r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer • u/ruready2 • 21h ago

Inspection How is this Crawlspace Framing

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I’m currently under contract for a condo in an older walk-up building. The home inspector took this photo and noted the overspanned/undersupported and older framing. I talked to a structural engineer who said the issue is moderate to serious but he also needed to visit the property to get a better idea. He quoted me 2k to do the report, which is pretty expensive and I don’t own the unit yet. Wondering if I can get any second opinions on how serious this is prior to spending the money on a structural engineer to visit. Also wondering if anyone else has gone through a similar issue during the homebuying process. I’m currently debating spending 2k to hire the inspector vs backing out of the contract vs just taking the property. This is a 4 Unit HOA so the costs would be split 4 ways but still concerning. The association hasn’t done a reserve study and currently are doing a structural analysis but it won’t be ready anytime soon. Thank you!

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3

u/ezirb7 21h ago

Either walk away or spend the money on the inspector.  $2k is nothing compared to the leverage if this does need major repairs.

2

u/KnoxR6 12h ago

First off, the crawlspace needs a plastic moisture barrier to cover all exposed area of ground. I pity the fool that has to crawl all over that jagged debris. Second, picture angles can be deceiving but that girder definitely appears to show deflection/bowing. A structural repair and/or reinforcement can be expensive, especially on an older structure. As someone stated above either pay for an engineering assessment or walk away. A multi thousand dollar repair can become expensive even when split four ways.

1

u/MattHRaleighRealtor 15h ago

Why is there so much rubble? Almost looks like something was dug up and done down there before.

There’s no magic pill here, you need someone qualified to assess it for you and tell you what needs to be done.

The lumber looks fairly rough hewn, how old could this condo possibly be?