When I see obvious problems my mind automatically switches into an investigative mode. I look at things a little differently after seeing certain problems. Of course, there could be many reasons that a certain system in a house would fail, so I start looking to see if there is a larger problem. This picture leaves little to investigate, because I know the history of this 100+ year old house.
If you look closely (or maybe you don't have to) you'll see the door frame is lower on the left than on the right. The major problem is the what is going on with the ceiling. The high point in the ceiling is directly over the door and almost exactly in the middle of the room. After a little measurment and some inspection of the stone foundation it is obvious that the foundation is settling and there is a support in the center of the home that isn't (well at least not at the same rate). The kitchen is on the other side of that door and this next picture show the settling even better.
No that is not some trick with the camera. The outside walls are actually settling that badly. I'll put one more up to demonstate the age of the home. This is the passage toooo the the cellar. That wall on the left is actually the one in the center of the home keeping the house from settling uniformly.
The really dark hole to the right and further down the passage is the actual cellar. The floor slopes down here, starting at about 4' tall to about 6' at the end.
Jack Gilleland
Home Inspection Services, Clayton
Clayton, Ohio
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