First inspection on first flip

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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First inspection on first flip

Ken NyczajPro Member
Investor · Grasonville, MD · Member since 2017 · 453 posts · 415 votes

 I wanted to repost this as our Plumbing Inspection is today. Looking for any further advice. Thank you.

The plan is to fix and flip the house which requires about $70,000 in repairs. Majority of the repairs coming from the roof and crawl space that has about 5 inches of water. We knew there was water in the scrawl space, but our initial assumption was it was just groundwater since we’ve had a lot of rain in Maryland and the Annapolis / Baltimore area.

What’s actually happening is the water is coming from the front right corner of the house, where the sewer line runs, plus there is a gap in the foundation in that same area that needs to be sealed. Our inspector said most likely it is the gap in the foundation that has allowed water to seep through, but worse case, the sewer line is damaged and needs to be replaced or sealed. The water underneath the crawl space has moved itself around the perimeter of the foundation so we will be installing a perimeter drainage system. The joists are also wet but not rotting whatsoever. He said they may sag or start to rot after they dry... hard to tell without an experienced framer looking at it.

We are hiring a plumbing inspector to come out today to run a camera through the sewer line to check for cracks. Also, hiring a knowledgeable framer to come look at the wood to see if it will be ok after it dries.

Anyone have experience or some knowledge they could share when it comes to water in crawlspaces? We’ve estimated $9,000 in costs for this and are hiring ServPro. That price is not including if the sewer line is damaged, with that I don’t know how much it will cost until I get an estimate this coming week.

Also, advice on wet joists, will they dry out and be ok? The house was built in 1993 and there is no damage to the joists they are just wet.

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Mike McCarthy
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
Sewer pipe replacement is reasonably easy, though can get a bit costly based on length, depth, and if anything else needs to be removed to get to it. If you’re willing to hire out the ditch digging, the plumber can probably do the work much cheaper. (Most plumbers don’t want to dig themselves) The foundation leak is a bit harder. In almost all cases, any cracks need to really be fixed from the outside. Again requiring a lot of digging. With a newer house, the waterproofing also likely failed, so that’s another reason to dig from the outside. Don’t believe anyone who recommends drylok or something similar on the inside. Otherwise, everything should dry out fine. Drywall, carpet, etc will need to be replaced. Joists will be fine unless they’ve really been underwater for a while (it doesn’t sound like it’s that bad). Worst case, they can be treated with a mildewcide to help ensure no mold growth.
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  • Mike McCarthy
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8y
    Sewer pipe replacement is reasonably easy, though can get a bit costly based on length, depth, and if anything else needs to be removed to get to it. If you’re willing to hire out the ditch digging, the plumber can probably do the work much cheaper. (Most plumbers don’t want to dig themselves) The foundation leak is a bit harder. In almost all cases, any cracks need to really be fixed from the outside. Again requiring a lot of digging. With a newer house, the waterproofing also likely failed, so that’s another reason to dig from the outside. Don’t believe anyone who recommends drylok or something similar on the inside. Otherwise, everything should dry out fine. Drywall, carpet, etc will need to be replaced. Joists will be fine unless they’ve really been underwater for a while (it doesn’t sound like it’s that bad). Worst case, they can be treated with a mildewcide to help ensure no mold growth.
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  • Ken NyczajPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Grasonville, MD · Member since 2017 · 453 posts · 415 votes
    8y

    @Mike McCarthy thanks for the input. The foundation isn’t cracked but rather the sewer pipe coming through the foundation was not sealed properly.

    We were thinking of putting cement around it and resealing with tar.

    The joists were never underwater but wet from the humidity and moisture.

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  • Josh Nicodemus
    Flipper/Rehabber · Niceville, FL · Member since 2015 · 28 posts · 10 votes
    8y

    Joists should be ok once they dry as long as they don't continually get wet. After you address the leak it might be worth looking at additional venting or conditioning the crawlspace with a duct from the air system.

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  • Kyle Jiron
    Contractor · Washington, DC · Member since 2018 · 55 posts · 43 votes
    8y

    @Ken Nyczaj what does the area around the foundation look like where the piping is coming through the wall? You may want to take a look at using a Link Seal around the piping which will seal the area between the piping and the foundation wall (link: https://www.gptindustries.com/en/products/link-seal). This is a relatively cheap but very effective way to seal penetrations through foundation walls that we use in all of our projects. The best way to ensure you won't have further leaks would be to expose the pipe from the exterior, put in the link seal around the pipe where it's coming through the wall, and then use a tar product like you said to fully seal around the entire penetration. As @Mike McCarthy said, any fixes from the interior are really just a band-aid on the problem and water will definitely still find its way into the building. 

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  • Ken NyczajPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Grasonville, MD · Member since 2017 · 453 posts · 415 votes
    8y

    @Josh Nicodemus @Kyle Jiron all good advice. 

    Kyle here is a picture of the crawlspawl and a description from the inspector:

    The crawlspace had standing water at the time of inspection. The joists and beams were wet, insulation was wet and sagging, and minor mildew/mold noted on various insulation. There is a gap around the main drain exit and this area is completely under water. This may be a vulnerable area that is allowing water to enter the crawl space. Recommend professional evaluation and repair which may include perimeter drainage and sump pump, sealing the gaps around the main drain, and adding New Vapor barrier and insulation. Although currently no rot or sagging was found, also recommend a professional evaluate wet joists and beams.

    Implication(s): Chance of water damage to contents, finishes and/or structureL

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  • Ken NyczajPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Grasonville, MD · Member since 2017 · 453 posts · 415 votes
    8y

    Picture didn't come through, here it is again:

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  • Kyle Jiron
    Contractor · Washington, DC · Member since 2018 · 55 posts · 43 votes
    8y

    @Ken Nyczaj to save you some further headaches and quickly identify your water leak source, I'd suggest having your builder, or you, get a simple water pump and 50-100 ft garden hose (link: WATER PUMP) which will pull the standing water out of the area, and put a carpet fan (link: LIGHT DUTY or HEAVY DUTY) down there for a few days to dry everything out (especially your wood framing and the insulation) to prevent any further/potential mold growth. Once everything is dried up you should be able to inspect everything a little closer and see if any water comes back into the area over the next couple of days. If/when the water does come back, follow the trail and that will be your source of the leak. Depending on the source of the leak, this could save you some time and money if it turns out the pipes are working fine and you don't need to bring in the pipe videographer. Once you have the source of the leak identified, you can go from there as far as a game plan for repairs to mitigate any future water penetration. 

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  • Ken NyczajPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Grasonville, MD · Member since 2017 · 453 posts · 415 votes
    8y

    @Kyle Jiron we haven’t closed on the property so before putting in all the work to remove the water from the crawl space we wanted to be absolutely sure the sewer line was not damaged. If it was, we would be re-negotiating with the seller for a lower price which he may or may not accept. The plumbing inspection was only $235, a minor expense in the grand scheme of things.

    Luckily, the plumbing inspection came back just fine. Roto Rooter ran a pipe with a camera attached and found no damage or blockage in the sewer line.

    When the bank comes back with financing approval we will then be in the clear to start pumping out water and drying out the crawl space. But, we may wait until actual closing, I think doing work on a sellers house before closing may not be the best idea for liability reasons.

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  • Kyle Jiron
    Contractor · Washington, DC · Member since 2018 · 55 posts · 43 votes
    8y

    @Ken Nyczaj totally understand and agree, I misinterpreted as you already had the house. But good-luck sounds like everything will work out for you all! Keep us posted on the progress. 

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