We have found a townhouse built in '77. I understand that this issue is common from that time. The house doesn't seem to have undergone any major renovations since the beginning.
Anyway... here's what the inspection report says.
Concrete slab on ground with a raised and insulated floor. The floor construction also contains treated timber.
It states that they found moisture in one bedroom and bathroom.
"A deeper investigation is recommended to determine the cause and extent of the measured moisture levels in the construction. It's important to note that this recommendation for a deeper investigation pertains to the entire ground floor. A moisture content of 22% was measured in the interior wall plate. The interior wall plate is treated."
So what do you even think of this? No bids have come in, it's been listed on Hemnet since January. The asking price is around 1,500,000. Which I think sounds way too much considering what's going to need to be done.
It's located about 20 km outside of Östersund.
What do you all think? WHAT needs to be done and what would those costs be? Can one make a low-ball offer?
Anyway... here's what the inspection report says.
Concrete slab on ground with a raised and insulated floor. The floor construction also contains treated timber.
It states that they found moisture in one bedroom and bathroom.
"A deeper investigation is recommended to determine the cause and extent of the measured moisture levels in the construction. It's important to note that this recommendation for a deeper investigation pertains to the entire ground floor. A moisture content of 22% was measured in the interior wall plate. The interior wall plate is treated."
So what do you even think of this? No bids have come in, it's been listed on Hemnet since January. The asking price is around 1,500,000. Which I think sounds way too much considering what's going to need to be done.
It's located about 20 km outside of Östersund.
What do you all think? WHAT needs to be done and what would those costs be? Can one make a low-ball offer?
Know-It-All
· Västra götaland
· 10 922 posts
Well, if it's a townhouse, there are probably several identical houses, so it should be possible to talk to the neighbors? How have they handled the problem?
And you can always make a low offer, whether it leads anywhere is another question... January isn't that long in the context, so the seller might not immediately accept the offer...
If it's a standard inspection by our favorite company that deals with "seller inspections," their recommendations for further investigation are more or less standard, and often based on known facts about the construction technique rather than the current conditions...
And you can always make a low offer, whether it leads anywhere is another question... January isn't that long in the context, so the seller might not immediately accept the offer...
If it's a standard inspection by our favorite company that deals with "seller inspections," their recommendations for further investigation are more or less standard, and often based on known facts about the construction technique rather than the current conditions...
Before buying a house with moisture issues and pressure-treated sills, I recommend reading some of @shadowfire's threads.
For example
https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threads/erfarenheter-fran-mitt-foersta-huskoep.164151/
Or
https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threads/hjaelp-tips-pa-halvfaerdigt-hus.365325/#post-3571264
For example
https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threads/erfarenheter-fran-mitt-foersta-huskoep.164151/
Or
https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threads/hjaelp-tips-pa-halvfaerdigt-hus.365325/#post-3571264
If you're lucky, it's nothing at all, and if you're unlucky, you'll want to tear down the house after 10 years.
Read the threads I linked to and keep looking if you already think the house is too expensive.
Read the threads I linked to and keep looking if you already think the house is too expensive.
Since I have some experience with this from our own house;
The type of substance in wood protection treatment that is feared was banned on January 1, 1978, so there is a good chance it is not in your house since it can be assumed that the transition to approved alternatives occurred gradually before then. What you should do is take a sample from the sills and send it to ALS lab for pentachlorophenol analysis to start with. It costs around 2000 SEK. If you get a positive result, the sills need to be replaced, and probably part of the wall. Regardless, it means opening the lower part of the wall around the entire house and, depending on the problem and construction, from the inside and/or outside. This means that essentially all surface layers on walls must be restored and possibly the external facade. In other words, it is a very extensive task and the cost for this is several hundred thousand kroner. If you are seriously interested in the house, get a quote for the work and negotiate the price compared to other similar houses without this problem.
If the analysis is negative, a sill replacement is not necessarily needed, but you need to do odor checks and be aware that there is a latent problem, which should also be reflected in the price.
Otherwise, 70s houses are often very practical and spacious, so if you are just aware of the above, you shouldn't be afraid to buy.
The type of substance in wood protection treatment that is feared was banned on January 1, 1978, so there is a good chance it is not in your house since it can be assumed that the transition to approved alternatives occurred gradually before then. What you should do is take a sample from the sills and send it to ALS lab for pentachlorophenol analysis to start with. It costs around 2000 SEK. If you get a positive result, the sills need to be replaced, and probably part of the wall. Regardless, it means opening the lower part of the wall around the entire house and, depending on the problem and construction, from the inside and/or outside. This means that essentially all surface layers on walls must be restored and possibly the external facade. In other words, it is a very extensive task and the cost for this is several hundred thousand kroner. If you are seriously interested in the house, get a quote for the work and negotiate the price compared to other similar houses without this problem.
If the analysis is negative, a sill replacement is not necessarily needed, but you need to do odor checks and be aware that there is a latent problem, which should also be reflected in the price.
Otherwise, 70s houses are often very practical and spacious, so if you are just aware of the above, you shouldn't be afraid to buy.
But for crying out loud!L Lveronica said:
You're considering shelling out five normal annual salaries on something you don't know the value of. But you don't want to ask those who might know because it "feels a bit strange"!!!
A good tip. Reassess your priorities.
Staffan
I'm not saying you will have the same problem as shadowfire, but if it becomes that serious you have big problems.
It's not just about moisture, but also about odor.
If you have the opportunity, you can take some textiles (towels, clothes, pillows) in a sealed plastic bag to an odor-free place and open them and smell them after being out of the house for, say, an hour. Then you will notice if there is a smell that clings to the clothes.
It's not just about moisture, but also about odor.
If you have the opportunity, you can take some textiles (towels, clothes, pillows) in a sealed plastic bag to an odor-free place and open them and smell them after being out of the house for, say, an hour. Then you will notice if there is a smell that clings to the clothes.
...but that assumes that one is sensitive to smell, which not everyone is. The odor problems can also be worse in certain parts of the house, which makes smell tests easier to perform when one knows more about the problem.
Keep looking. This is a house with a known risk construction, and it has also been confirmed that "the risk has manifested." In many cases, it's enough to replace all the studs that shadowfire mentions for a few hundred thousand. In other cases, it's not enough. The mold odor doesn't go away. You take a few smaller attempts to remedy the smell, rip out all the floors with insulation. Then it's time to tear down all the interior walls, tear out the interior side of all exterior walls, remove all insulation. Ozone treat the now stripped house, build everything up again, and... yes, in some cases it helped, in other cases... no, it still smells.
Over the years, quite a few houses with these problems have been demolished after first spending six-figure sums to fix them.
Don't buy!
That it smells like mold is not such a big problem for you living in the house, as shadowfire writes. Your nose becomes immune after a couple of minutes. But your coworkers notice you smell like mold, your children get bullied at school for smelling like mold, and many develop health problems, asthma, strange allergic reactions. In some cases, the health problems become chronic; the children have asthma even after you've moved on.
Over the years, quite a few houses with these problems have been demolished after first spending six-figure sums to fix them.
Don't buy!
That it smells like mold is not such a big problem for you living in the house, as shadowfire writes. Your nose becomes immune after a couple of minutes. But your coworkers notice you smell like mold, your children get bullied at school for smelling like mold, and many develop health problems, asthma, strange allergic reactions. In some cases, the health problems become chronic; the children have asthma even after you've moved on.
On the other hand, this means that in a few months without speculators, it can be sold at a real bargain price. If the buyer is lucky and the house is better than expected, he might have made the deal of his life!H hempularen said:
There is no reason to catastrophize in the way that the DIY enthusiast does and generally advise against buying 70s houses. There are very many problem-free houses; a moisture content of 22% in a treated sill is not synonymous with having to tear the house down. There is a reason the sill is treated, and it is still permitted to use treated sills in new construction today.
Today there is much knowledge on how any problems can be addressed, and in this specific case, there are also a number of exactly identical houses where any potential problems and suitable solutions can certainly be found. But it sure involves work and hassle if measures are required.
Today there is much knowledge on how any problems can be addressed, and in this specific case, there are also a number of exactly identical houses where any potential problems and suitable solutions can certainly be found. But it sure involves work and hassle if measures are required.
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mexitegel said:
Yes, I want to be positive as it is in the "right place." I wish I had more knowledge and was better at making calculations, I could make a good deal if the situation is not very bad, but it could almost be the other way around too
