3. Sloping floors
Sloping floors are not uncommon in older homes, especially turn-of-the-century houses. "I've seen houses with as much as five inches difference from one side of the house to the other," Balin says. Don't let a seller pass the problem on to you, because it'll cost you when it's your turn to sell. "You think it's not going to make a difference in the price of the house?" Balin says. "Of course it will."
A sloping floor may signal weakness in the home's supporting structures. But that's not always the case, Juneau says. Sometimes it's just the result of an imperfect repair. In replacing floor joists, for example, the floor may not have been correctly re-leveled.
Signs of trouble
- Look at the house from the street. Is everything — the front entrance, the windows, outside doors, foundation and walls — straight and square?
- Place your marble or level on the floor. Does it roll to one wall? Does your carpenter's level indicate a subtle tilt?
- Notice how the floor feels beneath your feet: Humps beneath doorways and bounce can indicate failing supports.
- Be alert to ridges under a carpet. In a house with a slab-on-grade foundation, irregularities in the floor may be your clue to a crack or break in the slab.
The fixes
As with leaks, different causes will require different types of repairs. For example:
- A rotten or damaged floor joist can cause the floor to slant. Repairs may run as little as $300 or as much as tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the scope.
- A cracked concrete slab is repaired by drilling holes and injecting concrete. It's called "slab jacking" and it typically costs several thousand dollars.
- Re-leveling a floor over a crawl space involves slowly lifting the house and making the support beams level. Costs start at about $3,000.
4. Doors or windows that don't work right
All houses settle a little. In a house that has twisted in its frame, however, doors won't close properly and windows won't operate well. The cause might be a cracked foundation or missing structural members.
Signs of trouble
- Open and close all the windows and doors, noting if they stick or move sloppily. Test on all sides of the house.
- Observe whether doors fit squarely in the jambs. Do they resist closing or opening? Are big gaps visible between the floor and the door? Has a door been sawn off at the bottom or top? When you open a door, does it stay where it is or swing back and forth?
The fixes
- It costs little to nothing to trim the top of a door so it swings nicely in the frame. But that just fixes the symptom, Juneau points out. Likewise, you can remove the trim from the door opening and refashion the opening to fit the door. The cost? About $200 per door. But you still haven't fixed the underlying problem in the home's supporting structure.
- If the house is skewed, you may need to jack it up and replace supporting posts or beams, a project that can run $3,000 at the extreme low end.
5. Failed siding
Siding provides protection from the elements, moisture and damage. Time-tested siding materials are wood, aluminum, vinyl, stone, brick and stucco. Also, newer fiber cement products such as Hardie Board (by JamesHardie) are proving resilient, Juneau says.
Be alert for wood composite siding installed before 1996. Later products do better though still need examination. Several types have failed in wet or humid climates because of faulty products, installation or maintenance. Some were the subject of class-action lawsuits though much of the settlement money has been exhausted. (Learn about siding failure and product claims at this site by Pacific Crest Inspections in Anacortes, Wash., and this site by A Cut Above Exteriors in Portland, Ore.)
Watch also for EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System), a synthetic stucco backed with foam insulation that's been used since the 1990s, Juneau says. (Read a Consumer Reports article on EIFS-related lawsuits here.) Water penetrating through a break, puncture or even poorly caulked joints can rot underlying plywood sheathing or framing.
Don't get stuck with the cost of replacing bad siding. Spot it before buying a home and get the seller to lower the price.
Signs of trouble
- Wood composite siding usually has a wood-grain pattern imprinted on the surface. The most famous is LP siding, made by Louisiana Pacific. Ask the owner or sales agent what a home's siding is made of. If you suspect composite, make sure a professional home inspector closely examines it.
- Examine the bottom edges of overlapping siding. Failing siding will swell or have humps, ridges or even fungi growing from it.
- Check stucco siding for cracks, breaks and dents and for wet areas and soft spots around windows. Push gently on it. Sometimes "all that’s holding it together is the paint," Juneau says.
- Test stucco siding by knocking lightly. Real stucco is hard and gives a solid sound. EIFS sounds hollow, says an article [http://www.safeco.com/insurance-101/consumer-tips/your-home/eifs-tips-for-synthetic-stucco] on Safeco Insurance's Web site. Be alert for the smell of mildew. Caulking — not found on stucco — is another EIFS tip-off. "If you can place your hand under and behind the bottom edge it's probably EIFS," Safeco's tips say.
The fixes
- Replacing siding runs $6,000 to $15,000 and up, depending on house size and materials used. In some cases, you may be able to buy some time with a temporary repair, but if water has penetrated EIFS or wood composite siding, it will all eventually need to be replaced, Juneau says.
- If you suspect EIFS, get a licensed EIFS inspector (search the Yellow Pages under "siding" or search the American Society of Home Inspectors’ Web site herefor a specialist (use "search by additional services offered"). Inspections are costly — $1,100 or more — involving special equipment to detect hidden moisture and infrared camera probes.
6. Mold and water stains on ceilings and walls
The cause of mold and rot is simple: Water got in where it shouldn't have. The pros call it "moisture penetration." The longer it's there, the more damage it creates.
Signs of trouble
- When touring a home, use your nose. If you encounter moldy or dank smells, politely ask the agent or owner about its origin.
- Check walls and ceilings — particularly under bathrooms and kitchens — for water stains, mold and mushy drywall.
- Check for signs of repairs or remodeling by holding your flashlight parallel to the wall or ceiling. The light casts shadows on every irregularity, repair, patches and a telltale difference in surface sheen. Start at the highest point and work your way down all interior walls. Do the same with the ceiling.
- Inquire about repairs. They are fine if done well. Ask what went wrong, what exactly was done to fix it and when. Satisfy yourself and the experts helping you that the problem was fixed adequately. Ask to see any documentation available.
The fix
- Fixing a leak may involve only replacing a missing piece of flashing. Cost: $10 to $20.
- The same leak, left undetected, can result in a nightmare of rot and mold. "I've seen homes where you have to take off the siding all the way around and strip the house down to its bones," Balin says. Cost: As much as $100,000.
Armed with your observations, get an expert home inspector to thoroughly examine the place. (Read “4 tips for finding the best home inspector.”)
If you decide to buy a house with potentially expensive problems, use your inspector's report to negotiate with the seller to lower the price. Then start a savings account dedicated to funding the repairs.
