Making lemonade out of lemons is probably one of the best adages I can think of for learning to be creative and solving problems in real estateif there is a problem with a property or dimension issues you dont always have to go to a contractor to solve the problemcontractors have a certain mindsetand are operating on a specific paradaigmhere are some solutions I have done in the past that have really worked and paid dividendsi had an ejector pump in a bathroom and the space was covered by a makeshift door I decided to have a custom cabinet built that functioned as a trash receptacle and had shelves as well now the unsightly space is home to a beautiful custom cabinet that can be easily removed for servicing the pump when it needs it problem two I bought a house that had front of the shower enclosure removedrather than buy another shower enclosure cost 500.ooi opted to replace the front wall with backer board and tile the front and ended up with a beautiful custom look cost was cheaper than replacing shower enclosure and the look is twice as good problem threewhen i bought my house there was a hole knocked out one of the walls about the size of a  door i suppose thieves came in from the crawl space into this part of the house when it was vacantrather than close in the spacei enlarged the crawls space door poured a concrete floor and created a second exterior doorway to the space making the downstairs ready to become a legal apartment. 

I have the free version.Dropbox is indispensable for me.  

Or any other solution to this problem.

Is the only solution in those cases to dig up the slab? 

The trouble is that the owner has a partner who may or may not agree and would just want cash upfront. what would be the best solution for this problem?

Continue to learn, continue to read, check out some success stories and innovative investing to hear about optimistic investments as well as unusual solutions.

Or, do you have any alternative solutions that might save me some money on this item?

Whatever solution you ultimately wind up with, pay the money, get it surveyed, and get that survey recorded in the official records.Hope that helps.  

Definitely a solid solution if you want to avoid running ductwork.

Simple and cheap solution.