Date Posted: 2012-05-30 03:10:15
Site Posted: Myproperty.ph
These days, home sellers believe that renovating their property will attract more buyers. However, in an effort to save money, they either hire contractors that charge suspiciously low, or they do the work themselves even if they have little remodeling experience.
The trouble with this is that buyers get the short end of the stick; it’s hard for them to see bad renovation work in a house for sale unless they have an inspection done. If you are looking for a house to buy and want to ensure that the property is as stable as it looks, here are some signs of substandard renovation work that you should watch out for.
A wide floor area
Everyone wants to have a home that has incredibly wide open spaces, and house flippers satisfy this need by knocking down walls in order to turn several rooms into a huge space. The thing is, if the owner or the contractor is not familiar with the structure of the house, they could be knocking out a load-bearing wall that can threaten the home’s stability. Look for sagging beams and ceilings; these are indications that the home’s foundation has weakened due to the removal of a structural wall, and that it can give at any moment.
Sloped or ‘springy’ floors
One of the wear and tear signs of an older house is a slightly sloped floor, so this is nothing to be worried about. On the other hand, if the slope in the floor has resulted to the appearance of new cracks in the ceiling and the walls, this should be a cause for concern. Also, if the floor feels springy or bouncy under your feet, this means that it lacks support underneath, which can be dangerous over time.
Wall, floor and ceiling cracks
Cracks on the house’s foundation are always a sign of trouble. They could be caused by issues with the foundation itself, or the continuous shifting of the house. It’s not hard to spot and patch up obvious cracks in open places, but renovators can neglect to fix the cracks in hidden places like the closet, so remember to check these when you look at houses.
Windows and doors that often get stuck
It’s one thing for doors and windows to get stuck due to rust or drying of paint. However, if the reason behind the problem is the settling or sloping of the door and window frames, they could be caused by poor construction work or problems with the foundation of the home. Either way, you’ll be in for a lot of costly work to get these up to code should you decide to buy the property.
Never purchase a house on eye appeal alone. Always hire a professional home inspector; they are trained to spot trouble that the average person can miss.
Jillian Cariola, Writer
(cover image by melody2)
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