foundation repair companies have at least a 3 week period before they can take new work as they are so busy this year.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Unless the answers to 6 and 7 are more than 20 feet away and a long time, respectively, then it appears to be the result of foundation movement. In the close up picture it appears that the brick / mortar crack has been cosmetically repaired (aka pointed up) at some time in the past and then re-appeared, also reinforcing the fact that it is foundation related, as it seems to be ongoing and not just a one-time event.

 

[Hecubus28]

Yea, there was silicone in the crack. It looks like someone tried to seal it at one point.

 

[SirStev0]

I had some structural issues with the house I bought on inspection. Got me another 6500 off the price.
You put it as either they fix it to satisfaction or they take off xxx dollars.

 

[Doppel]

OP is this a brick foundation or a block foundation? Also - are the cracks through the mortar or through the actual masonry? If its through the mortar is not as big of a concern but if it broke a brick then I would be much more concerned about possible issues

One view I've heard is that if it's through the brick it simply shows the mortaring was well done. I know many cracks follow a stair step approach and skip the brick, but particularly on hollow block foundation walls I think it's pretty common to see cracks through the bricks. I know I have some and they've not moved in a while and don't bother me. Tiny hairline cracks are extremely common and a person would be very hard pressed to find a non-new wall without some somewhere, even if very small.

The cracks in the OP's picture are quite a bit, but if they happened a long time ago (may be hard to tell) probably no big deal. I take pictures of my exposed foundation walls from time to time to check back on any movement.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I did not notice the pics at first... I would definitely get that checked. The fact that it broke right through bricks means there is quite a lot of force in that direction. Since there's no basement and it's just a slab, what I'd check for is any unevenness in the floor on the inside of the house in that area. It almost looks like one part of the wall is sinking and since the wall is sitting on the slab (at least that's how I imagine it would be built) then part of the slab may be sinking too. I'm no expert though, get it checked.