I'm guessing not uncommon, sounds similar to the boilerplate info the inspector put in the report for my house. Hard to know if there is still movement happening or if the cracking/sticking is just age. I'd say go for the structural engineer if you're worried, should run you around $500 (that was the quote I was given by my realtor to have an engineer inspect).

If the house has a reasonable price, and doesn't require much other work, AND the seller will foot the bill for foundation repairs, then go for it.

My own house is twenty years older than the one you are considering, and has no foundation problems. I looked at about twenty houses when hunting, and only one had a crack in the foundation...couldn't get in to see it, and it was a bad neighborhood, so I passed on that one. The oldest house I looked at from 1880s, had a bone dry basement with absolutely no problems.

A foundation issue like this one is NOT common, and will be expensive to repair--so if the seller won't pay for it, and you don't have a huge budget, then I'd say pass it up. Such an issue on a house of that vintage is a sign of poor construction or serious neglect, if not both.

The inspector gave you the only appropriate advice: ask a structural engineer to inspect it.

Thank you for the responses. I just feel completely out of my element here. For an update the sellers did provide today a foundation inspection which looked OK, but we will still be proceeding with our own inspection by a structural engineer that we will arrange, pay for, and hopefully discuss to we have a better level of comfort.

Without even investing in an P. Eng.'s report, I'd walk unless it's an extraordinary buy in an extraordinary location.

(And take anything the engineer says with a gram of salt. What they describe as acceptable structural condition has surprised me.)

Might I ask why worthy? Like I said, this is all new to me so any education I can get will be helpful?

Is it an extraordinary house in an extraordinary location? Well, background....we have sold our house to move to a more urban location within a several blocks radius. We've looked at all that are on the market now and none are "perfect"...one was on a busier street than we wanted, one is a tudor and my husband hates tudors, one was too small, etc, etc. This was a house in a great neighborhood that we both agreed on. We are going to have to compromise with something, so I am trying to navigate what will be acceptable. From what you are saying, a potential structural problem isn't an acceptable compromise.

One other point, it didn't look to be a basement that got much water, sure maybe damp during heavy storms but not "flooding" like happens with many of the older homes around here.

Might I ask why worthy?

You have all four foundation walls exhibiting "subtantial bowing and crack[ing]" or previous repairs. And additional wall cracks and doors sticking "suggesting movement since repairs."

What more can I say?

OK, this. I've been doing inspections of homes for mortgage purposes, plus purchase for rental or resale, for more than 30 years. I look for two key things: structural integrity and water damage. Worn out and outdated systems--wiring, HVAC and plumbing--are expected and can be fixed in a straightforward manner. But once a house is sagging and cracking beyond ordinary settling--which can be a lot on 100-year old homes--the repair costs can be prohibitive. Let alone the time spent evaluating repairs and actually doing them.

Leave the resurrection to someone else.

This post was edited by worthy on Thu, Jan 17, 13 at 13:54

Well shoot, I suppose you aren't telling me anything that I didn't already know deep down. I can save my $350 on the structural inspection and go back to the drawing board.

Not to mention that IF the report came back OK and I DID decide to mover forward, I would have to wonder if these findings would spook buyers in the instance that I ever had to sell.

Thanks for the response!

'Not to mention that IF the report came back OK and I DID decide to mover forward, I would have to wonder if these findings would spook buyers in the instance that I ever had to sell.'

That's a biggie. Even if you are convinced and experts are convinced it's not going to be a problem, you still have to convince your potential audience. The area in which I live (and a lot of areas in this country) are in zones of high subsidence. I'm enclosing a link if you care to read about it. It has numerous causes and is often a culprit in foundation issues. Needless to say in such terrain, one comes across homes fairly often with evidence of having been impacted by it.

In these areas, an old house never really settles. The ground is in essense fluid and you repair the damage over and over. My house is two hundred years old, and many of our doorways look like trapezoids instead of rectangles. I repair the plaster around the stress cracks about once every five to ten years. IOW with subsidence, despite repairs, of course you will have continued stress. However, that being said, our stone foundations under the house haven't budged an inch and that says something. Bulges frighten me more than cracks.

Here is a link that might be useful: subsidence

we walked from our "perfect house" because of similar issues. the back of the house was falling down a hill. i think, had we invested the money in fixing the problem, we would have come out ahead in the end. that house was priced at about half of what would be "expected" in that particular neighborhood.

I'd wait for another house to come up in the area...I just saw a program where a house was jacked up and a new foundation built...and it cost 31k. That price varies with location, size of the house and the contractor doing the work of course...but I imagine that such a chunk of money would take a bite out of your budget before any other work is done.

As said above, almost all repairs can be done without being a deal--breaker as it depends on what you can live with; such a major structural issue is a huge red flag. The scariest part is this: there has been more movement SINCE the repairs.

Run away!

Well, the point is obviously that the repairs aren't overcoming the structural deficits in the foundation. Jacking that house up and putting a new foundation under it is pretty clearly in the cards, and in fact I would love to do that to ours - it's currently being done frequently in my neighbourhood and the bonus is that instead of a 200-y-o basement you get a solid, modern, and probably higher basement (if zoning allows) with a charming old house on top of it. Best of both worlds, in my opinion.

But the long and short of it is, this house is a renovator, not a move-in. You've probably got cosmetic repairs as well as reconnecting and possibly redoing all its systems after a lift, so you're going to have live somewhere else for a while and make a bunch of decisions. Above all, you're going to have to spend a bunch of money. So even if you are game for the work, the price you pay for the house should be the resurrection price, not the renovated price. THAT way, if you do fade in the face of the work, you can resell to a renovator without too great a loss.

If the price of the house can go down by about 50K or more to reflect your anticipated expenditures, then you're OK as long as you know what you're buying - a project. I think I remember the photos you've posted, and it's interesting to speculate whether the previous owners were just bandaid people in denial about gravity, or deliberately spiffing up a structural disaster in hopes that they could have their cake and eat it too - unload a failing house and still realize its full potential value.

By the way, I seem to remember too (too lazy to check) that you had some issues with yard spaces - when a house is lifted, it can potentially also be moved on the lot, within zoning allowance, so maybe you can make things more to your liking in that regard.

A big project is nothing to run away from as long as a big project is what you want and as long as the price you are paying is fair FOR A PROJECT. So ask yourself, if it were 100K cheaper pending a year of work, how would you perceive it? If you want it, negotiate the price at which it is worth it to you.

Or run away :-)

Karin L