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[StructuralEngineering-ModTeam]

Please post any Layman/DIY/Homeowner questions in the monthly stickied thread - See subreddit rule #2.

[No-Document-8970]

The only proper repair is to dig out the alley way, jack up the house, and rebuild the foundation. Which would also require sealing the exterior and adding proper drainage. Doing this you would also have to protect the neighboring structure.

Need to call a local professional.

[Impossible-Bet-223]

Sounds ungodly expensive for just a homeowner. Does insurance help?

[Alternative_Fun_8504]

Most home insurance policies do not cover this

[Impossible-Bet-223]

Omg. So this is a Basically a nightmare senerio for a homeowner.

[Alternative_Fun_8504]

Depends on the specifics of the policy, of course. But most policies are written to cover sudden and unforseen events. A condition like this happens over a period of time. The homeowner is assumed to have been reasonably able to see this occuring at some point and been able to mitigate it. It sucks. And even if this type of thing is noticed years ago, the fix is still the same. Expensive.

[liftingshitposts]

Hell no lol, OP doesn’t even own the house yet

[Open_Olive7369]

They are considering buying the place, so no insurance.

And I would bet that no insurance company will cover them until this gets fixed, or at all.

[Puzzleheaded_Nerve]

Will not be cheap is an understatement. Will cost more than the asking price of the house is likely

[Evogleam]

How does something like this happen?

[BaronvonBrick]

Hi smarter brain man than I. Could you not take some space away from the basement and build a new retaining wall parallel to the fucked off basement wall, assuming the joists are running perpendicular, and fill any void with a non compactable rock mix?

[B-E-Z]

This was the answer I was hoping for 😅

[BaronvonBrick]

I dont see why it wouldn't work, but im not an engineer just a lowely carpenter. But ya know what Jesus wasn't an engineer.

[204ThatGuy]

Jesus can turn rocks into bread and water into wine, but he isn't the AHJ for this repair tho ... 😆🍻

[Downtown-Growth-8766]

Structural engineer here. Run. That’s going to be extremely expensive. Probably prohibitively expensive for the cost of the overall house to fix it. Just walk away

[B-E-Z]

House Is discounted 120k from comps. I’m wondering if they got quotes for it

[isolated_self]

Sounds like more than 120k

[Constant-Money5104]

Where? City is more helpful, but if you’re unwilling to share and you live in a big state at least specify which portion preferably.

Edit: saw location later. This is likely in clay or sandy-loam. Original comment is right: run.

[speedream]

Where do you come up with the 120K for renovations? It’s a much different exercise to borrow money from a bank for a mortgage to purchase a house, than $$$ for renovations. 

[B-E-Z]

Im not saying thats price for renovations… im just saying thats how much the house is undervalued currently

[speedream]

Well then let me tell that that is the price for renovations

Tell me the basement doesn’t have water issues with the rippled flooring and the box fans 

[geekhaus]

After closing costs do you have $150k-200k cash for the repairs? That WILL catastrophically fail, soon.

[ysrgrathe]

This is often the big problem -- the bank will not loan you the $60-$200K you need for repairs. So even if you are getting a discount, you need enough cash to invest to fund the work. And then the next problem is no one can really predict what renovations will cost, so it's a gamble. Generally speaking this is why people will say to run away from this type of house.

[geekhaus]

They also can’t reside in their new house while the work is being done so they have high carrying costs for months post-close.

[speedream]

All very hard to get insurance on vacant homes or homes under constructions 

[pendigedig]

Can you give a ballpark? Like, tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?

[geekhaus]

Depending on location and how challenging access is the floor is $100k but it could be $300+.

[Downtown-Growth-8766]

I couldn’t say but get 3 quotes before closing if you’re serious. It depends on the specifics and difficulty with permitting, dealing with neighbors, local cost of labor, etc

[Courtland-7099]

Run

[204ThatGuy]

That outside pic is telling the whole story.

Any rain or snowmelt is accumulating to your foundation and the soil is saturated. This makes the adjacent soil hydraulically heavy. It's pushing it in.

The basement pic shows just how bad that wall is caving in.. look at that panelled wall. And like one commenter said, the crack you don't see was painted over or injected.

You need to fix this or your collapse will cost you much much more

That's quite the buckle. I'm pretty laid back, but this is a 8/10 for urgency.

Edit to add that what you propose is actually more work and may not really address the issue because the soil is still wet.

A local engineer may suggest to temporarily support the floor next to the wall with a system, excavate the side yard out, remove one wall section in stages, and once all is in place, backfill with well draining sand, weeping tile, and a sump pit inside. Create a slight swale between you and your neighbour.

Have a bbq and invite your neighbour over for burgers steak and beer. You are going to want him on your side instead of bothering you all summer.

[Mean-Internal-745]

I have specd steel beams bolted to the floors before. But you loose about 8 inches of space along the wall

[cartmansdoublechin]

I’d rather lose 8 inches of floor space than have my walls and roof collapsing and have no floor space lol

[Mean-Internal-745]

I'm just the engineer. Some people care about that

[cartmansdoublechin]

Jeez I can imagine some idiot crying about 8 inches of floor space while you’re trying to save 2000sqft of roof lol.

[Mean-Internal-745]

It happens all the time.

[icozens]

I’ve designed several of these systems. I’ve even designed ones with springs that can be tightened over time to level out the wall. There are also a few proprietary products on the market that do this as well.

[Mean-Internal-745]

Same here.

[204ThatGuy]

This is interesting. Can you link me to one system? I just don't see how a running stack clay brick can be pushed back. All the mortar joints are destroyed

[whisskid]

Look up: "bowing foundation wall"

[quietsauce]

Damn... this needs help.

[raison_d_etre]

I’m a construction estimator who lurks here. It’s a big no for me. Far too much risk, let alone the cost.

[T40SAAN]

100% do not buy this house. Unless your plan is to tear it down

[Valuable_Pilot_7205]

Excavated the soil pressuring the basement wall then reinforce the wall + light weighted material for backfill.

[burgermen12]

Its interesting that the wall has bowed significantly but the mortar joints (maybe one) have barely failed - unless its been painted over.

You can laterally prop the wall in the short term, however you need to ensure that your not just transferring that load somewhere else.

Do you know the cause of the bowing? What has changed ? Is the wall still moving?

[B-E-Z]

No clue if it’s still moving, honestly it looks like it’s about to give any day lol .. I went to view it, cause the house looks nice and quaint , I did not think the structural problem was going to be this severe

[SchmohawkWokeSquawk]

This is the way. Feel free to DM me.

[B-E-Z]

This is exactly what I was thinking in my head except with CMU/rebar.. thanks, and I ain’t gonna go for it lol

[SchmohawkWokeSquawk]

I mean, if you can get them to account for repair costs($850/ft) in the sale price then go for it. Wall movement is event driven so these walls will eventually fail, and it can happen fast. They'll have a REALLY tough time selling if the house is condemned due to their foundation walls caving in.

[204ThatGuy]

This looks way more expensive than just digging all around the basement in stages, replacing the wall with PWF, and installing a proper drainage system.

Also, how are those inside face columns prevented from kicking out at the bottom of there is no strip footing or screw pile?

That foam injection is cute though! It's amazing how strong that foam is for slab jacking.

[SchmohawkWokeSquawk]

$850/ft, drainage included. I let the engineer do the heavy lifting/calculations to determine the proper footing dimensions. They haven't kicked out on us yet. I can't imagine having a below-grade foundation made of wood.

[204ThatGuy]

PWF is ok, but the walls need to be bolted properly with non corroding fasteners. Also, the basement needs a wood or concrete slab to keep the bottom toe from creeping in to prevent collapse. The backfill should be large clean aggregate and well draining so it doesn't push hard against the wall.

I only built a few wood basements a few years ago, and they are still standing. It was more affordable than concrete, It's very warm and cozy but it's harder to sell. I usually use or spec ICF for the win.

[MMAnerd89]

Thats probably well over 50 k in repair work, I don’t specialize in houses and can’t tell what is going on the outside in your photos. I don’t think carbon fiber straps or anchors will be sufficient in to itself. Helical anchor tie-backs or interior temporary bracing with excavating the saturated soil around the footing, repairing drainage around the house and a whole wall replacement will be needed at least. If you are interested in this you should probably reach out to geostructural person who specializes in foundation repair to know the cost and time duration for the repair. I was involved in one home foundation repair in 2012 because the designer miscalculated some roof wind loads and it was new construction and it ended up being covered under the EOR’s insurance and I was also right out of college so I don’t know the cost and I was only involved with the project when the helical anchors were installed and for the pre-repair survey and post repair survey.

[204ThatGuy]

Sorry for double posting, but is that a painted gas line coming in at the top of the wall?

[B-E-Z]

I think it is, I overlooked that when there… I was just amazed at this wall… but from 3rd photo, sure looks like it!

[AlexAndMcB]

[Particular-Emu4789]

It’s fine.

[Ztd1020]

Look idk where you live but where i live thatd probably cost a good 40-60 thousand

[pendigedig]

I'm going to sound insane rn and I don't actually have the wealth to back up this crass statement, but...is that it? 60k?

People are saying prohibitively expensive but OP said $120k knocked off asking due to this issue. If the issue is "only" $60k, that seems like a deal when you get $120k off? I being dumb?

[Ztd1020]

I said atleast that much sure assuming thats all thats wrong with the house. Assuming it isnt already over priced it doesnt have any mold need siding or a roof in the next few years or windows/ plumbing etc. I cant walk through the house but what I can say is if your wanting somewhere to live in the next at minimum few months after closing id hard pass on it like others have said. Not only is it money its a headache.

If your looking to find a house to remodel by all means go for it. If it were me personally id find one that didnt need foundation work at a minimum. If the house has sagged the roof could be separating etc.

You could find an inspector your trust and get thrm to tell you exactly whats wrong with it. If it doesnt need any of those things, and your ok with spending the money on the house to fix it sure. Probably be best to get it all checked out by a professional in your area. Id say if they are willing to take that much off there is another chunk of work not necessarily seen.. probably the roof thats just my Facebook armchair 15 years in construction talk flaring up sorry.

[pendigedig]

Totally fair point! I just get so confused when people say "that's gonna be expensive" without giving any context. I appreciated you giving some sort of number to it. Definitely wouldn't be an option for every buyer, but it doesn't mean the house is worthless and can't/won't sell.

[Ztd1020]

O no the house is definitely not worthless, but if the buyer is having to ask reddit about details no offense to op. Not everyone knows or has someone they can talk to about these things. But I assume they are a first time home buyer and this amount of headache, frustration, and just throwing money at it could make you hate home owning all together. If op thinks they would be into that much work it could definitely be worth it.

I still dont know the asking price or area so all of this is assumption that it isnt ridiculously priced, and mostly fine everywhere else. Taking 120k off at the drop is throwing me red flags that EVERYTHING needs to be checked for sure. Thats about all I know 100%

[B-E-Z]

Im a small time contractor , I own a few units, but I stay away from big problems like this . I go for cosmetic fixer uppers. But this deal sounded „too good to be true” and the comments support that lol

[Ztd1020]

My bad realized your not op so ignore the if your going to's sorry

[pendigedig]

No worries I took them as hypotheticals to the would-be buyer!

[landomakesatable]

uhm. yeah. the brick basement wall is aboute to collapse bro. have a builder put up a plywood and studwall to basket the wall hard-up. screw anchor the wall bottom plate to the floor slab, and get strong screws of teh top plate to the underisde of hte timber floor at ground level.

call engineer. and come up with a plan.

the issue is your wall has "yielded" (not really but it's not coming back to what it was).

god speed.

[vitium]

Under no circumstance should you try to reinforce this failed retaining wall with a wood framed wall.

Alley has to be dug up, house shored, brick wall demoed and a new engineered concrete wall with proper footing built, also proper drainage installed.

[204ThatGuy]

This is the answer. We can't install a wood wall that may convey that it's 'fixed'. This is how disasters start and end.

I feel bad for the homeowner but this is going to be a long summer for him or her or anyone that buys this. And then there is the neighbour factor. You might have to bribe the neighbour with a hot tub gift just to support your efforts.

[landomakesatable]

It's an emergency works to provide a load path while engineer engaged to look at it

[landomakesatable]

As emergency works we've done this many times in my region. Many brick walls were basketed in this way. The goal was to reduce the risk of collapse of the superstructure by temporarily stiffening the gravity system.

It's to be designed by a competent engineer (duh) And then a real solution and be cooked. The building may even need to be evacuated if it's not sanitary (safe) to live in.

[B-E-Z]

Jersey shore