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8 replies
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8 replies
Is it expensive to fix problems with crawl space?
Hello!
We are considering buying a house in a few years, and to make it financially feasible, it is a good idea to look at houses with slightly "worse" inspection reports. However, we need to gain more knowledge about how extensive various measures might be. The example below is a one-story house of just over 120 square meters with an odor throughout the house from the crawl space. Water damage under the bathroom and laundry room. Anticimex has proposed the following measures after the seller's inspection, and even if we're not ready to bid yet, we need to start understanding how significant such issues can be. Should one stay away from it, or can it be remedied for a reasonable amount (<a million at least)?
Remediation Proposal
Crawl space/Floor Joists:
The moisture and odor-damaged constructions are removed.
Sills and building materials in their vicinity need to be replaced due to odor contamination.
The floor joists and other constructions are restored with new materials.
Leaks between the house and foundation are sealed.
The dehumidifier in the crawl space is serviced, and its functionality is checked.
The plumbing system and pipes in the crawl space are inspected, and deficiencies are corrected.
Other:
The ventilation in the house is checked to ensure the required air exchange rate according to standards.
The phenol and chloranisole odor from impregnated material is strong and becomes ingrained in wallpapers, furniture, etc., and it may take a long time for the smell to disappear, even after the cause of the odor has been addressed.
There is a risk that the above-mentioned measures may not remove all odors, which may mean that any other odor-damaged materials need to be replaced with new material.
We are considering buying a house in a few years, and to make it financially feasible, it is a good idea to look at houses with slightly "worse" inspection reports. However, we need to gain more knowledge about how extensive various measures might be. The example below is a one-story house of just over 120 square meters with an odor throughout the house from the crawl space. Water damage under the bathroom and laundry room. Anticimex has proposed the following measures after the seller's inspection, and even if we're not ready to bid yet, we need to start understanding how significant such issues can be. Should one stay away from it, or can it be remedied for a reasonable amount (<a million at least)?
Remediation Proposal
Crawl space/Floor Joists:
The moisture and odor-damaged constructions are removed.
Sills and building materials in their vicinity need to be replaced due to odor contamination.
The floor joists and other constructions are restored with new materials.
Leaks between the house and foundation are sealed.
The dehumidifier in the crawl space is serviced, and its functionality is checked.
The plumbing system and pipes in the crawl space are inspected, and deficiencies are corrected.
Other:
The ventilation in the house is checked to ensure the required air exchange rate according to standards.
The phenol and chloranisole odor from impregnated material is strong and becomes ingrained in wallpapers, furniture, etc., and it may take a long time for the smell to disappear, even after the cause of the odor has been addressed.
There is a risk that the above-mentioned measures may not remove all odors, which may mean that any other odor-damaged materials need to be replaced with new material.
If you are going to buy something with moisture damage, you should have extensive knowledge about moisture damage in general, the specific moisture damage in particular, and likely some hands-on skills yourself if it is to be economically viable.
Save a bit more and buy something where you can move in directly. Surface layers can be worn, but the house should be in good condition.
Save a bit more and buy something where you can move in directly. Surface layers can be worn, but the house should be in good condition.
"There is a risk that the above-mentioned measures may not remove all the odor, which could mean that any other odor-damaged material may need to be replaced with new material."
This could mean that all material needs to be replaced, i.e., not only impregnated sills but also particle boards, insulation, etc.
This could mean that all material needs to be replaced, i.e., not only impregnated sills but also particle boards, insulation, etc.
Yes, it feels like a pretty big risk to buy something with water damage. Sill and foundation sound expensive to fix and not something we could do ourselves. Easier with surface layers. Thanks for the input!Den ofrivillige klåparen said:If you're going to buy something with water damage, you should have solid knowledge of water damage in general, the specific water damage in particular, and probably, to make it economical, even some craftsmanship yourself.
Save up a little more and buy something you can move into right away. Surface layers can be worn, but the house should be healthy.
Thanks for the input! It feels like moisture might be something to stay away from, if you can't do that kind of work yourself. Or that one should expect it to be very expensive. What we were thinking was that this type of house ought to be much cheaper, but maybe that's not the case. Applies to Stockholm, so the prices are quite high.D Derbyboy said:"Risk exists that the aforementioned measures may not be able to remove all odors, which may mean that any other odor-damaged material must be replaced with new material."
This could mean that all the material needs to be replaced, everything not just impregnated sills but also chipboard, insulation, etc.
Honestly, I would choose moisture over odor any day of the week. However, odor often correlates with moisture. There's a lot written online about odor-damaged houses, the mental health issues it can create, etc.
I think it's important to remember that there's no guarantee the odor will disappear just because you remove the original source of the smell, like an impregnated sill, for example. In the worst-case scenario, you might have to tear everything down to the foundation.
I think it's important to remember that there's no guarantee the odor will disappear just because you remove the original source of the smell, like an impregnated sill, for example. In the worst-case scenario, you might have to tear everything down to the foundation.
And tearing everything down to the foundation means tearing down the whole house?D Derbyboy said:I mean, I would choose moisture every day of the week instead of smell. Often, however, smell is associated with moisture. There is a lot written on the internet about odor-damaged houses, the mental health issues it can create, etc.
I think it's important to remember that there's no guarantee the smell will disappear just because, for example, you remove the original source of the smell, such as an impregnated sill. In the worst case, you might have to tear everything down to the foundation.
Yes, that's the worst-case scenario.
Potentially, you can save the foundation, but I read a thread about the smell coming from the concrete. But I think you should look for threads concerning houses with odor damage.
I would never have dared to take a chance. It's a terrible situation to start paying for handyman hours and just hope that the smell will disappear.
I would have chosen to live a bit further out in a healthy house.
Potentially, you can save the foundation, but I read a thread about the smell coming from the concrete. But I think you should look for threads concerning houses with odor damage.
I would never have dared to take a chance. It's a terrible situation to start paying for handyman hours and just hope that the smell will disappear.
I would have chosen to live a bit further out in a healthy house.
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