House Inspection and support woes. Help.

[fitz19d]

So had a few things I need to run down and figure out for my new house sooner than later. Currently under contract on a house and it's 99% immaculate/perfect. Up front I'll say I need help from real men as I'm an academic brainiac that is not that handy.

Issues I need to find a member who does that kind of work or can provide advice for.

#1 is I have a 210g tank with 75g sump. (Really is only about 240g total water volume, 200lbs rock and like 600-800 lb tank/stand) It's a 6 foot by 2 foot foot print. The room I'd like to put it in is a few inches to like a foot on the leading edge from the steel girder. (Parallel) It then would sit perpendicular over the engineered I beams. I need to find the span information. Ancedotal info from other people with a 240g was it was fine when they had it over same joist type without the girder. First home inspector thought it was ok (2 houses same model) 2nd one though is a bit gunshy of the idea. (Both were kinda engineer types like my dad who are 110% by the book and like things to be over engineered 125%.

So I was looking if anyone knows a qualified person that could come give some advice/measure for a cheap price? I was told not to just put the vertical supports and that I should add I beams? From saltwater forums there was this article which was helpful but maybe a bit past my understanding. http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html

#2 Looks like in construction they were cheap on glue and the pipe running to the street just in the front lawn beyond the rocks 10 foot down have become offset. The water flows fine but at the area just above it has where the water rises up a few inches rather than being a straight run out. The water itself is of course going down the pipe as well as through gap into the earth around it which while not bad now long term will be an issue. Inspector spitballed 1k to dig the hole and re glue the suckers. I'll have the video on a disk. Pretty big hole to make 10 foot but I figured this one might be something easier to do if "I knew someone" and could borrow equipment/manpower to do. This will be put as an objection in the inspection but I was open to trying to working things out casually with owners.

#3 I don't remember some of the phrasing but theres a big deck in back. It for the most part appears to have no support under it and is affixed to the house? He said that the areas adjacent to the bump out and where it attaches to the bump out should have been doubled up or something? One of my suggestions he said could work of putting supports in under the deck and then he said some sort of frame from that to the wall? He said it's not against code but "isn't the way things are done". Decks been there 10 years with no issues, I kinda want to call it not ideal for sure but apparently not an issue either.

#4, attic above garage, he said theres some kind of hanger? that is absent from some of the joists or somesuch. He said it was a simple/easy fix? Didnt mention cost.

[Wulf202]

1 find out what the load rating is on the beams. Need specifics. Tji?

2 what kind of pipe? Whats it for? Your only solution is to dig it up. Rent a track hoe mini ex to get close. Then hand dig the rest.

3. No code violation. No issue. Offer to remove the deck if they balk.

4. Find mysterious hanger. Buy hanger. Swing hammer.

[MarkCO]

1. Standard load rating in the us is 40 lb/ft^2. You have about 3000 pounds. Is the foot print 73 ft^2? (ie 5' x 15'). If not, you are over rated. You can build a platform that increases the footprint in most cases.

2. I would make the seller fix that. You don't want water going where it should not. Check the downspouts while you are at it. 5 foot to fall away minimum.

3. If there is not a code violation, there is not an issue. Just don't think you are going to plop a hot tub on it.

4. Would be pretty surprised if rough framing passed inspection missing hangers. You can call the building inspector for the local AHJ and ask him to make a determination if you need a permit to install hangers. That should get him out to take a look, and then you will know.

House inspectors are mostly scam artists (there are a few really good ones too), so don't get too carried away.

[fitz19d]

TJI?

It's the sewer line running out of the house to the street line. Wondered about something like that to keep cost down, then maybe someone specialized to actually glue it.

I'm the buyer not the seller, so if they balk I just have to deal.

1 find out what the load rating is on the beams. Need specifics. Tji?

2 what kind of pipe? Whats it for? Your only solution is to dig it up. Rent a track hoe mini ex to get close. Then hand dig the rest.

3. No code violation. No issue. Offer to remove the deck if they balk.

4. Find mysterious hanger. Buy hanger. Swing hammer.

[Jamnanc]

I dig ditches for a living. I would suggest to you that you make the homeowner fix the broken sewer pipe, or get an estimate from a repair company. I may be able to rent something or bring something home from work and help, but it still going to be significantly more than $1000. I would expect $3000 to be a cheap good buddy price if it's 10 feet deep. The 3000 would probably cover the repair assuming that the offset can be repaired at the point where it is broken, often times the deflection is because the pipe would backflow if you put it back together at that point without exposing more. If you leave it in the condition it's in, or if it is repaired with backflow, it will end up backing up sanitary into your basement eventually. Outside of the $3000 estimate, you also would need to consider repairing your landscaping after it has been dug up and your yard is destroyed.

[MarkCO]

TJI is a brand name, but used as a general descriptor of manufactured joists. The have a top and bottom cord and a OSB web. A fabricated wood I beam in essence. If you look on the labeling, you can actually get the ratings as Wulf202 suggested, but those are irrelevant because if you don't know the load of the structure the beams are supporting, you can't reasonably use the rating as the additional load you can apply.

Sewer pipe...yep make them fix it. Jamnanc is even being a bit generous. I have bid those repairs between $4k and $12K and usually hit about right.

[J]

Had the exact same issue with the sewer line in my house. Told the homeowner the only resolution was to fix it, or we walked. They fixed it. Plus after you show them the DVD they legally have to include it on the disclosures to a potential new buyer. They will probably have to fix it either way.

We made the sellers provide receipts from a licensed plumber and a new scope DVD proving it was fixed. The bill was just shy of $8K. Though mine had to go down a bit more than 16ft, and because the earth settling that caused the separation was a bit large, almost 10ft of pipe had to be replaced to keep it from bowing and creating a low spot. As an FYI, if the line ends up under a sidewalk, walkway or driveway your bill can easily make it it 15K, with breaking out concrete, and repouring. Plus my county had an absurd bond ($10-$20K) that you have to pay if you rip out the sidewalk. It gets refunded when you prove you replaced it to acceptable standards, but thats a big chunk of change to be out for a while.

[Jamnanc]

$3,000=cost for someone from church who needs my help. Mark is right, it also depends on whether there is any sort of Hardscape or trees that would need removed or replaced and if there are other utilities buried in that location, access, soil type...,

[Jamnanc]

Friends don't let friends let plumbers work outside buildings. Plumber+deep trench=OSHA violation.

[fitz19d]

First house out due to meth. Most other decent houses going in 48 hours right now. Got this one from a mailing as they are building a house/upsizing out west of there main reason we found it. Now that's kinda depressing news. They do have a bidder from a year ago who coulda done 255 asking and we bid it to 260 and they couldnt match. (Were straining to hit the 255) Problem is with current market I think they can find another buyer including those people easy. Only thing I guess that helps is that it becomes a disclosure item.

The house search has been about the most frustrating thing I've ever dealt with.