[Bay area] House with foundation issues

Google
OYMa48

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OYMa48
Mar 27 29 Comments

Hello folks,
Any thoughts on buying a property with sloped floors? House is 50 years old (common in the bay area) and has visible sloping in the floors. Seller has included a foundation report (reviewed and fix proposed by a structural engineer) and the cost of fixing is quoted as 20k. We essentially need to stabilize the foundation where piers are installed. We are okay with the cost for fixing as the house needs significant remodel anyway but worried about foundation issue alone (if this will be a recurring problem, etc). Realtor thinks this is common for older homes and can be fixed in a number of ways (via settling compound, etc) WWYD? Deal breaker?

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TOP 29 Comments
  • Google
    StuckAtL4

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    StuckAtL4
    Hard NO

    Foundation issues which are quoted as upwards of 15-20k can easily go to 50k+ when they actually start working on it
    Mar 27 0
  • HPE
    odBP62

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    odBP62
    So here are my 2 cents from experience. And hope that helps
    Foundation issues are the worst. Ask why do u see that..in my case it was because of clay soil and the problem can go away only of the piers went down all the way to the rock .

    Ask for guarantee from the foundation company for free repair if the problem comes back next season. If they don't, might be an issue .
    But also get a few quotes and inspection from other inspectors
    Mar 27 0
  • Apple
    pol$

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    pol$
    I wouldn’t touch. Where is this house located ? This can run easily into 100s of thousands.
    Mar 27 5
  • Cisco / Eng
    Shit’s Co

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    Shit’s Co
    Depends on location. Lots of Bay Area houses have this problem, eg millbrae, willow glen where land is sinking. Most people don’t fix it unless it’s very severe isssue.
    Mar 27 1
    • Intel
      rogertat

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      rogertat
      Agree on with this. Spans across multiple areas in south and east bay.. and also its safer to set 50k to avoid surprises if u were to budget for it.. I know certain areas in east bay where so many houses get underpinned and sell like hot cakes.. all this aside, as others raised, question is if it's worth going that route
      Mar 27
  • i think you got what you needed from everyone else, but i will add: post and pier are a cesspool of pests. rats love living under houses, our realtor won’t even let us consider post and pier houses. stay away!
    Mar 27 2
    • HPE
      odBP62

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      odBP62
      +1 on this. We sold that home and moved to the slab foundation home.
      But I heard plumbing fixes in slab foundations are super hard..Is that true ?
      Mar 27
    • yeah you can’t move plumbing around as easily. we’re lucky to have a basement, so our 1st floor stuff is easy to fix, but say you want to move a toilet drain in the basement from A to B, you’re screwed. got a burst sewer pipe? gotta destroy that slab to get to it.
      Mar 27