hey, do we have any Foundation guys here, dudes or non dude guys who know stuff about foundations? like how bad does this look
There wasn't any noticeable shifting on the floors inside. The realtor used a phone app as a level but I'm pretty sure that's real iffy as an accurate measuring device.
the big crack on the corner by the exposed cables is on a side of the house near a large tree on the neighboring property
the realtor thought the shifting in the foundation was caused by the drain (covered by leaves in one of the pics) dumping water straight down, but when I looked at it again I noticed concrete that was poured under the gutter, probably intended to slant away and divert it into a little ditch leading to the street
so I'm thinking the shifting in the foundation predates the drainage issue and was maybe caused by the tree? I didn't see any big roots TOO close but, idk
this house is kind of small (smaller than our apartment) but it's in a bourgie cracker restaurant neighborhood, or close enough to walk to it, so I imagine the ol' housing-as-commodities we got going on means it will constantly increase in value as long
but idk if something like this means it's like totally fucked because we can't really afford to buy this place AND put tens of thousands of dollars into some foundation repair bullshit
p.s. side note it has a really nice neighborhood, neighbor across the street has a FREE SEED LIBRARY! and a COMMUNITY PLANT EXCHANGE! that's amazing, the neighbor on the side grows peppers and idk what else in above ground containers, looks like spicy shit too. The other neighbor is a soccer fan but nothing can be perfect right?
p.p.s. the realtor kept speaking of insane plans to expand the bathroom but it also has a very large attic that like imo if finished could add like A Bunch of Value to the house? so, idk, it might be a good idea???
it's so hard to decide because it's so much money and contracts and like what if the foundation is totally fucked??? I guess the owner was a contractor and he checked it out when he bought it, but it's been a rental property since 2007. The HVAC also looks old.
but if we take too long to decide, someone might just buy it up because like why not it's in this great location! who cares if the foundations is fucked if you have a million dollars to spend fixing it!
Disclaimer: although I have experience building, I don't have personal experience with brick foundations.
How old is this house? If it is a newer house, that seems like a sign of shoddy masonry, though it doesn't look new in those photos, so probably not relevant.
Those cracks don't look that bad to me, and I have heard the rule of thumb of not worrying too much about cracks thinner than a pencil in old masonry, but idk
What I can comment on is that I doubt that level of shifting was caused by the drainage based on the info you have presented. It could be caused by the tree and that is something to assess
I think it was built in 1948? the realtor kept stressing it was "old enough to stop settling" and stuff.
the real bad cracks i.e. the corner could maybe be pencil width, idk
yeah it's just like idk if it's worth paying to have it inspected because if it's expensive to fix then it's not worth doing.....
the floor wasn't uneven though, like this other house we saw had the foundation visibly btfo'd by a tree root and the house smelled mildewy and the floors were visibly warped