August 6 - Architect Todd Swann (of Siegle Solow Horne Architects) visits to assess renovation needs at 211 Hunt Road. He expresses serious concern about Lorri and Lisa remaining in the home given the extent of work required simply to make the home safe and functional. August 11, Lorri talks to Todd and he once more broaches the question of their probable relocation during necessary home renovations.
August 12 - Todd and his partner, Stuart Horne, visit to discuss how to best proceed in an efficient and cost effective manner. They would like to meet jointly with the stucco and waterproofing contractors to be certain the house is watertight before anything else is done. Both emphasize the need to deal with health and safety issues first; urine/feces in living room vents, floors, floorboards, drywall, mouse infestation and water damage.
These are the kinds of things we're dealing with in our "high end" house from Roslyn Neiman, the luxury home specialist.
August 26 - Bob Capo, structural engineer, recommended by Scott Brown, EIFS inspector, estimates that proper buttressing of 2 of the 4 sloping walls will cost between $30K-$50K.
August 27 - Lisa Siranovich (mortgage broker for the entire deal) strongly recommends that we pursue the rebuilding option given the extent of damage to the home and the complications that will pose for resale even once repaired.
On August 29, Josef, a general contractor, met with us for advice on renovation/rebuilding. He refuses to undertake any work on the property given the extensive undisclosed problems and potential for liability to be wrongly attributed to him. He confirms Lisa Siranovich’s assessment that it would be better to plow the house under than try to remediate damage of this magnitude.
November 10 - Two more of our growing stable of contractors, Dave and Rick, conclude the floor in the kitchen is sagging too badly to sustain the concrete overlay planned. The problem is the improper interior construction that was wholly concealed by the “finished” basement ceiling that has now been removed. The stair header was improperly constructed and is unable to support the weight of the stairs and floor above it.
Multiple make-do floor joists are festively constructed and installed. Two floor joists next to the stairs are missing large sections from their middle portions, which appear to have been intentionally scooped out for some unknown reason. Another floor joist near the stairs has cracked through completely. Repairs were clearly attempted previously, but with 1” supports, not the standard 2” boards to support the joists. Roofing nails were used to hold the flooring in place. The subfloor is constructed with 2 layers of 1/2” plywood rather than 1 layer of 3/4” plywood, contrary to code specification.
There is absolutely nothing about this house that is what a "house" should be. It is not safe. It is not sound. We have been bamboozled.
Multiple make-do floor joists are festively constructed and installed. Two floor joists next to the stairs are missing large sections from their middle portions, which appear to have been intentionally scooped out for some unknown reason. Another floor joist near the stairs has cracked through completely. Repairs were clearly attempted previously, but with 1” supports, not the standard 2” boards to support the joists. Roofing nails were used to hold the flooring in place. The subfloor is constructed with 2 layers of 1/2” plywood rather than 1 layer of 3/4” plywood, contrary to code specification.
There is absolutely nothing about this house that is what a "house" should be. It is not safe. It is not sound. We have been bamboozled.
Rebuild Option?! Thanks Roz...
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