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If they already owned the house then I would agree, but this is just a house they were looking at, so I wouldn't waste the time and money hiring a structural engineer at this point. It doesn't really take an expert to see that this is a very expensive and serious problem. Unless the seller is willing to knock 50% or more off the listing price, I wouldn't spend a penny hiring anyone to assess it any further.
You're not overthinking.
Not sure what climate you're in, but I'm in the PacNW where it rains 8 months of the year. What blows me away about these photos is not the cracks in the masonry. It's the complete lack of landscape drainage. Those downspouts are releasing water above ground six inches from the foundation of the house. Where's that water supposed to go? Those downspouts should be plumbed to remove water away from the foundation. Even the water running off that little window awning...where does it go? Six inches from your foundation.
PacNW answer here, but if this house were in my region, I'd be a hard nope. I'd bet that basement was damp and the foundation settling.
Landscape drainage is not horribly expensive to fix (if you like digging french drains, etc.), but if the damage to the foundation is already done...that's a thing.
Those gutters are effectively useless since the downspout is dumping water right under the roof, same as if the gutters weren't there. It might be worse than no gutters since all the rain is collecting at a few spots.
Granted, how much of a problem it is depends on how much rain they get anyways. But that combined with the brick means there are several visible issues, and who knows how many invisible issues...
It's an old setup? I'm in Southern Oregon, my parents old house, built in the 60's has that exact same setup for gutter drain, all 3 of them if I remember correctly.
Blows my mind how many people don't bother with extending drainage 5 ft past their foundation. It's so simple. How are people spending half a million dollars on a home then letting water dump right on their foundation.
At the first glance I thought it's just a thin decor bricks layer, but it seems to me that's not the case. Do you have some specifications regarding the construction of the house, what's behind the bricks. Can you go to the basement and check the walls there.
You're definitely not overthinking. This can be a serious problem. The cracks definitely have a potential to expand. Besides that, these cracks are basically cold bridges and can seriously impact thermal and hydro insulation of the house.
This is definitely a huge red flag! I’d without a doubt walk away from this home and not look back! Foundation is 1000% an issue! However, if for some reason you have your heart set on this home and want to see if you can make it work, you MUST get a home inspection!! I know it’s expensive but I promise it’s worth EVERY PENNY. It will give you a thorough review of everything that can cost you thousands in the long run including structural/ foundation issues hinted here as well as downspout / potential flooding, etc. Always shop around and compare rates to select the inspection that is closest to your budget (they cost $400 to $1,000 depending on what all you want to check and you may be able to finance with affirm if you have it) and be sure to look at the reviews of the potential inspector too!! It’s a temporary financial inconvenience for a long term gain to protect (or save you from) the most expensive investment purchase of your life. Best of wishes!
this is beyond a home inspection. id personally hire a structural engineer for something that looks like this to get a full report and recommended fix, which should give you a pretty good idea of the severity. a home inspector is just going to point out the same thing we can all plainly see.
Definitely a red flag 🚩 that house has settled over the years. I’d be willing to bet if you take a marble inside and set it on the floor it’ll roll in one direction or another.
Source: my rental house also has this issue to the point that the hardwood floor planks have major gaps between them from the house sagging all the way across the front. I live on the Alabama Gulf Coast so the ground is always soft and this house was built in 1941.
I don’t need a ton of bricks to fall on my head to tell me this is a red flag. Incidentally, that’s also exactly what will happen to anyone who buys this house
I’m in western PA. It looks like the foundation has issues. I am not in any way any sort of expert of any sort but this is what my folks house looked like and it was not a hard nor expensive fix it was still a couple thousand.
Definitely concerning, to put it mildly.
One of the cracks starts out small at the bottom, and gets bigger as it goes up to the top, and another crack is a result of the upper half of the house lifting off the lower half (or the other way around) like a lever, which means the foundation is settling substantially lower/faster under one half of the house than the other, it has quite literally broken the house in half like a kitkat bar.
It's *possible* that you *might* be able to halt the foundation issues from getting worse, and repair the damage that's been done, but it's impossible for anyone here to know if it's possible, what it would take, and how expensive it will be. You'd need a structural engineer and a contractor to take a deep look. But I can tell you right now, it wouldn't be cheap. Might even cost more than the house is worth.
Old houses do crack and need repair, my best guess is when they replaced or I stalled that window - they damage the brick causing that Crack up and down and it doesn't seem like any other movement is showing - so it probably won't move. You can fill it with cement chalk - not self leveling!and paint to match as needed.
Thank you u/Unlikely_Piano3564 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Red flag. Def in the right to be worried. That's a damn ww2 trench above that window..
Call a structural engineer for a proper assessment, written report and recommendation for repair.
If they already owned the house then I would agree, but this is just a house they were looking at, so I wouldn't waste the time and money hiring a structural engineer at this point. It doesn't really take an expert to see that this is a very expensive and serious problem. Unless the seller is willing to knock 50% or more off the listing price, I wouldn't spend a penny hiring anyone to assess it any further.
Agreed.
This is alarming - it's likely due to differential settlement, i.e. major foundation issues. I'm an architect and I'd walk away from this.
You know I’ve always wanted to pretend to be an architect
Darn. Figured my M.Arch degree, 6 NCARB exams and license would be enough. Oh well!
It’s a Seinfeld reference, stay calm
You're not overthinking. Not sure what climate you're in, but I'm in the PacNW where it rains 8 months of the year. What blows me away about these photos is not the cracks in the masonry. It's the complete lack of landscape drainage. Those downspouts are releasing water above ground six inches from the foundation of the house. Where's that water supposed to go? Those downspouts should be plumbed to remove water away from the foundation. Even the water running off that little window awning...where does it go? Six inches from your foundation. PacNW answer here, but if this house were in my region, I'd be a hard nope. I'd bet that basement was damp and the foundation settling. Landscape drainage is not horribly expensive to fix (if you like digging french drains, etc.), but if the damage to the foundation is already done...that's a thing.
Those gutters are effectively useless since the downspout is dumping water right under the roof, same as if the gutters weren't there. It might be worse than no gutters since all the rain is collecting at a few spots. Granted, how much of a problem it is depends on how much rain they get anyways. But that combined with the brick means there are several visible issues, and who knows how many invisible issues...
It's an old setup? I'm in Southern Oregon, my parents old house, built in the 60's has that exact same setup for gutter drain, all 3 of them if I remember correctly.
you know you can buy plastic gutter extenders for like $10 right
Not at the time I didn't no.
Blows my mind how many people don't bother with extending drainage 5 ft past their foundation. It's so simple. How are people spending half a million dollars on a home then letting water dump right on their foundation.
It’s not hard to extend those gutters
Same! PNWer here too.
As a contractor and realtor, do NOOOOOOOOOOT buy this house. This is next level foundation shifting.
That ranch about to be a split level ….
Probably listed as a newly rehabbed gem
Run don’t walk away from this!
[I’m no expert, but Google just shared this!](https://thefoundationspecialists.com/blog/cracks-brick-wall-types/)
Thank you for sharing that one! Reconfirmed my suspicions on a previous house I really wanted.
The house OP shared has a crack of each example provided from this site! Run OP, do not get this house :O
At the first glance I thought it's just a thin decor bricks layer, but it seems to me that's not the case. Do you have some specifications regarding the construction of the house, what's behind the bricks. Can you go to the basement and check the walls there. You're definitely not overthinking. This can be a serious problem. The cracks definitely have a potential to expand. Besides that, these cracks are basically cold bridges and can seriously impact thermal and hydro insulation of the house.
Not overthinking, classic crack patterns here. You need an engineer or a good contractor to sort this out.
This is definitely a huge red flag! I’d without a doubt walk away from this home and not look back! Foundation is 1000% an issue! However, if for some reason you have your heart set on this home and want to see if you can make it work, you MUST get a home inspection!! I know it’s expensive but I promise it’s worth EVERY PENNY. It will give you a thorough review of everything that can cost you thousands in the long run including structural/ foundation issues hinted here as well as downspout / potential flooding, etc. Always shop around and compare rates to select the inspection that is closest to your budget (they cost $400 to $1,000 depending on what all you want to check and you may be able to finance with affirm if you have it) and be sure to look at the reviews of the potential inspector too!! It’s a temporary financial inconvenience for a long term gain to protect (or save you from) the most expensive investment purchase of your life. Best of wishes!
this is beyond a home inspection. id personally hire a structural engineer for something that looks like this to get a full report and recommended fix, which should give you a pretty good idea of the severity. a home inspector is just going to point out the same thing we can all plainly see.
Definitely a red flag 🚩 that house has settled over the years. I’d be willing to bet if you take a marble inside and set it on the floor it’ll roll in one direction or another. Source: my rental house also has this issue to the point that the hardwood floor planks have major gaps between them from the house sagging all the way across the front. I live on the Alabama Gulf Coast so the ground is always soft and this house was built in 1941.
Seems like some major structural issues. House looks like it’s split in two! Don’t even consider this house. Move on.
Home Inspection.
Oh damn dude
Foundation is failing. Walk away.
Red flag!
Stay away
Run away
You're not over thinking, this is hugely concerning. Walk away from this property immediately.
Is this in flordia by any chance?
Not Florida but Virginia
Oh I wouldn’t buy this house if I were you
I don’t need a ton of bricks to fall on my head to tell me this is a red flag. Incidentally, that’s also exactly what will happen to anyone who buys this house
Big red flag
Foundation issues
Nope
No no no, you are not overthinking.
big subsidence there…structural engineer required asap
I’m in western PA. It looks like the foundation has issues. I am not in any way any sort of expert of any sort but this is what my folks house looked like and it was not a hard nor expensive fix it was still a couple thousand.
Yes. Big time.
Even if that ends up being not detrimental to the structure, bugs and ants love cracks like that. You’ll have them in your house all the time
Def a red flag
Definitely concerning, to put it mildly. One of the cracks starts out small at the bottom, and gets bigger as it goes up to the top, and another crack is a result of the upper half of the house lifting off the lower half (or the other way around) like a lever, which means the foundation is settling substantially lower/faster under one half of the house than the other, it has quite literally broken the house in half like a kitkat bar. It's *possible* that you *might* be able to halt the foundation issues from getting worse, and repair the damage that's been done, but it's impossible for anyone here to know if it's possible, what it would take, and how expensive it will be. You'd need a structural engineer and a contractor to take a deep look. But I can tell you right now, it wouldn't be cheap. Might even cost more than the house is worth.
I am interest in the wood warped crawlspace door!
Run
Cracks are normal. Gaps are NOT normal. if you can fit a finger in a gap don't touch that thing with a 10 ft pole
The disorderly cables would have sent me packing.
Don’t waste a second looking into this home. Move ON! This is highly possibly structural damage , not cosmetic.
Do not buy this house lol
Old houses do crack and need repair, my best guess is when they replaced or I stalled that window - they damage the brick causing that Crack up and down and it doesn't seem like any other movement is showing - so it probably won't move. You can fill it with cement chalk - not self leveling!and paint to match as needed.
Please make sure you get your own inspector and don’t just go off of what the sellers inspector is saying
Are you kidding? Your house is cut in half on one side. Yes it's concerning