Are you looking to buy a home listed as a “fix up” to renovate it to either sell or hold? There are some homes because of structural issues are simply not worth renovating. The older the house the more these complications can occur. Here are some suggestions of problems to look for:
· FOUNDATION –
Slab - An addition to a house built on a slab of concrete may lack a proper foundation support (a minimal 3’ deep footing around the periphery of the slab). This occurs when a patio or garage has been converted to living space without a permit. Hints of problems are vertical cracks where the addition connects to the building, cracks in the flooring and significant sinking.
Crawlspace – Multiple large cracks and sinking foundation walls may be an indication of a severe structural problem that cannot be cost-effectively corrected.
Basement Walls – In addition to problems mentioned above concerning crawlspaces, heaving basement walls could be an indication of a shifting foundation. However, water in the basement may also be as simple as ensuring all the gutters are functioning and moving the water at least 5’ away from the building (which will reduce the potential for cracks in the foundation walls).
· ROOF FRAME – Completely rebuilding a roof can become cost prohibitive for a basic renovation. Three areas of particular concern may necessitate rebuilding or reinforcing the roof:
Sagging – The older the house the more likely the roof structure (the triangle framed roof consisting of rafters and ceiling joists) or the slope rafters and roof deck boards may be sagging due to age or thickness (some turn-of-the-last century actually have 2 by 4 rafters).
Spreading - The tie rafter or ceiling joists (the lower horizontal member of the truss frame) are connected to the exterior bearing wall to prevent them from being spreading or forcing apart by the compression from the roof. These may be missing, not properly attached, or undersized.
Anchoring – Modern roofs are usually trusses and firmly clipped to the exterior walls. Some older houses don’t have this, which can cause the roof to move downward and cause the walls to push out.
· EVES & SOFFIT SUPPORT- Replacing eve fascia boards (normally behind the gutters) and soffits (the exterior ceiling board under the overhanging roof) is not an uncommon renovation requirement. However, if the triangle end of the frame (the eave overhang), upon which the eves and soffits are anchored to, has major rotting due to water damage, this can become a cause for concern about the stability of the roof structure and correspondingly a much greater expense.
· NON-BASIC CODE COMPLIANT ADDITIONS – Sometimes it is apparent that “Harry Homemaker” has added on rooms, converted space or finished the basement without following basic code requirements or demonstrating knowledge of rudimentary construction. The biggest concerns are exterior walls without an adequate foundation footing, bearing walls removed or improperly supported and new walls not built to code specifications. When this has occurred plan on having to completely redo what he did - Or run, don’t walk, away from this house.
· LOAD-BEARING WALLS – These walls are end points for floor and ceiling beams. Look for foundations or concrete footers in the basement/crawlspace that support a center beam that runs perpendicular to the floor joists. If there is a wall or beam directly above these on the next floor of the house, that wall or beam is load bearing. The roof is also braced from the ridge line to the top of the center bearing wall. Eliminating this ground to roof support system can jeopardize the stability of the house.
· SINKING FLOORS & CRACKING WALLS - Crevasses in the interior walls, dipping floors around the bearing wall, a spongy floor and missing or no plume posts can be indications that they are not properly supported. While, it may be a simple matter of adding an adjustable floor jack post in the basement/crawlspace to shore up the bearing wall, it also could be symptomatic of much bigger problems.
· LAND SLOPING TOWARD THE HOUSE – If one or more sides of the house have the yard grade heavily slopping toward the house, there is a strong potential for structural damage and/or basement/crawlspace flooding. Sometimes this can be easily corrected by re-grading the yard. However, if the adjoining yards are higher than the house it will require the installation of a V-channel, perhaps with a French drain system, to move the water away from the home.
· BRICK & MORTAR – A brick house is preferable to a frame house. However, the older the home the greater the potential for major remediation work needed to stabilize and strengthen the exterior brick walls.
Not All Brick Houses are the Same - Homes built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s (plus even some built after WWII) have “sand” brick which was not fire hardened. You’ll recognize it because its edges are many times rounded from the weather and you can carve your name in it with a pencil. The problem with this soft brick is that it is extremely difficult to anchor anything to it such as trim, windows, etc. plus the window sills are normally eroding away.
Leaning Exterior Brick Wall – An associate bought a Queen Anne Victorian house without realizing the two and half story brick wall on the south side was leaning out. It cost him a fortune to have scaffolding built to hold up the building while the whole wall was taken down and restored. No money was left for the house’s remaining renovation needs.
Mortar Deteriorates Over Time -. Typically problems are collapsing chimneys, missing bricks and crumbling or no mortar between bricks. While some tuck pointing can be done by a semi-skilled worker, replacing portions brick walls requires a mason (think expensive)
· BASEMENT FLOOR – The basement walls appear fine but the floor is heaving with numerous cracks. Inquire if this is caused by shifting soils which also affect the homes in the neighborhood. If its cause is an underground stream, expect to have to jack hammer up the whole basement floor and replace it, add perimeter under drain pipes plus a sump pump. You better get this house for a good deal to consider undertaking either of these expenses.
If the home has had any major restoration, replacement or construction work performed on it you can find out if any of these were done under permit. You can contact the county building department and they will give you the history of all permits pulled and completed. If major work has been done to the house and none of it under permit (and it looks it), don’t buy it.
Structural problems in particular may make a renovation economically unfeasible, but not always. For a reasonable price you can hire a structural engineer and you may discover what looks bad can be easily corrected. Whenever, I see these kinds of problem I call my structural engineer to do a preliminary screening to assess the nature of the problem. I have bought two homes for a great price because other buyers thought the structural problems were overwhelming but my engineer found economic solutions.
Special thanks to Robert Knickerbocker, Structural Engineer for assistance with writing this Blog and for the many times he helped me with purchasing and resolving problems with fix-up houses. If you have any questions about a house you are considering buying, turn to Robert. He can either do a economic structural review of the house or you can retain him as you Buyer’s Inspector. RTK Engineering - (303) 477-0044.
