Beam Me Down, Scottie
WHY DID THIS HOUSE EVEN GET TO THE HOME INSPECTION PHASE???
As Jay said, this property contained many defects. Did the buyer even tour the property before making the offer??? Was the price just too good to pass on???
What did the disclosure, if any, disclose. I believe this would have been a Virginia property since Jay is in Virginia. That is even more risky for home buyers. Virginia doesn't require disclosure and few sellers use the disclosure route. Caveat emptor is the nature of business in Virginia. I have no problem with that but, why did the buyer even write on this house????
Did the buyer's agent have blinders on??? Did the buyer write without touring the property???
Was there a buyer's agent??
Or, was the buyer a BUBBA???
It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to know when a house is unstable. Why did this buyer have to spend home inspection money to be told the obvious.
Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.
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While in a crawl space recently I couldn't help but notice a poorly-founded beam. This is the main support beam under the center of the original portion of a country home with numerous additions.
The beam has moved as the makeshift columns underneath have moved. This is very poorly done. This has likely been shifting downward from day one.
Beam support is crucial to the entire structure of any house. This is a "built-up beam," composed of three 2x10" planks that are only nailed together.
Not only is the beam not supported well, but it is also not sufficiently-sized for what it is asked to do. And the planks are merely nailed together, with no support under the splices.
This beam should have been made more solid with numerous through bolts in addition to properly-spaced and founded columns underneath.
How do I know it has moved?
These are just two of many photos I could have taken of the wall above that beam. The gap of the settling kitchen floor on the left is 1 1/2" and the gap of the living room floor on the right is 1". That gap varied all along that same contiguous wall. And walking along the wall created quite a bounce!
My recommendation: Transference of load onto proper support is what makes a house stand for a long time. Start at the bottom and work upward to see if support is large enough and properly positioned.
You can beam me UP now, Scottie.
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