We are currently closing on a house in Washington State and our inspector found some minor structural problems. We approached the builder / general contractor to see if he might correct them being that the house is technically still covered under its original warranty. However, he basically came back with that the problems had no basis and the inspector doesn't know what he is talking about. I've posted a copy of the original inspection report if anyone cares to look at it here:
http://design.medeek.com/house/INSPECTION_REPORT.pdf (http://design.medeek.com/house/INSPECTION_REPORT.pdf)
Maybe I'm just overly concerned here or overly picky since I am a mechanical engineer by trade.
I know a lot of you have building experience and probably have a better idea of what constitutes a "structural" problem than I do so I want to see what your opinions might be. The area of interest is page 12 and 13 of the report, the pictures give you an idea of the problems but more pictures would be helpful.
My only area of expertise on your report is the hvac section. If the inspector noted that the filter was dirty and the system has not been maintained it might be a good idea to have the system inspected by a heating and cooling company. I have done this type of work for over 12 years and people get themselves into trouble right after buying houses all the time. Not only does a dirty system decrease the efficiency of the system it also shortens the lifespan of the equipment. It is not uncommon here in Charlotte to find systems 5 to 7 years old that are in such poor condition that replacement is the most realistic choice.
A filter that has not been changed often enough will lead to the buildup of dirt on the evaporator coil and blower assembly. Dust/dirt as little as 1/16" on a blower assembly has been shown to reduce the systems airflow by as much as 20% A dirty evaporator coil causes a system to run outside the normal pressure ranges and shortens the life of the unit (specifically the compressor) also the elevated pressures can lead to leaks in the refrigerant system.
While I am not sure what they will charge for a real estate inspection by ab hvac contractor in your area would cost. I would say it would be money well spent. The housing market at least in this area is still a buyers market so finding these items can be a real negotiating point on the sale. Hope this helps
Brian
man that one picture with 2 beams sharing one post looks extremely sketchy.
I think that is one of the worst ones, it doesn't even appear to be secured anywhere at the top to the overhead beams. Note even sure how this got by the inspector. You would think that living in a seismically active area would make builders pay more attention to this stuff.
What really gets me is the house was originally sold for $655,000 in 2007, you know the GC made good money on it and overall it is a beautiful house, but then you go into the crawl space and the nuts and bolts of the house are somewhat sketchy. Just doesn't make much sense, I guess because the structural components in the crawl space are not visible the contractor figured it doesn't really matter and sloppy workmanship is good enough.
I wouldnt even want to stand near that beam in its current state. Why do they use wooden posts, is this normal in your part of the world, everything here in canada is metal posts (i think they are called dolley posts).
That pier and beams that are just sitting there with no visible means of lateral support make me wonder what other bad practices might be hidden.
I could be wrong, as I am not an engineer, but that beam that is notched out on the bottom so it can fit over the pier coming up from the bottom does not look good. (P12 right bottom. ) And the short stub of a pier is just resting on another?
And there is a pier/post that should be PT and is not?
With all the numbers of homes around that are for sale I would not want this one unless I knew precisely how much corrections would cost an a proper allowance made to the purchase price. That would also have to reflect some amount for the "general nuisance factor" of having to make substantial repairs.
Sounds like the builder wants nothing to do with his responsibilities and could declare bankruptcy and wash his hands of the whole thing if pressed. I don't think I'd want to get into that as a potential buyer.
Anyhow, all that was free, didn't cost you a dime, so take it for what's worth.
Appreciate everyone's responses. Unfortunately, I'm kind of locked in now since my wife "has to have the house" but I'm hoping this is all that was sloppily done. Now its got me wondering about all of the other houses in the neighborhood built by this guy. If we get another major earthquake in the Seattle area we're all going to be in trouble.
That wooden post sitting on the concrete pier pad is a standard practice. The two beams with the post poorly wedged under must have taken place after final inspection to try and support a problem that occurred after the fact, would be my guess. I don't know this builder but have worked in the area quite a lot during the time this house was built. 2007 There was a lot of homes that work just came to a stop while others were quickly finished and sold at reduced prices. I think your inspector did his job and showed you what you should be aware of.
It looks like a beautiful house and it is a nice area to live.
Turns out the home warranty probably transfers so once we finally close I will submit the paperwork. Does anyone know a good General Contractor (licensed, insured etc...) in the area (Snohomish County, WA) that I can have give me an estimate on what it will take to bring everything up to code? Honestly I can probably fix everything myself however for the insurance people I will probably need a third party opinion.
nothing I read in the inspection report would scare me off if the price was right.