is this house repairable?
- Thread starter TMNT
- Start date
Figures don't stack up just yet, however this agency always puts high prices to have the sit ob the market for about 15 years before they start dropping prices like crazy
Me thinks
10k restump
3k kitchen
5k bathroom, laundry and moving plumbing and knocking down common wall
5k plastering
2k floors
1k paint
3k misc
5k rewire
1k light fixtures
6k stamp duty
41k total
Buy 150k, spend 41k=191k, new value 250-260 k
60-70k isn't worth it in my opinion, it would have to 80-90k for it to be worth it for me
AlmostBob and other builder/renoers, can I please clarify? because I'm looking at something in a similar condition.
Yes, the clay soil causes expansion and contraction and the underneath of the house is dry whereas the yard etc is always somewhere between wet and dry.
what if it's not on stumps but built on brick foundations which sit under the walls of each room i.e. the super old-fashioned way. Is it possible to now stump them? If not, what can be done to achieve the result you describe below?
the guttering and drainage has to be fixed and modernised. but would paving around the outside exacerbate the moisture difference problem? (Though I do understand that the water should drain away from the exterior and not towards it.)
You do this work - obviously well. How much does it cost?
From my experience: limited to two houses where it worked well; I am unsure if there are any negative possibilities
The under the house area is as dry and shrunken as it is ever going to get
The foundation wall is alternately wet expanded, dry and shrunken, but not as shrunken as under the house.
Bentonite injected into the subsoil seals and stabilises the clay under the foundation and it swells becomes waterproof and no longer plastic.
The swelling returns the foundation to close to the original foundation levels, and the major cracks become minor re-pointing problems.
The underhouse foundations have usually not cracked, they have shrunk lower only, and can be treated as BIG stumps.
Those foundations can have the joists jacked and packed and the floor re-levelled.
Those foundations, or stumps, don't move again as the underfloor space is dead dry and the outer foundation subsoil is sealed to keep water out.
Bentonite is the clay/silicate used to reseal leaky dams, including Sylvan Reservoir in Victoria, lakes, pondages, house basements, and {tadaaaah} foundation walls.
Also used to precipitate sludge from wine, (very important use).
In 1983 my sister's house and barn and outbuildings cost $9000 to have injected,The foundation wall is alternately wet expanded, dry and shrunken, but not as shrunken as under the house.
Bentonite injected into the subsoil seals and stabilises the clay under the foundation and it swells becomes waterproof and no longer plastic.
The swelling returns the foundation to close to the original foundation levels, and the major cracks become minor re-pointing problems.
The underhouse foundations have usually not cracked, they have shrunk lower only, and can be treated as BIG stumps.
Those foundations can have the joists jacked and packed and the floor re-levelled.
Those foundations, or stumps, don't move again as the underfloor space is dead dry and the outer foundation subsoil is sealed to keep water out.
Bentonite is the clay/silicate used to reseal leaky dams, including Sylvan Reservoir in Victoria, lakes, pondages, house basements, and {tadaaaah} foundation walls.
Also used to precipitate sludge from wine, (very important use).
that is a BIG house, a big horse barn, vehicle shed, store, even did the three holer
the injectors took two daysprobably cost 3x that today
jacking the stumps took 7or8 slabs of vb, a bottle of sippin whisky, a huge amount of barbecue food, and a weekend, platoon mates helped, troopies'll do anything for beer and barbecue
strange that, after that weekend, the house DIDN'T fall down
I finished levelling a saggy bit, [edit] one corner of [/edit] 72*14 feet about a week ago, alone, in 90 minutes, 12 tonne jack, laser level guide, but it was a stand-up subfloor, no crawling, easy peasy
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Excellent information AlmostBob. Your sister is lucky to have a brother like you! And thanks for the explanation, too.
I bet that 1983 $9K has increased somewhat - but maybe not kept up with inflation?
Who does the injecting of this Bentonite? Who are these human moles that landlubber writes of?
I want to understand but it seems cryptic to me. Can you please give me wattle/daub + sand/lime for dummies?
Thanks
W
I bet that 1983 $9K has increased somewhat - but maybe not kept up with inflation?
Who does the injecting of this Bentonite? Who are these human moles that landlubber writes of?
I want to understand but it seems cryptic to me. Can you please give me wattle/daub + sand/lime for dummies?
Thanks
W
Uretek did the dam, barracks, and pumphouses, very big jobs,
all kinds of info, & contacts on the site
VolClay did the sister's house and barns, I don't know if they are still in business
Fondex do it too, don't know much about them.
or a google search for foundation repair injection
SO MANY things went wrong growing up, I have a good list of unusual solutions.
We buy properties that look like cr*p to other investors, spend next-to-nothing to complete "million dollar repairs", and go cg+ cf+ immediately
all kinds of info, & contacts on the site
VolClay did the sister's house and barns, I don't know if they are still in business
Fondex do it too, don't know much about them.
or a google search for foundation repair injection
SO MANY things went wrong growing up, I have a good list of unusual solutions.
We buy properties that look like cr*p to other investors, spend next-to-nothing to complete "million dollar repairs", and go cg+ cf+ immediately
knowing a solution can turn a dog into a diamond
unfortunately it means I'm the obnoxious **expletive deleted** who has an opinion about everything
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Yep , Id be going down this road with injection method, get them out for a quote.
Have seen a very long 2 mm crack in brickwork fixed by this method and no
visual signs of it ever being there.
Have seen a very long 2 mm crack in brickwork fixed by this method and no
visual signs of it ever being there.
OK I'm on board with these injections. Just wondering how to deal with levelling the floor after walls are sorted out. Do I need to get a builder/ carpenter? And is it expensive?
Does it feel like I'm on a see-saw when I walk into the room because termites have eaten through the joists? Or is it just because it's still off-kilter and it will return to near normal when the injections are done?
I cant tell if the joists are eaten, but, that you don't fall through leads to the supposition that termites are not involved
I use a laser to mark from the highest point, a level mark on all the other joists bearers and stumps
its cool how far, in the half dark under there, those level lasers project,
eg: the light is installed 20.0 below the highest joist,
is 12.2 below another joist,
jack each point up till the light is 20.0 below the joist, block it, move to the next one
I have a piece of plastic bar, with green ink on it 20.0cm from the end, red laser light makes the ink fluoresce like a 100 watt light, easy to see when the height is rightget done, perfect, floor no longer bouncy,
the most difficult part is access to the underfloor area, as posted before, it is sometimes a circular saw through floor boards
I find it easy,
but: (famous last words but: )
I have 12 tonne jacks,
circular saws,
don't mind cutting foundation walls and installing a lintel and access door,
know how to determine which points have, and how much, load on them,
know how to repoint masonry.
can remove and replace and refinish the floor boards and hide the saw marks
probably a carpenter. If you want to TA for the chippie, its a learning experience, and there is always a 'next time'
If you are opening up the underfloor,
its a bloody good time to get a plumber in to replace any gal pipe with pex before it rusts up and stops running or bursts, the age of the property suggests gal,
gal is perfectly rust resistant, until the last of the sacrificial zinc is absorbed into the water, then it rusts out fast
pex over copper,
I use a laser to mark from the highest point, a level mark on all the other joists bearers and stumps
its cool how far, in the half dark under there, those level lasers project,
eg: the light is installed 20.0 below the highest joist,
is 12.2 below another joist,
jack each point up till the light is 20.0 below the joist, block it, move to the next one
I have a piece of plastic bar, with green ink on it 20.0cm from the end, red laser light makes the ink fluoresce like a 100 watt light, easy to see when the height is right
the most difficult part is access to the underfloor area, as posted before, it is sometimes a circular saw through floor boards
I find it easy,
but: (famous last words but:
)I have 12 tonne jacks,
circular saws,
don't mind cutting foundation walls and installing a lintel and access door,
know how to determine which points have, and how much, load on them,
know how to repoint masonry.
can remove and replace and refinish the floor boards and hide the saw marks
probably a carpenter. If you want to TA for the chippie, its a learning experience, and there is always a 'next time'
If you are opening up the underfloor,
its a bloody good time to get a plumber in to replace any gal pipe with pex before it rusts up and stops running or bursts, the age of the property suggests gal,
gal is perfectly rust resistant, until the last of the sacrificial zinc is absorbed into the water, then it rusts out fast
pex over copper,
flexible and you can pull it through walls without issue,
needs no holes except the ones the fixtures are in,
has equal pressure tolerance,
does not go green and dissolve in contact with mortar,
needs no flame to join (dead dry old seasoned timber),
is half the price,
takes less time to install
needs no holes except the ones the fixtures are in,
has equal pressure tolerance,
does not go green and dissolve in contact with mortar,
needs no flame to join (dead dry old seasoned timber),
is half the price,
takes less time to install
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Someone tighten the knot in your knickers?
No,i don't wear lycra
What you quoted was TMNT embracing the nature of SS, not tearing it to shreds. Have a re-read:
Re-read,i misconstrued,my bad...I posted at 1.55am with the cordial,not my best time for judgement on my part.Maybe swayed by the last 4 words that got me shooting 1st.
TMNT wouldn't use 'smart' or 'witty' to negatively downplay SS. TMNT loves a good rag on thread as much as anyone, and we've shared several Kudos for 'good plays'.
Yes i know TMNT does and i've also given TMNT kudos as well for his effort on what he does NOT 'good plays'.
Perhaps you're the numpty that needs a good F?
No thanks pinkboy,i'm staying straight but thankyou kindly for the offer
pinkboy
10 char char char
OK - is this just getting ridiculous now?
Was talking to the 85 year old neighbour today - he's actually done a bit of work on the house in the past. Also, his house started out almost exactly the same - he grew up in it.
He explained that these crumbling foundations are cyanide ash mixed with concrete. Over time the cyanide has eaten the concrete and now it's all crumbly. The house I'm looking at obviously hasn't been reinforced in anyway whereas his house had supportive concrete put around it years ago.
I don't know how far these foundations extend. Obviously they go all around the perimeter. Do they go all the way underneath as well?
He said that a builder would need to jack up the house and build some struts from bricks.
So not sure whether or not that fits in with the Uretek thing because it's not just the ground, it's the actual foundations that are ******
Of course I'll get a proper building inspection done before I go any further but am wondering what you think before I jump in and get a building inspection done.
When I was in the kitchen last, I got the impression that the floor was made of concrete/cement. But he said that it's just the timber on the bare earth. In which case, it would probably be best to change it to a concrete floor. Would this be super-expensive or not too bad?
I know quite a lot of people wouldn't bother looking at the place at all but what I like is that it doesn't have any dodgy renos that need undoing. On the other hand, do the crumbling foundations ruin the Urertek thing? ..... or not?
Thanks in advance to anyone who knows what I'm talking about.
Was talking to the 85 year old neighbour today - he's actually done a bit of work on the house in the past. Also, his house started out almost exactly the same - he grew up in it.
He explained that these crumbling foundations are cyanide ash mixed with concrete. Over time the cyanide has eaten the concrete and now it's all crumbly. The house I'm looking at obviously hasn't been reinforced in anyway whereas his house had supportive concrete put around it years ago.
I don't know how far these foundations extend. Obviously they go all around the perimeter. Do they go all the way underneath as well?
He said that a builder would need to jack up the house and build some struts from bricks.
So not sure whether or not that fits in with the Uretek thing because it's not just the ground, it's the actual foundations that are ******
Of course I'll get a proper building inspection done before I go any further but am wondering what you think before I jump in and get a building inspection done.
When I was in the kitchen last, I got the impression that the floor was made of concrete/cement. But he said that it's just the timber on the bare earth. In which case, it would probably be best to change it to a concrete floor. Would this be super-expensive or not too bad?
I know quite a lot of people wouldn't bother looking at the place at all but what I like is that it doesn't have any dodgy renos that need undoing. On the other hand, do the crumbling foundations ruin the Urertek thing? ..... or not?
Thanks in advance to anyone who knows what I'm talking about.
