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rotor posted:I have to think that there is some legal recourse for something this flagrant though, even if you do waive the disclosures Well, he found a lawyer willing to take his case, so that lawyer presumably (if he's not just joining the ripping-off-the-homeowner party) presumably thinks there is a legal case to be made. The water intrusion seems like a huge issue. I think eventually he's going to be excavating all the way around the house's foundation and discovering problems there too. It can't just be the self-leveling concrete in the basement, because that's just a thin layer put there to give you a nice surface. If water is pooling directly under that concrete, poo poo has already gone badly wrong. Also LOL at trying to use just a shop vac to pump hundreds of gallons of water out of the basement. Go buy a sump pump! Jesus!
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Jul 10, 2014 08:39
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Leperflesh posted:
And a support joist was cut most of the way through to run a drain line, so he sisters it with plywood on either side. That's not allowed, is it? If you're going to sister it, don't you need to use something better than plywood?
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Jul 10, 2014 13:51
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Phanatic posted:And a support joist was cut most of the way through to run a drain line, so he sisters it with plywood on either side. That's not allowed, is it? If you're going to sister it, don't you need to use something better than plywood? Depends on what you are fixing and where. There is nothing wrong with gluing and screwing plywood to sister a joist in the right areas. It's quite stiff and will take the bounce out of long spans. Your AHJ is going to have the final word on whether they'll accept it as a structural repair or not.
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Jul 10, 2014 15:49
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Either way, I think we can all agree it's better than what was there. Christ.
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Jul 10, 2014 15:57
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When my parents built their house in the 80s my dad took photos of everything before drywall went up. Like 2-3 albums worth. I'm incredibly impressed with the thoroughness of them. Old man had his poo poo together.
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Jul 10, 2014 16:41
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Oh my god that blog is horrendous. I am impressed by how much poo poo he and his friends have dealt with themselves, but it just keeps coming. And he has $10,000 in repairs on his credit cards. At this point he has to be praying that someone will see his story and set fire to the place for him.
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Jul 10, 2014 16:43
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Ashcans posted:At this point he has to be praying that someone will see his story and set fire to the place for him. I think that's why he has the interlude in the middle where he says the only way to get out of it is to pray for a fire.
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Jul 10, 2014 16:51
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Seat Safety Switch posted:I think that's why he has the interlude in the middle where he says the only way to get out of it is to pray for a fire. So you're saying someone did insure the place?
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Jul 10, 2014 17:11
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"My realtor also visits the house to see the problems for himself. At the time of purchase, he and the sellers had coached me into waiving the disclosures notice (which means I bought the house “as is”). I would later learn that this is one of many tactics used by predatory remodelers." I kinda lost a lot of my sympathy for the guy here, that's just loving stupid. He put this on him self. "Oh hey making the biggest financial purchase of my life? Yeah totally I'll sign any all my legal protections and all my options for recourse!" Baronjutter fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Jul 10, 2014 |
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Jul 10, 2014 17:43
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Leperflesh posted:Well, he found a lawyer willing to take his case, so that lawyer presumably (if he's not just joining the ripping-off-the-homeowner party) presumably thinks there is a legal case to be made. quote:He tells me that finding the responsible parties and getting a court judgement against them might be possible, but the likelihood of collecting any compensation from them is slim to none. Those responsible took great care to run the transaction as a 1031-Exchange through the IRS, they provided fake contact info, and likely used offshore bank accounts.
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Jul 10, 2014 17:52
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Are underground drainage pipes a thing in the US, just wondering if that guy has any given his flooding issues. And what of ground preparation, is the area usually excavated and a new foundation made from gravel with good capillary action breaking properties to help migrate water away from the house foundation?
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Jul 10, 2014 17:56
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I just sold my condo and the buyer didn't have a home inspector go through it. Not that there is anything to find, but how does she know that? She did ask me to pay this $75 for a home warranty which was wtf.
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Jul 10, 2014 17:59
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His Divine Shadow posted:Are underground drainage pipes a thing in the US, just wondering if that guy has any given his flooding issues. And what of ground preparation, is the area usually excavated and a new foundation made from gravel with good capillary action breaking properties to help migrate water away from the house foundation? They are quite common in newer construction and after basement repairs. They were not always though. The typical really good setup is a "weeping tile" (plastic perforated pipe with a geotextile over it) running the ring of the perimeter of the home at the footings and entering into a sump pit inside. The weeping tile is covered with several inches of stone, the basement walls are sealed with a membrane and then dimpled plastic material is put on top of that (to allow any water sitting against the house to gravity feed down to the weeping tile quickly. Any basement windows should have rings around them and get backfilled with stone down to the weeping tile, or at least have another piece of weeping tile in them tied in with the tile around the footings. Very often only some of this is done, and that is frequently sufficient depending on soil composition, grading, and rainfall.
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Jul 10, 2014 18:02
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"The engineer also suggests that I hire a contractor to install external drain tile, rather than internal." Wait, how can a house even be built without surrounding drain tile? No wonder his poo poo is flooding.
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Jul 10, 2014 18:03
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Baronjutter posted:I kinda lost a lot of my sympathy for the guy here, that's just loving stupid. He put this on him self. "Oh hey making the biggest financial purchase of my life? Yeah totally I'll sign any all my legal protections and all my options for recourse!" While stupid, its pretty heartless to lose sympathy for someone who has to go through this. It may be obvious to you and I that its a terrible idea, but you could sell it to a lot of well-intentioned people who don't know my better.
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Jul 10, 2014 18:06
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Baronjutter posted:"The engineer also suggests that I hire a contractor to install external drain tile, rather than internal." Most homes not built in the last three decades or so don't have weeping tile or any sort of drainage system unless they were custom builds by people who knew what they were doing or were built in a known wet area with lots of clay soil. Homes with basements have been built without any sort of external drainage for quite literally hundreds of years, and many of them stay dry or at least dry enough. You may also be confused by not knowing that it's a relatively modern "requirement" to have a completely watertight basement. Most old stone foundations weep and drain across the floor or in channels. Or the floor is simply dirt. That's just the way it was done and what was expected of a basement.
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Jul 10, 2014 18:08
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c0ldfuse posted:While stupid, its pretty heartless to lose sympathy for someone who has to go through this. It may be obvious to you and I that its a terrible idea, but you could sell it to a lot of well-intentioned people who don't know my better. The mindset of many, many people is amazing. Penny wise and pound foolish - people will coupon the poo poo out of things, but then just pay asking price and waive all rights when it comes to a five figure car or a six figure piece of real property, close their eyes, sign on the dotted line, and hope the seller isn't loving them six ways to sunday. I don't understand it at all. I didn't hire an inspector for my place because I full well knew that based on the inspector licensing laws and things they're allowed to do (not allowed to break poo poo in the house basically, no punching holes in walls) I could detect any problem that they could... that I actually cared about. I knew all the wiring, drywall, plumbing, etc (basically everything but the frame, foundation, and utility hookups) was a lost cause, and the only framing issues I couldn't see were also hidden from any inspector's view too. But if I was looking to buy a move-in ready property with no problems, you can bet I'd be retaining every right possible and hiring an inspector to cover my rear end/make the insurance company happy.
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Jul 10, 2014 18:18
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Motronic posted:They are quite common in newer construction and after basement repairs. They were not always though. Weeping tile sounds like what I'm calling drainage pipes, never would have guessed if not for your description. We also covered the outside of the foundation with a membrane like you say. Some reposted pics from my house building thread, this is how we did it. Foundation itself, this is below ground level so far, gravel that's been vibrated down:  Don't have any good pics of the actual installation but you can see the weeping tile sticking up around the house corners as well as the membrane. There are underground collection wells in every corner and they're all connected via the underground pipes, then from the lowest placed well there is another drainage pipe that goes all the way to the edge of the property and empties into a ditch.  Even have a plan of it here 
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Jul 10, 2014 18:18
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His Divine Shadow posted:Weeping tile sounds like what I'm calling drainage pipes, never would have guessed if not for your description. It's an odd name that is a leftover from when weeping tile was literally made from clay pipes. His Divine Shadow posted:Don't have any good pics of the actual installation but you can see the weeping tile sticking up around the house corners as well as the membrane. There are underground collection wells in every corner and they're all connected via the underground pipes, then from the lowest placed well there is another drainage pipe that goes all the way to the edge of the property and empties into a ditch. Yep, also a pretty normal setup here. I mentioned tied back inside to a sump pit, but if you have the grade and a place to put the water leaving it outside and entirely gravity fed is a good way to go. I would have speced the fabric-covered perforated pipe if that job was being done here. I don't know if that's a thing there, and in your case (from what I recall of your build thread) it shouldn't matter so much with how rocky your area is. But if you have loose soil it helps/buys you time before the tile gets clogged with silt. And it's literally a couple cents per foot more, so why not?
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Jul 10, 2014 18:30
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I honestly didn't have the knowledge to know to check that when I was at stage of house building, everything came part of the package from the construction company. I think it's a perfectly fine brand (finnish one called uponor) which is perhaps the most common one in construction here.
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Jul 10, 2014 19:08
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His Divine Shadow posted:I honestly didn't have the knowledge to know to check that when I was at stage of house building, everything came part of the package from the construction company. I think it's a perfectly fine brand (finnish one called uponor) which is perhaps the most common one in construction here. Uponor products are also built in Minnesota.
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Jul 10, 2014 19:12
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kastein posted:The mindset of many, many people is amazing. Penny wise and pound foolish - people will coupon the poo poo out of things, but then just pay asking price and waive all rights when it comes to a five figure car or a six figure piece of real property, close their eyes, sign on the dotted line, and hope the seller isn't loving them six ways to sunday. Most people, particularly if they have not previously participated in a real estate transaction, have little knowledge of the process or legalities surrounding it. So, they enter a fiduciary relationship with an agent, who is then legally obligated to represent their best interest. This agent then advises them that they should sign this paper, and this paper, and this paper, because it's the thing to do if you want to become a proud, happy owner of such a beautiful, wonderful home. The people, naively believing that there must exist some sort of incentive or enforcement or human decency that will lead to their agent actually respect the fiduciary relationship, agree to sign the papers so that they too can live the dream of home ownership.
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Jul 10, 2014 20:11
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Zhentar posted:Most people, particularly if they have not previously participated in a real estate transaction, have little knowledge of the process or legalities surrounding it. So, they enter a fiduciary relationship with an agent, who is then legally obligated to represent their best interest. This agent then advises them that they should sign this paper, and this paper, and this paper, because it's the thing to do if you want to become a proud, happy owner of such a beautiful, wonderful home. The people, naively believing that there must exist some sort of incentive or enforcement or human decency that will lead to their agent actually respect the fiduciary relationship, agree to sign the papers so that they too can live the dream of home ownership. So can't the lawyer sue the agent for obviously not acting in the buyers best interest?
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Jul 10, 2014 20:20
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It's actually worse than that, because many people who go looking for a house don't realize that there is a difference between a buyer's agent and a seller's agent; they might see a house listing and contact the seller, or walk into a realty office and ask about a property - they think that because they are talking to this person about this property, this is 'my realtor', even though that person is actually a seller's agent who has no obligation at all to look after their interests. Realtors, of course, won't do anything to inform people about this or to dispel any misconception, because why would you tell a mark that you're gunning for him? I had to go to a city-run educational course to have that difference clearly explained to me, and apparently tons of people get screwed because they don't have a clear idea who the agent is really representing.
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Jul 10, 2014 20:26
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Motronic posted:Most homes not built in the last three decades or so don't have weeping tile or any sort of drainage system unless they were custom builds by people who knew what they were doing or were built in a known wet area with lots of clay soil. I didn't know it wasn't widespread till more "recently". I grew up in a 1930's house, as were most of the houses in the area (ranged from 1900 to 1960) and they all had some sort of perimeter drain. I remember in the 80's we did a reno on the house and part of it was upgrading these ancient clay shell things all around the house with proper modern plastic pipes. The basement didn't have any channels but it had a few drains in some corners. Always stayed dry but one year it leaked a little, then more, then every year or two we'd get a nice little flood of up to a few mm of water. It was actually coming up and out of one of the drains so we just plugged it and problem solved. I did a lot of architecture/construction related stuff and never dug up around a house without finding some sort of primitive version of a perimeter drain, usually those half-pipe clay deals packed in some decently sized granular fill. Something like this:  With the bigger one fitting over top of the smaller one like a little roof. I actually had a hard time finding pictures and this seems to be a bloody museum piece! Most of the pictures I find of clay drain tiles are full pipes. I've certainly seen those but mostly it was the 2-piece half-pipe deals. Is that super rare/super old? I feel really bad for that dude, but mostly mad that the realestate system exists in such a way that people can so easy sucker the ignorant and foolish. I still think if you're spending so much money on anything you need to really research the topic, that's basic due diligence. Like I feel sorry for the dude in a youtube video who hurts him self doing something incredibly stupid, but he still did something incredibly stupid. But of course this guy didn't bungle into some 1900's dream house not realizing it needed extensive renovation, he was outright scammed by criminals. Dude is a loving idiot but the people who scammed him are criminal scum who need to be behind bars, or baring that, publicly shamed. I think legally he might have a leg to stand on. There's "buyer beware" and then there's selling something outright dangerous and purposefully sabotaged goods.
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Jul 10, 2014 20:31
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Baronjutter posted:I didn't know it wasn't widespread till more "recently". I grew up in a 1930's house, as were most of the houses in the area (ranged from 1900 to 1960) and they all had some sort of perimeter drain. I remember in the 80's we did a reno on the house and part of it was upgrading these ancient clay shell things all around the house with proper modern plastic pipes. The basement didn't have any channels but it had a few drains in some corners. Always stayed dry but one year it leaked a little, then more, then every year or two we'd get a nice little flood of up to a few mm of water. It was actually coming up and out of one of the drains so we just plugged it and problem solved. I did a lot of architecture/construction related stuff and never dug up around a house without finding some sort of primitive version of a perimeter drain, usually those half-pipe clay deals packed in some decently sized granular fill. You've probably lived in areas where it's reasonably wet or in homes that were simply well built. Most codes simply didn't require this kind of thing so it was often not done. Those are often the same areas that newer construction homes are built on slabs rather than with basements. And yes, that photo is of honest to goodness old school weeping tile, which was then superseded by clay pipes. And undamaged ones basically are museum pieces as there is absolutely positively no good reason to produce those things anymore now that we have cheap plastics and geotex.
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Jul 10, 2014 20:49
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What era would those 2-tile systems have been installed?? My house was 30's, but those tiles somehow seem older. Or would that be the norm for a 1930's house? I guess back in the day when the person building the house was going to be living in it, they didn't need a code to do the right thing, it was in their self-interest to put in a perimeter drain. Then again counterpoint: goverhouse.
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Jul 10, 2014 21:09
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When my dad replaced any floorboards he painstakingly drew and labelled the layout of joists, pipes and wires beneath them, then polyurethaned the new floorboard so the drawing would stay. I have never seen anyone else do that but I like to imagine it's a real boon for the next person to own the property.
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Jul 10, 2014 21:20
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Baronjutter posted:What era would those 2-tile systems have been installed?? My house was 30's, but those tiles somehow seem older. Or would that be the norm for a 1930's house? I have no idea. Some data points, I've seen the individual tiles around 1800s farm houses, but I've also seen clay pipe and plastic weeping around them - who knows what repairs happen when. Some searching on the web leads me to believe that clay pipes were 1930s through the 70s or so.
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Jul 10, 2014 21:24
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 Want a new staircase for your house? Now you can more effectively use the space by doubling them as shelves!
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Jul 10, 2014 22:50
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I've seen things like that on pinterest, but those are some STEEP steps. That looks terrifying to climb down in the morning before coffee. (And that setup adds less storage that a set of dedicated shelves/cabinets under a proper staircase would add)
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Jul 10, 2014 22:57
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Digital War posted:
Triples as a death trap.
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Jul 10, 2014 23:01
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Those are also incredibly bad from a structural/mechanical engineering perspective. So many lovely little boxes made from thin wall square tube, so few triangles, so much cantilevering.
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Jul 10, 2014 23:01
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And not to code due to no handrail. Which a death trap staircase like that actually needs, unlike most proper staircases.
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Jul 10, 2014 23:07
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Want to see someone carry a piece of furniture up that.
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Jul 10, 2014 23:11
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PLANES CURE TOWERS posted:Want to see someone carry a piece of furniture up that. The drywall anchors holding it in should be plenty for that.
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Jul 10, 2014 23:15
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Man, that predatory remodeling guy can't catch a break! Aside from the remodeling crime, a tree falls on his garage, raccoons move in the attic, his replacement basement floor leaks, then he even drops a can of Great Stuff and it ruptures all over the carpet? It's like someone managed to build a house out of Kelsey Grammer's personal life.
kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Jul 10, 2014 |
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Jul 10, 2014 23:47
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fortunately it doubles as a lethal hipster trap.
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Jul 11, 2014 00:15
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Elendil004 posted:So can't the lawyer sue the agent for obviously not acting in the buyers best interest? Possibly. The agent can probably get out of any serious punishment by claiming incompetence (which could well be true) though, if there's not hard evidence to the contrary.
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Jul 11, 2014 04:55
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kid sinister posted:Man, that predatory remodeling guy can't catch a break! Aside from the remodeling crime, a tree falls on his garage, raccoons move in the attic, his replacement basement floor leaks, then he even drops a can of Great Stuff and it ruptures all over the carpet? It's like someone managed to build a house out of Kelsey Grammer's personal life. I hope you all laughed as hard as I did when I read this in the blog. How do you not just throw yourself off the next bridge at that point (which is something like post 20 of suicide worthy problems).
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Jul 11, 2014 05:30
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