Foundation crack on rental - How bad does it look?

Question

Hi Guys

this is a 1950s house going on an auction at the court house steps

cant access the inside as its locked,

this is how it looks on the exterior, the roof has what it seems to be an angle on the right side towardst he middle

there are some cracks too,

any advice?

Mike Reynolds · Answer

The back side could be minor settling causing the plaster to crack. It could be major too. No way to really know without looking at it first hand. I still maintain the front is 90% bad slab under the porch. I have seen houses where contractors didn't even put steel in the porch and no beams. The they stick columns that hold up the roof trusses on them.

Jonathan B. · Answer

The cracked porch is the front and the first 2 are the back side , what could be the potential scenario?

Mike Reynolds · Answer

Yes that could.  I didn't realize that was both sides of the house. Is that a porch on the back also?

Pat L. · Answer

my first thought being FL was sinkhole!!!

but we had one years ago where the home was built over an old water cistern with a domed top that had collapsed. The under pinning was a major job & very expensive.

I would definitely consult a Geophysical Engineer (with experience in FL),  to avoid being surprised later with continual subsidence.

Jonathan B. · Answer

@Dennis M. Would like be at 45-55k

Jonathan B. · Answer

Thanks Mike,

The first 2 pictures are from the backside of the house,

Does that change anything?

Mike Reynolds · Answer

@Yehonatan Baran  Just from the pics you show it might not be that bad. The columns are the load bearing wall for the roof. The plaster ( I am assuming) you have on the first two pictures are cracked because of the load bearing wall sagging at the porch. I believe what has happened is the porch slab was poured with no beams. I have seen this all the time back in the '80s. Was it built during that time?

Have a contractor temporarily support the porch and tear out the porch slab. Then have them pour it with footers and dowelled into the main slab. They can straighten that roof out there as well when they do that. Maybe 6-10k like has been mentioned already.