# looking to buy fixer upper - suggestions please



## lookingforanswers (Mar 30, 2017)

Looking at buying a fixer upper.

Advice needed on:

1. Rotten bottom of support beam in basement. The rest are good.

2. Sagging ceiling in front door foyer. Wall paper over some kind of ceiling material.

3. Strange discoloration on siding - it looks like somebody smeared roofing tar on it at some point in the past. What is it?

4. Wall support/butress installed in basement. I have never seen one of these before. In perfect condition and installed by government contractors in last five years. Wall appears to be plumb.

Water in basement is from spring thaw in eastern Canada.


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## lookingforanswers (Mar 30, 2017)

OP again.

Is it possible the discoloration on the siding is due to a non insulated portion of the house accumulating moisture then growing mold/mildew? 

The central window portion is exactly located underneath the kitchen sink -where the cabinet and drain would be.

The other section on the left is an unheated foyer room. Same section as sagging ceiling pic.


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## nealtw (Mar 30, 2017)

Pic 1. The steel post should be holding the weight.
Basement should never have water on the floor so some drainage to be dealt with.

Pic 2. sewer should have gone under the floor or around the house.

Pic 3. Looks like drywall or plaster is no longer attached and is ready to fall at any time.

Pic 4. Hard to tell about stain, could be something thrown at the house????
But if the kitchen is in this area there should be pipe coming out of the roof but one could be there and run across the attic to the other side of the house.

Pic 5. Although this looks like a wall built in any basement for finishing, it is more heavy duty. My guess would be it is now the bearing wall holding up that side of the house.


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## lookingforanswers (Mar 30, 2017)

nealtw said:


> Pic 1. The steel post should be holding the weight.
> Basement should never have water on the floor so some drainage to be dealt with.
> 
> Pic 2. sewer should have gone under the floor or around the house.
> ...



Pic 1. Gutter on front of house but not in back - Where the water is entering.

Pic 2. I can't change that. Is this going to be an issue with mortgage lenders?

Pic 3. I can handle that fix myself. I'm concerned their was a problem in the past which would have caused this.

Pic 4. https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/...Centennial-Avenue-Rexton-New-Brunswick-E4W1X4 - You can see that the stain runs across the front of the house. To a lesser extent on the sides as well but not a trace on the back.

Pic 5. Realtor indicated former owner was a war vet and received this as part of his retirement benefits. Apparently they indicated their was some issue with the wall and built this as a solution. 

Is pic 5. a deal breaker? 

Thanks in advance.


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## nealtw (Mar 30, 2017)

lookingforanswers said:


> Pic 1. Gutter on front of house but not in back - Where the water is entering.
> 
> Pic 2. I can't change that. Is this going to be an issue with mortgage lenders?
> 
> ...



1. Will want to be solved to have a healthy house for you and family.
2. money can fix anything. Maybe?
3. depending on skill level, it should be a DIY project.
4. But non on the south side that gets lot's of sun??
5 That would indicate a repair made with an engineer involved. 
There should be paperwork on that wall and it's purpose. Tell Mr Salesman to find that paperwork.
A normal floor is not thick enough to carry any load but that wall is and the steel posts are holding weight so I would think the floor thickness is substantial. 
The house looks nice enough for it's age and lot's of projects to make it a home. 
It all comes down to price and comparables.

Others should be along soon and may add thoughts here.:trophy:


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## slownsteady (Mar 31, 2017)

The sewer  pipe running through the basement is unusual. perhaps the septic used to be on that side of the house but now it is connected to city sewer system on opposite side. I would find that quite objectionable unless i never planned to use my basement for anything.
Have you taken a good look at the stone work behind that new wall? Is it the cause of other problems? Hire an inspector, if not an engineer, to help you assess those problems.
I would also take a look in the attic to see if there is water damage above that ceiling.


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## lookingforanswers (Mar 31, 2017)

nealtw said:


> 1. Will want to be solved to have a healthy house for you and family.
> 2. money can fix anything. Maybe?
> 3. depending on skill level, it should be a DIY project.
> 4. But non on the south side that gets lot's of sun??
> ...



Talked to the realtor and he said he doesn't have any paperwork on the wall. 

Any thoughts as to why all the windows in the basement have been removed and sealed with insulation? their were two or three originally. Break-ins or possibly damaged by foundation problems?

The wall support in the basement is on the same wall as the pic showing the siding discoloration - you can see they nailed a piece of an insulated metal door on the outside of each window.

Apparently it was formerly owned by an older couple who have since moved into a nursing home. They were likely not in a position to do the repairs themselves.


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## bud16415 (Mar 31, 2017)

We don&#8217;t know comp pricing in that area of the country. The seller says &#8220;This home is well priced and well below assessment and will sell very quickly.&#8221; You need to verify the first part of that quote and that will tell you if the second half is true. For starters do you know how long it has been on the market and if the price has been dropping. Around here that price for that house would be very attractive. The problems you mentioned or issues of concern would also hold many buyers back from making an offer just as you are. If it is a good deal and there is a market it will sell fast. 

I agree that wall in the basement was done to solve a structural problem. Take a look at the base and see if it looks like a new pour was done. That would tell you if a footer was put in that would be the pro way to do that. 

The pipe above the floor was the easy way to do it and it was a cost thing as the owner didn&#8217;t use the basement. Depending on how it divides the area and your use of the basement it might need to be fixed down the road. It has a lot of drop and could be rerouted around the outside walls of the foundation and still be above the floor, maybe. 

The siding could be anything. 

The ceiling looks to be old damage that was never fixed. It should be investigated more as mentioned. 

If they want 40k and the area comps are 80k and your skills and labor and material and hired labor to make it an 80k home only cost you 20k it is a great deal. That&#8217;s how you have to look at it.


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## lookingforanswers (Mar 31, 2017)

Picture of sealed window and what appears to be black sealant slopped on the walls - Someone wrote their initials on the wall beside it?


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## bud16415 (Mar 31, 2017)

Some things you will never know about. The windows look like some old guy trying to think of ways to save on heating and not being able to do ladders. I would put the windows back in at some point. It is nice in the summer to open them up and get some fresh air in the basement. 

You mentioned some tasks and skills you don&#8217;t have. What kind of things DIY do you see yourself doing in say this house? 

The heating looks to be updated. How new is the electrics and plumbing?


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## nealtw (Mar 31, 2017)

lookingforanswers said:


> Talked to the realtor and he said he doesn't have any paperwork on the wall.
> 
> Any thoughts as to why all the windows in the basement have been removed and sealed with insulation? their were two or three originally. Break-ins or possibly damaged by foundation problems?
> 
> ...



I think it is safe to think the wall is a repair of the foundation some unknown problem. Unless we choose to believe that a contractor took advantage of an elderly couple..

The windows were probably wood sash windows and rotted this would be a cheap fix.
Can't tell ground level in this picture but it may have dirt to high to the windows.


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## zannej (Mar 31, 2017)

Have you already purchased this house?
I will be completely honest with you, my gut says to skip this one and look for one that doesn't have structural problems. 

Also, you may have insulation issues in your attic. Unless someone has gone up and pushed the snow off of the roof, it looks like it has melted when there is snow all around-- that is a sign that heat is leaking out and melting the snow.

Also, you can check Zillow or other real estate sites and look at houses about the same size in your area to see comparable prices- and you can also see if that house is listed on Zillow.


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## nealtw (Mar 31, 2017)

zannej said:


> Have you already purchased this house?
> I will be completely honest with you, my gut says to skip this one and look for one that doesn't have structural problems.
> 
> Also, you may have insulation issues in your attic. Unless someone has gone up and pushed the snow off of the roof, it looks like it has melted when there is snow all around-- that is a sign that heat is leaking out and melting the snow.
> ...



:thbup: Good catch on the snow missing off the roof.


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## joecaption (Mar 31, 2017)

Looks like a money pit to me, the issues I'm seeing are not cheap to fix.


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## zannej (Mar 31, 2017)

I also just noticed that it looks like the downspout for your gutters is directing the water under the house-- right under that little deck/porch thing. I can't tell if it goes out from under and goes somewhere or if it is dumping under the house.

Siding looks a little dirty but in good shape. The deck looks to be fairly new and in good shape. Basement looks like an absolute nightmare though. Looks like it would be full of mold and mildew.

My guess is it looks like they were patching on the inside because of moisture leaking in from the outside-- which is a sign they might not have proper moisture barrier on the outside-- to seal it up, they would have to dig down around the basement below the frost level and seal it up. May also need to install a weeping tile. 

So, you're going to have to deal with removing rotted wood and reinforcing structure in the basement, sealing exterior and interior, perhaps getting a sump pump, doing something about that gap where the window is, framing/drywalling all around (if you want a finished basement), and doing something about the heat leaking from the roof (might even need a new roof) and I'd have those gutter downspout endings looked at. I wonder if the gutter carries the water to a spot where it is saturating the basement...

It's even possible that you may need mold remediation (which can cost around $3k). Probably need a structural engineer to come in and look at the basement to make sure it is sound-- and get a house inspector to come look at the place. If the seller won't pay for a house inspector, it might be worth it for you to pay for it to make sure you don't make a bad investment.

But, I'm with joe-- looks like a money pit.

Do you have more pictures of the rest of the house? Plumbing (under the sink so we can see if they have S-traps or not), any electrical you can see, kitchen condition, bathrooms, etc. Also, take a look in the attic if they will let you.


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## bud16415 (Mar 31, 2017)

Living in a northern climate that house doesnt look like it is leaking heat thru the roof. Snow is sitting in the valley just fine and is wind swept off the roof would be my guess. If it was melting you would see ice dams above the overhangs and ice sickles hanging off the gutters.  

There could be a million issues or none at all with the house and there is no reason to speculate without being there. It is a 40k house Canadian so about 30k US and an offer of 25k wouldnt be out of the ordinary. Thats a real fixer upper so some expectations have to be expected. I dont see anything that jumps out as mold to me there is a little water on the floor the furnace and WH are built off the floor the joists and framing to me looks like any old house. With it being a single story it isnt unrealistic for a home owner to give the exterior a paint job. I dont see it as a money pit based on the little we know. The only really odd thing in the house to me is that heavy framed wall in the basement. The rest looks like a house that needs some attention. 

The house we bought for 25k looked worse and it took one year of evenings and weekends to bring it back to life. I dont know if the OP would make that kind of a commitment. A house flipper would be interested if the area was one where a house could be flipped for a profit. Some areas just dont sell enough houses to flip like that. If it is a place / town the OP wants to live in then maybe this is a cheep way to go if they can do a good deal of the labor. I know they talked about financing this house. I wouldnt do it for more than 5 years if I didnt have the cash to buy it outright.


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## zannej (Apr 2, 2017)

Good points, bud.

One more question: Is an egress window required in basements in that location? Might need to put a window in if that is the case.


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## nealtw (Apr 2, 2017)

zannej said:


> Good points, bud.
> 
> One more question: Is an egress window required in basements in that location? Might need to put a window in if that is the case.



Egress would be for bedrooms.


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## lookingforanswers (Apr 3, 2017)

Thanks for all the feedback.

I'm going to let someone else pick this place up.

I'll just keep looking.


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