Skip to content
×
Try PRO Free Today!
BiggerPockets Pro offers you a comprehensive suite of tools and resources
Market and Deal Finder Tools
Deal Analysis Calculators
Property Management Software
Exclusive discounts to Home Depot, RentRedi, and more
$0
7 days free
$828/yr or $69/mo when billed monthly.
$390/yr or $32.5/mo when billed annually.
7 days free. Cancel anytime.
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here

Join Over 3 Million Real Estate Investors

Create a free BiggerPockets account to comment, participate, and connect with over 3 million real estate investors.
Use your real name
By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.
The community here is like my own little personal real estate army that I can depend upon to help me through ANY problems I come across.
Rehabbing & House Flipping
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

Updated almost 6 years ago on . Most recent reply

User Stats

7
Posts
2
Votes
Paul Smetona
2
Votes |
7
Posts

Basement Foundation Repair - How involved might this job be?

Paul Smetona
Posted

I'm considering placing an offer on a house that has an issue with the basement foundation. The Point of Sale inspection has an item that simply states "replace damaged foundation." Here in the Cleveland Ohio suburbs, the POS inspectors are notoriously vague with their reports, and I'm not a foundation expert so I'm trying to judge how big of a risk this job might be. I do plan to have a contractor come out to take a look before I make an offer, but I wanted to see if anyone here on BP might have some good insights into what I'm looking at and what might be involved in fixing this.

To me, it just looks like some water damage, but nothing major. Maybe dig up the outside of this corner and waterproof, then clean up the interior and seal any cracks with hydraulic cement or the like.

Thanks! 

Most Popular Reply

User Stats

384
Posts
318
Votes
Russell Gronsky
  • Specialist
  • Baltimore, MD
318
Votes |
384
Posts
Russell Gronsky
  • Specialist
  • Baltimore, MD
Replied

@Paul Smetona, these are horizontal cracks which are the worst kind. And it looks like they were not taken care of when they first started and they have now made their way around to adjacent walls. The entire structure of this house is now suspect. I would have a company specializing in foundation repair come look at this AND I'd have a structural engineer look at it as well. 

These cracks look deep and not something that can be fixed with cement.

As a side note, it looks like there is likely leaks in between where the slab and wall meet so on top of doing significant foundation repair, you'll need to install an interior or exterior french drain.

I am only going off 3 pictures so I could be wrong but this does not look like a cheap and easy issue to fix. Do NOT take this issue lightly. This looks quite serious. Get specialists to look at this, not just a GC.

Loading replies...