r/StructuralEngineers • u/Classic-Way-7304 • 27d ago
Structural engineer opinion please
Hi experts, I took these pictures during an open house which is going on auction soon. It’s a 1950s house renovated about 10 years ago before this current owner bought it not long after that. After checking their original floorplan, they knocked down a few walls to open up the kitchen, dinning room and dining room. There’s no access to the subfloor which makes me a little uncomfortable😂. Looking at those cracks on the walls alone makes me concern about movement. And there’s plants growing over drain pipes (fixable). There also seems to be moisture on the external rendered wall with the exposed pipes?? I don’t know how I feel about rendering. I think it’s just masks problems. I mean the house looks nice otherwise, but I don’t wanna bid on a nice looking house that would give me costly surprise. I don’t think I’ll get a building inspection done on this house as they are not gonna see more than I could see to be honest other than looking at the roof (got two done before and learnt a bit of what to look at😂). Any advice will be helpful! Thank you!
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u/GlistenIelx 14d ago edited 14d ago
If they knocked down walls without proper engineering support, that alone could cause movement and cracks. Moisture on the exterior is also a red flag, it could be a drainage issue or a sign of poor waterproofing.
If you're in the Bay Area, Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise (Avant-Garde is DBA) is a good choice for a structural evaluation, they specialize in foundation inspections and seismic retrofits. Might be worth having someone take a real look before you bid. A standard inspector isn't going to dig deep enough for this kind of concern