HELP: Inspection found 3 Major Issues Not Sure What To Do

[Justin B.]

We just had an inspection done on the duplex we put an offer on, unfortunately there are some major concerns that came up in the inspection report, and I was wondering if anyone could give me any idea on how major the issue is, and how much it might cost me (I live in Cleveland which is a cheaper realty area in the country). 

Perhaps one of the biggest issues we have is with the front porch and back porch. The front porch has very old and furry looking joists. The back patio has some bricks missing from the corner upholding the structure together. Also the front patio doesn't seem to be supported well. My opinion is that if either porch structure collapsed, it would wreck the house and hurt the foundation even more.

The second biggest issue we have is half the walls and ceilings show sign of sagging because the plaster has come undone, this seems to be a pretty expensive fix, considering it's in both kitchens, and most bedrooms in both units. What would you budget to correct this? The house has never been updated since the 70's.

The last issue we have is there seems to have been a leak in a finished room in a corner of the basement, next to a wall that seems to be a little out of plumb due to a small 11 inch diameter tree trunk growing on the side of the house. I would cut the tree down and that would be the end of it, but if the leak continues, we would possibly have to deal with the flooring which looks like Asbestos tiles, according to the inspector, which I know myself would be expensive to remediate. 

We paid 135k for this duplex, there are other issues, mostly which I am willing to fix or the city point inspection will require the seller to fix, so I already know going into this property we have to update some items. Comps in the area show duplexes like this going for 130k all the way up to 155k.

I am not sure how much to ask for in seller concessions to fix these major 3 problems that I don't want sneaking up on us as we fix the other stuff that came up in the inspection.

Any advice for the repairs, costs, what I should pay for the place etc.?

BiggerPockets has been the biggest resource on the web for real estate, I don't hesitate to always recommend the site to any investor or professional. I am hoping you guys will come through for me!

Best Regards,

[JD Martin]

Pictures are a little hard for me to see. That said:

1. Picture 1 looks like a quickie support job for a failing brick support column. Easy to fix if the foundation for the pier is solid - put a temporary support next to it and rebuild the column, or go to a permanent steel (or 6x6 pressure treated wood, if you prefer) support. That is more a feature of cosmetics than utility, which way you go. If you can see this, and it's integral to the house, it will probably look stupid with the wood prop.

2. Picture 2 doesn't look like anything, really, unless we're talking a split in that joist (can't tell) or a scabbed support for the older looking joist (also can't tell). Deck boards look good from the bottom, in the picture at least.

3. Picture 3 just needs bricks added in, repointed and rebuilt; only appears to be missing 5-10 bricks.

4. No real good way to fix sagging plaster lathe. What's usually done is a drop ceiling (cheap and fast) or drywall over top of it (not as cheap or fast). You also can't tell if it's a sagging joist and not sagging lathe without opening something up. If you want to open it, open it at the lowest point of the sag - then you can tell if it's a lathe support issue, sagging joist, water damage (water collects at the low point), etc.

5. Looks like dampness from subsoil or a crawl space next to the finished area. Either way, you would correct the source of water and go right over top of that flooring, whether it's asbestos or not, unless you're a glutton for punishment. 

What should you budget? That's a really hard question to answer. I had a sagging chimney straightened and repointed and a couple of foundation vents put in a few months ago for $750 all in. I would think you could get the masonry work done for a grand, flooring is whatever your space is, correcting the water source may be free, and figure on a drywall job on all the ceilings, probably $2-5 grand depending on SF and finish (popcorn, etc). That is a very vague guess, and you'll not know for sure unless you get someone out to look at it if you don't know the estimates yourself. 

PS: Rarely does a porch failure hurt the foundation of a house. Most porches sit to the outside of the house box, except for the roof, as evidenced by your piers and lattice rather than a block, rock or brick wall. I've seen a few porches demo'd and if you strap a good chain to one on a strong truck, you can usually pull the entire structure down without hurting the house (assuming you sliced the roof first).