Structural Engineers: Would you buy this house?

[CobraJazz]

If you guys could give some opinions on this I would be really grateful.

I am looking to buy my first house. This house is really a beautiful piece of work, but there are some cracks in the brick work. It is about 30 years old, and sits on the side of a wooded mountain here in Kentucky. I am really leery of it with these cracks, but if anyone has some insight please pass it along.

I can post a bunch more photos if you want.

Here they are:

 

[SNCBOOM]

I'm not an engineer but...how many different areas are there of damage? I would immediately say "oh, hell no" after seeing something like that.

 

[ESVEETEE]

it's likely the case as was with (or similar to) my ex's parents' house. the foundation was being pushed off the side of the hill by the earth. i would pay someone to take a good look at it before ya buy.

 

[Raupleminze454]

The earth done moved.........

 

[CobraJazz]

The pics are of each spot. The cracks are on three sides of the house.

Here is a link to the MLS listing.
Picture Gallery for listing 50506

 

[SilverOne01]

+1 Pay the money for a Structural Engineer to look at it. There can be much more than any picture would show.

 

[SNCBOOM]

I'd pay someone to come look at the house. Assuming that you can get it for a good price.

 

[firebird1999us]

I've seen commercials for companies that come out and do full foundation repairs in cases like that...if it's not your house and it's not on some spectacular piece of property though I'd stay the hell away from that kind of damage!:shrug:

 

[DALLASRACING]

Call around. Some foundation guys give free inspections.

 

[1cbitten]

This is sometimes a result of the ground settling after being built but since being on a side of a hill and looking to be extensively cracked on three sides I would consult a professional to come check. The structural integrity is definitly compromised IMO.

 

[BLK03SVT10TH]

Not sure about the Laws in your State, but sometimes if you have Structural Damage like that fixed, it will go on your Title and it can not be removed. That puts a permanent black mark on you home and can seriously affect your resale value.

And to answer your question, HELL NO, I wouldn't touch that house with a 10 foot pole.

 

[Fenah]

Im not a SE, but even I wouldn't buy that >_<.

 

[61mmstang94]

House looks like a really nice place.

I would spare yourself the advice from the majority of people posting in this thread who know nothing about how severe the damage is just by looking at the pics and have someone physically come out to the house and do a thorough inspection just to tell you how bad the damage is and then if it's necessary to fix it and how much a repair would cost if necessary.

But that's just me, because the house looks beautiful and I wouldn't pass on it until someone who knew what they were looking at came by the house and inspected it for me.

Good luck either way, the house looks sweet other than whatever damage might be done.

 

[WishIHadSVT]

^^^ What he said.

The foundation has settled - a lot. A wooded hillside sounds like my kind of place, get a pro to come look at it before you pass on it completely. The cracks could also be used as leverage for a lower price.. . .

 

[zerocool]

No sir. Cracking bricks is a pretty good sign that your foundation isn't very solid. Stay the hell away.

 

[Bad Fish]

There's definitely something up with the drainage around the home. Check to see where all the gutters drain and how/where the up-hill side of the homes ground water is diverted away from the foundation. If the gutter water drains straight down to the foundation without any diversion away from the home you probably have issues and it's probably been like that for a long time only making the situation worse. Same goes for the ground water, but it's harder to detect and will probably require a professional in the field to give his/her opinion. Do not a hire a "Home Inspector" for something this specific.

 

[Team Dave]

Beatiful home and view otherwise

 

[61mmstang94]

There's definitely something up with the drainage around the home. Check to see where all the gutters drain and how/where the up-hill side of the homes ground water is diverted away from the foundation. If the gutter water drains straight down to the foundation without any diversion away from the home you probably have issues and it's probably been like that for a long time only making the situation worse. Same goes for the ground water, but it's harder to detect and will probably require a professional in the field to give his/her opinion. Do not a hire a "Home Inspector" for something this specific.

In other words, you don't know what you're looking at through just a couple pics and having someone come out and do an inspection is the only way to tell exactly what the deal is before you decide to pass on the house.

 

[Granelli31]

Just had to repair the same thing in an old brick office building that we own in downtown SF. Basically you need to get an experienced engineer/contractor to come look at it and then give you an opinion. Sometimes stuff like this looks a lot worse then it is and sometimes it's a lot worse then it looks.

 

[Romans8:28]

Well I am a mechanical engineer with experience in architectural design also.....

As other have said an actual on-site inspection by a competent person is the only way to properly assess the situation.

Having said that.......

Cracking in brick veneer walls (even what appears "major') must be kept in perspective. A brick wall has essentially no elasticity. Any foundation movement or expansion/contraction in the wood framing that it is attached to will create a crack.

Often the "movement" I described is no greater than what is occurring in a house sided with wood, vinyl, masonite, etc it is simply the fact that a brick veneer surface is going to "show" the crack instead of masking it.

My home is brick built in 1967, has its fair share of cracks but is far more "sturdy" than most recent construction. It has essentially "settled" to the point where an equilibrium has been reached. All homes are at the mercy of wood and soil moisture changes as they age.

Bottom line is have everything properly examined. It is to soon to write it off just because of these cracks.