Explanations.
Ok, based on the comments I'm getting, I guess I need to clarify some things regarding the house:
First off, we *did* pay for a house inspection, BEFORE we bought. I also had two engineers from my firm check out the house at the same time. (I work for a consulting company, and we deal with soil mechanics, house construction, groundwater and stability issues all the time.) All of the problems that we are encountering were NOT visible during the home inspection, nor during the two following inspections that we had. We're finding all this stuff out because we have basically gutted the basement. How would *anyone* know that the wiring was wrong, when it's tucked up into the ceiling? Same with the plumbing, most of this stuff was behind the walls. We only found out about the mold in the bathroom and the overflow pipe being cut, because we removed the tub!
As far as the foundation crack, there were some signs from outside that this could be a *potential* problem. If we would have had typical January weather, we would have been fine. But we got a crazy rainfall, and there was nowhere for the water to go, but in. We don't know if the crack was there before or not. We're still trying to find out if the previous owners knew anything.
We certainly are going to go after whoever it was that cut the overflow pipe for the tub. In my books, that's almost malicious. We've got the lawyer working on things now.
Had we just slapped some paint on the walls and moved in, we never would have known any of this was wrong. But we didn't. We decided early on that we'd gut and re-do the basement, so that we would know it was done right, and we would know exactly what was under the ceiling and behind the walls.
And the saving grace in all this is that we caught all the unsafe electrical stuff, all the wonky plumbing stuff, and all that mold, BEFORE we were living there. BEFORE we carpeted, painted, and moved all our stuff in. It would be SO much harder to try and fix this while we (and all our animals) were living there. Now I know we will be living in a safe home, with no mold, and no fire hazards. That's worth the past few weeks of stress. Really, it is.
Anyone have any more questions??
posted by Jenn @ 9:20 AM
6 Comments:
Babe, I'm so sorry this is all so futzed up. But - you're right. You're getting it all done now, and when it's done, it will be done. And it will be a home you love.
Love you!
Feithy
I haven't been commenting because I figured you would have had a home inspection (most people do when they buy a resale home) but that an inspection would not necessarily reveal all these *hidden* things you've been finding.
Like you I was thinking how much better it was to find out now, rather than later.
Here's to no more surprises!
Why hire a home inspector, if all they do is look in the places that I can already see? Shouldn't it be their job to look under the tubs, and behind the fixtures, in in all those hidden places that home-reno nuts just love to mess around in? Where better mold to grow than under a tub? (Granted, your ex-resident nut-job really went the extra mile of cutting that pipe!) If all the inspector does is look for superficial contamination, does that mean that those of us who do not gut and do-it-right to our new houses before we move in as you were able to do, are doomed?! Because I'm sure yours is not such an unusual thing. (I had a friend who, upon moving in, discovered half his entire house - a new addition that had been added years before, was due to completely collapse any day! He had to rebuild the entire wing, including laying a real foundation! His inspector didn't catch it, either. And sadly, I've known aquaintences, and dad's of friends, who were those nut-jobs who doom those houses.)
So I guess my question is this - How do we, the general world, insure that an inspection is worth it? We can't ever know what's there until we tear walls down? Is it all just buyer beware, take that leap of hope, and clean up the mess that someone else has made?
I'm very sorry my tone is so bleak. It's not directed at you - it's directed at every nut who's ever wrecked a house and left it for others to deal with. (Can you tell I've had personal dealings with such idiots? Our pipes were re-installed so the water flowed up. It cost us a lot to fix, and the moron who did it is still out there, only he works on apartment buildings now. Beware!!)
I hope that your lawyer can make some headway. Maybe the world will be a better place if the people who do things to imperil the homes of those who follow can be made acountable for their actions.
Again, I'm sorry if my comments annoy, but I do wish you all the best - your house will soon be in better shape than the rest of our houses!
Hey, Anonymous, your comments don't annoy at all. They're all very valid...
but I'm curious, who are you?
To anonymous: I think most of it is buyer beware...and if you're a first time buyer, get someone who's had a house to check yours with you. Unfortunately, inspectors don't check under all the knooks and crannies of any houses, they can just do the basics...
Jenn: Sorry to hear about all this trouble you're having. Hopefully, it will all be fixed by the time you move in...
Hi, I'm the "anonymous" of before. I'm not anyone you know, nor do I have a blog, but I admire those of you who do (at least, who have the good blogs)! I'm learning things!
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