My sister and brother-in-law recently bought a project house that's around 30 years old, located in a rural area. While they were renovating, they discovered some serious problems under the flooring of a sunroom addition. The floor joists are loose and moldy, and the foundation is inadequate—no footer, not deep enough, and lacking proper ventilation. They believe that in a few years, they may face issues like mold and sagging floors. The home inspector missed this because there's no crawlspace to check. They're handy folks with a bunch of other projects on their plate. What options do they have to fix this mess, and can they seek compensation from the previous owner for failing to disclose the poor construction?
3 Answers
First off, when was this addition actually built? If it was done by the previous owner, you might have a tough case; if they didn't make any specific claims about it being up to code, it might be a slippery slope to prove negligence. They could try checking if any permits were pulled for the addition, which could help their case. If the seller was shady about it, that could be a good angle to pursue a claim.
Yikes, that’s a bummer! It’s definitely disappointing to find that kind of issue after buying. They could reach out to other local contractors to get estimates on fixing the foundation, but beware, they may need to go through legal channels to see if there's a chance of recourse against the previous owner.
Honestly, it seems like they might have to own this one. If the seller didn't state that it was built to code and the addition wasn't part of the listed square footage, that suggests they knew it could be problematic. It’s a tough hit but focusing on getting it fixed up might be their best bet right now.
Yeah, and if they’re handy, they might be able to do a lot of the repairs themselves. It’s gonna take work, but it might save them some bucks.
It sounds like a messy situation, especially if they didn't disclose anything. They might want to consult a lawyer who specializes in real estate—it's worth exploring all their options.