To tear down, or fix the existing structure.

[Brandi J.]

Hey BP,

My husband and I are looking to purchase a fixer-upper in a very great location. The area is highly desirable, schools are good, and it's in close proximity to the Amazon facility.

We know it's a complete gut job. Problem is the floors are "sagging" very badly to the point they have almost completely collapsed. The seller even told us he considered tearing it down because of the damage.

Even though it needs a good bit of work we can definitely see the potential.

Which option would be best?

Tear down and do a new build, or repair what's there?

[Tim Mcbee]

@Brandi J.

There is a bunch of good pointers.

I would add that you should be mindful of 50% rule. Most municipalities require you to bring everything up to code if you repair more than 50% of the homes value. More importantly, I have found when doing major foundation work that not many structural engineers will sign off on pre-existing foundations with new framing anchored to it. And with that 50% rule that also includes the foundation...