@alexw Alex, I've finally been able to show my hubby your pictures and....well...he says RUN AWAY from that death trap. This is very bad sweetie. You need to focus on this foundation or sell that home and get another. Or get some refunds. You most certainly have a large window for discovery in your favor. Indiana can not be THAT different from the states I've worked in and built/remodeled homes.

Gosh, this is very amazing that the Bank allowed the sale of this home to you without having the owners FIX this before sale. Look into your mortgage paperwork. Find any exclusions. There would NEVER be an exclusion for the foundation. Your one and only focus has to be that foundation. Needs to be 'jacked' up, the sill plate REMOVED. All dry rot removed under the home. A solid footing and stem wall poured in place with the correct rebar spacing, stem wall notch into the footing.

You have rights. Most people, including 'building inspectors' both private as well as municipal are clueless. Private inspectors are usually the absolute best because they work for YOU. Was this other inspector sent by the bank? The sellers of this home? I wouldn't do a single upgrade to this home until you have a proper foundation. I am fairly sure you have major dry rot. There is moisture in your crawl space and by what you've said the uphill side is allowing water into that soil.

I would hire a private building inspector. First. A good one knows the laws in your country and state as well and can coach you to get compensated somehow. Someone screwed up big time. You obviously know more than the average homeowner! But, hey, is this your first home? Shame on your bank! My hubby, first thing he said was for you to RUN away...I needed his opinion to second my thoughts. Sorry, but you have laws protecting YOU. Let me know!

...and you have to deal with the drainage on the up hill side. While you are at it check out the perimeter drain if it is there at all. These are so critical I am floored that the bank wasn't more concerned and thus more investigative. At the very least you need a swale, a 'soft ditch' (6'X 2' deep) to catch water and divert it around your foundation. This home HAS to have a new foundation or it is worthless. You won't be able to sell this home without a new foundation and that's not fair!

@stormy we got a couple thousand in concessions at purchase...lemme check what those were actually for

yes this is our first house

we were told to put in a french drain on the uphill side

a new foundation, though? seems like at that point we might as well do a total teardown

the inside isn't exactly a palace either

our plan was to replace the sill plate + kitchen joists at the same time when we install the french drain and completely tear out the kitchen

so...in the spring

@alexw I would hope so! Yet, this is in theory the bank's home. I know how banks think and unless your concessions were FREE HOME, there is no excuse for this. A 'french drain' will certainly work but surface water can not be allowed to travel to your foundation. French drains are great for subsurface water. I've got other ideas but sweetie that foundation IS YOUR HOME. A fixer upper is cool but this is a big deal. Get a building inspector as well as get bids from foundation companies.

yes I know...excavation+foundation are the most expensive parts of a home

well, the land and utility hookups are worth something too

and it has a fairly new roof and a new furnace

...you'll learn an awful lot from each contractor. I would get more than 3 but 3 is minimum. These bids are a way to see through foundation experts? eyes. Utilities are not even in the same ballpark as your foundation. Roofs are important, yes. What type of furnace? Electric forced air? Do you have a wood stove as a back up?

condensing gas furnace

...is this your first home, Alex? So you are on natural gas?

yes to both

this place was a rental for at least 10-15 years

You have rights, go check out buildings and code! You might even want to visit a real estate lawyer after you've spent a hundred or so for a private building inspector. You get 30 minutes free with the lawyer usually. Again, you have rights. Disclosure is a very big deal and even though you know more than most this is unconscionable. This is dangerous. If your home fell into the crawl space who would be responsible? The bank for sure! Not you. Do you know the condition of the gas line

nope

but I never smell any gas...

here is the description when they did the appraisal:

> C4;Kitchen-updated-eleven to fifteen years ago;Bathrooms-remodeled-six to ten years ago;Within the preceding 10 yrs, the subject has had new vinyl siding & metal roof. The kitchen & baths are updated (dates estimated). The interior appears adequately maintained with minor physical depreciation attributed to typical wear and tear.

> The east side of the foundation shows minor settlement typical of stone block foundations in this market, given the age of the home. This slight shift typically does not impact overall stability. The owner has recently stabilized the foundation within the crawl space per disclosures

we definitely got duped, though. all the "remodels" were shabbily done by some DIYers who owned the place prior

from the inspection ^^

my first home had an oil furnace. We redid all the walls, 8 EIGHT layers of work for every square foot. One day I noticed I had black buggers. I noticed that all the pretty newly painted walls were covered with black dust. The furnace had a leak. Our home owners insurance didn't work because this was the second time we filed a claim. We had to redo EVERYTHING. We had to buy a new policy from someone else.

oh god, I grew up with an oil furnace

boiler room of nightmares

...love this 'report', unimaginable that a bank would allow this level of inspection to be the basis for sale. Sometimes, knocking the whole thing down to do it right is less expensive. Focus on that foundation and drainage. What retaining walls to include railroad ties are DEFECTIVE? Railroad ties will be here forever, why did they say they were defective?

well, they are pushed out and splintering

you've seen my front yard photos, right?

such a lovely FIRST experience with your FIRST home. No, Alex, I've not seen your front yard photos. I'd love to see photos all around your home!

Pushed out means WATER and bad drainage!

yes of course

railroad ties are a poor choice for a retaining wall, especially one supporting a driveway. and I wager they didn't properly backfill it either

we're literally in the limestone capital of the US and they used...wood :-(

...exactly, they did not put drainage behind that wall. What is wrong with the banks in Indiana? All banks, even credit unions, check cashing little dives are all connected to the Federal Reserve. All of them. This is weird because in my experience the banks are first and foremost into establishing credibility for all their investments.

I think in this town, a lot of houses are bought as rentals

and college renters just assume or expect places to be rundown crapholes

and landlords care little more

Limestone ain't that great for structures. Very easily wasted by water. Can you tell if they used pressure treated wood for your foundation structures? Being a rental allows one to make money without involvement from the banks. Until a rental falls down and kills someone.

Renters have more rights than you can imagine. More than a new home owner that is for sure! College students don't care one bit with maintenance but if that home was built properly the first time the structural integrity couldn't be hurt by idiot renters.

...if the hotwater tank dies, one call to the landlord, that landlord has 24 hours to fix it!

indeed

that's why I liked renting so much

I'm good at picking good landlords

left side of that pic ^^ is the driveway and retaining wall that was here when we bought the place

right side is the new wall we've been working on

Grins, what a nightmare of a yard...BUT, this will offer clues to your home's drainage and foundation. I see a lot of great material you will be able to reuse. I also see a lot of exercise in your future!! Rip all that stone down and away and you need to check out the condition or even the presence of the culvert behind that wall, omgoodness!

ha, it was much worse

do you remember the culvert at all? There has to be a culvert, galvanized metal or plastic .

knotweed everywhere

rip down the wall I just built? no way

or do you mean the old wall

KNOTWEED? That is such a big no no! Right there is a disclosure that the banks normally catch! Your wall, as you are building it is beautiful. You are making an Ashlar wall. But you need to know where the water is going off of that road and into your property. From what I see there WAS a ditch and most certainly a culvert should have been in place via the city!

my plan is to tear down all those railroad ties and old stone, and rebuild the wall as a corner off our new wall

There is a 'set back' from the middle of that road where the city is RESPONSIBLE for drainage and utilities to your home.

but that's probably a year away at least :-P

so I've never seen any water coming off the road into our "driveway"

and there is a storm drain on the downhill side

Focus on that water, first, Alex. I am so glad you asked this question. Grins, have you seen the movie, "Money Pit"?

(which actually feeds into a ditch that forms the east boundary of our property)

this place is indeed a money pit

ooh that makes me Tom Hanks

...the road is a 'water way'. Usually crowned in the middle to drain on both sides, hitting a curb to be directed towards a storm drain. What goes over than curb definitely you get to deal with...find the set back from the center line of your road, sorry I am giggling horribly, yes you are Tom Hanks! Find out where the city leaves off from responsibility.

yeah if it makes it over the curb it could definitely be a problem

the driveway is barely usable anyway

only a truck or SUV can avoid scraping the bottom against the curb, it's so steep

You have rights, I can not emphasize this enough. Fairly large windows for discovery. What have your neighbors done, have had experience with/problems, how are THEIR basements?

probably terrible if they have them

many homes in Bloomington don't have basements though

we are at the bottom of the neighborhood, too

which document do you suggest I look at first?

I would talk with the OWNERS of the house across the street. Not the renters.I can see a huge problem with drainage for them yet the roof lines look good. That thing behind the home is scary.

which thing?

Drag out all of your mortgage papers, contracts. Find a damn great inspector. Cheap for the value of what you NEED, right now.

oh, that big hill?

...the 'addition'

in blue? that's a separate house

Yup, if there is no swale at the bottom of that grade change that home is having major water problems.

I think everyone in this town is incompetent :-/

I've had so many experiences now, with people being bad at their jobs

Grins, do a bit of sleuthing with your neighbors. Great information. Get that inspector, you have more rights than those renters! Always assume others are incompetent. When hiring a contractor always always get minimum of 3 bids, check ANGIE'S LIST. Write everything down and find someone you trust to interpret...like MOI? I can see why you are doing DIY! Great for you but you might be ruining your so called 'warranty' protections. Discovery is a big deal.

Tom Hanks, you are too cute, young enough to make a difference. Write a book you will have so much to teach others after this debacle. Take lots of pictures. Just an idea. Are you in school, now?

>Always assume others are incompetent.

yes this is something I have been learning a lot over the past few years ^^

owning a business, buying a house...

I've already had enough school for several lifetimes :-P

full-time business owner/FOSS developer/crappy house fixer

it's a good point about warranty protections, though

spent a few weeks on this ^^

Let me guess, 12X10? built on pier block foundation makes it a 'moveable' structure and under 120 square feet, no need for permits, very nice. I had one for my beloved Harley. You are learning home ownership the proper way. How big is your lot?

0.1 acres

yeah I doubt anyone got permits for anything around here...

but most of those "piers" weren't really supporting anything at all

that's why I jacked the whole thing up and installed them properly, with deep footers

It is warm enough outside so I get to take a shower in our 'outdoor' shower with HOT water!! Yay. Tiny. As a homeowner you need to find out all about the 'rules'...asap.

Huggs

ooh I love outside shower

have fun!