Notice any cracks developing in your property?

Steve Hodgson, chief executive of the Property Care Association (PCA), advises a householder contact their household insurer if cracks develop. He adds that the household insurer is likely to appoint a specialist structural surveyor to monitor the situation before any work is deemed necessary.

You wouldn’t be alone in worrying about disruption that occurs when there are structural problems to your home. Realtors often steer buyers away from homes with serious foundation problems, because most homeowners underestimate the impact and disruption of structural repairs. Repair time frames can be long and can lead to major disruptions. However, worrying about the disruption shouldn’t prevent you from negotiating with contractors about a realistic work schedule that doesn’t completely inconvenience you. Realtors say that houses with structural problems do not appraise well and therefore are difficult to finance. That can really disrupt future plans. Ideally, when you inspect your home, you list all structural damage or suggested repairs based on how important they are to maintain the structural integrity of your home and include a time frame for each repair.

Dream home nightmares really do unfortunately exist and can potentially be devastating. For example, the Trehers in Harrisburg, PA bought their dream home in June 2010, but a few months later, after a few horrible repairs that were taxing, they discovered a serious crack that developed alongside an existing repair line in the ceiling of their living room.[1] The ceiling detached within a matter of days. Another example involves a Manitoba couple that bought a home that was going to be turned into a day foster home for disabled kids.[2] After the home passed four inspections, they got their license and they were left with the impression of mild to moderate upkeep. Unfortunately, a year later, problems began. Inspectors pronounced the house as structurally unsound. As structural engineer Phil Dorn put it, “If work is not done properly in terms of mechanical or electrical—it’s hidden behind the walls, it’s really hard to pick up. The onus is on the buyer.” Buyers beware.      

While some home inspectors don’t see foundation cracks necessarily as the harbinger of financial doom and others say some cracks are harmless, almost all home inspectors suggest that if a pencil can go into the crack up to the yellow paint on the pencil, that’s a wide crack and may cause major problems.[3]

PCA has produced a free guide that I find useful.[4] It covers the facts.  It points out various methods available to deal with various types of structural repairs. Since a major structural problem at home is often every homeowner’s worst nightmare, it’s important to attend to them sooner than later.[5]

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[1] http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/08/buying-a-bad-home-what-to-know-in-case-you-buy-a-house-of-hor/

[2] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/06/04/mb-foster-parents-lose-home-inspections-winnipeg.html

[3] http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/june-2009/home-garden/5-home-repairs-you-shouldnt-ignore/overview/5-home-repairs-you-shouldnt-ignore-ov.htm

[4] http://property-care.org/pdfs/A_Guide_To_Structural_Repair_and_Maintenance.pdf

[5] http://www.todayshomeowner.com/foundation-problems/