Would you buy this house with this steep driveway and other problems? (build, money)
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"I don't know where you live, but I can tell you that having inspected more than 500 houses for insurance companies, that this type of construction is pretty common in the Missouri Ozarks. In fact, I have seen considerably more severe building sites.
Maintaining the driveway will take some extra effort and expense through the years. But if your house was build by a licensed contractor there shouldn't be any particularly huge concern about it being built as it is."
The house is in TN. There are many Counties in TN that have little or no building code enforcement. Having inspected thousands of houses here, I have seen many houses built that have significant issues, AND they were built by licensed contractors.
The way the earth slopes TOWARD the foundation is a huge red flag. As far as the driveway goes, if it causes you concern when it's dry, wait until it gets a little freezing rain or snow on it.
Like others have said, if its a concern to you now, it will be a concern to someone else when you go to sell it.
While I will defer to BarkingSpider and his much closer experience with this kind of thing I too have seen houses built on sites even steeper than this one. With proper foundation it is no more risky than a level site. The red flag is the way part of the site is sloped back toward the house -- huge potential for rain collecting and undermining foundation. Other big concern is the simple pier blocks for the back stairs. A couple of freeze-thaw cycles and those will heave badly. Proper foundation that extends into a stable part of the subsoil / clay base / drilling rock footing would last much longer, but also cost MUCH more. I suspect that is why there is no garage either -- pouring truckload of concrete to stabilize a pad for vehicles is crazy expensive...
When done right this kind of site can make for spectular views (and make for a fortress like defendable position if all John1960 doom saying predictions come true...)
I thought I could get house at a cheap price and fix it up because it's a foreclosure. But finding out it had no carport or garage and only a small place to park two vehicles and no back yard I decided it's not worth buying it at any price.
I thought I could get house at a cheap price and fix it up because it's a foreclosure. But finding out it had no carport or garage and only a small place to park two vehicles and no back yard I decided it's not worth buying it at any price.
And after all this advice, that was the conclusion you came to? I can guarantee that the parking for vehicles and "no" back yard are not the reasons it's a foreclosure.
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What if it had a french drain, would the foundation still be an issue? (just curious)
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