I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but I've been getting great advice from this site...

We are buying a 20 year old home. We know the owners, and the price was right. There are some things that need repair and renovation. I just had a conversation with the current owner, and I have a concern. She mentioned to me "I forgot to point out to you...15 years ago when we bough the house, the inspector noticed a vertical crack in the foundation...he wasn't too concerned about it" The owners filled it up with some type of patch and never had a problem since.

Then I got thinking, when we looked at the house I noticed the following issues:


1) there were small cracks by the corner of 2 different windows (5" long).

2) The patio door (swinging door) sticks when you open it.

3) There are quite a few spots in the house with what I call "drywall nail pops" (little bulges where the fastener is coming out). Could this be from the a foundation issue?

4) One area of the house where drywall seams are showing. Nothings cracked, just the seems showing on 4 sheets of drywall on a staircase. Foundation related or just bad drywall job?

I was thinking that the 4 items above were just from the age and needing some renovation. Does this sound more like the foundation shifting? How concerned should I be? The current owners say the above issues have been there for many years.

What steps should I be taking to make sure I'm not buying a MAJOR issue? I'm going to have the house inspected next week. Should I be doing anything additional?

Thanks!

 

what you post suggests a shifting foundation,,, when you have the home inspection done, i hope you'll retain a professional engineer who can evaluate stability,,, a great price could come back to haunt you so anything you can learn up front is a plus it could be something as simple as a few helical piers ( $ 1,250 ea in atlanta ) or it could be more serious,,, no one can look thru the dirt but the right pe will come close imo,,, good luck !

 

One other factor: the house is in a very wet area.

I don't have a problem fixing all of the interior issues, but what I'm hearing you say is that basically it's a gamble and it may get worse and end up as a serious issue?

 

Does the house have a full cellar? Can the crack be seen, from the inside? How many floors does it have? Look at the main beam, for cracks.

 

All of the items you mentioned, by themselves, wouldn't ordinarily indicate major problems for future owners. Until I got to your indicating that the place was built in or near a swamp. I would never consider buying any home "in a very wet area" located in any climate zone. But especially not in Wisconsin, where severe freezing for 3 or 4 months of the year, to a depth of at least 4', combined with saturated subsoils, can wreak havoc with a house's foundation. You should make an effort to find a home inspector who's also a P.E., because the average home inspector will tell you to have further evaluations done by an engineer anyway. And start looking for another property, at the expense of ruining your friendship with the current owners.