All Forum Posts by: Kevin Martin

Sam,

Ronam is right for the most part but when you have drawings signed and sealed by a structural engineer licensed in your state there is not much they can argue with. As long as you build it according to the plans then you should be fine. This will cost you a few hundred bucks and should eliminate all the back and forth with different inspectors.  

@Sam Gad This was poorly constructed and needs to be fixed. 

This is what I see.... the outside joists (the joists perpendicular to the exterior wall) are supporting the entire load of the deck. The load then get transferred to the corners of the deck. The corner attached to the wall looks like its toe nailed to a ledger board (no bueno!). The outside corner has the joist benig nailed to another small joist nailed to the post (no bueno!). The stairs might be taking some of the load from the one rafter but its hard to tell in the picture.  

Typically, a ledger board is attached to the floor system/wall framing with lag bolts or special screws then the rafters are attached to the ledger board perpendicular to the exterior wall. These rafters would be attached with hangers on both sides. The posts should be placed on the outside corners with the stairs attached to the outside joist with hangers. This joist is usually doubled up becuase its holding half the load of the deck and the stairs. If you going to knock it down and start over make sure you construct it in a similar way.

Sorry if this all sounds confusing but usually I just have a construction detail showing all this instead of spelling it all out. Either way its not built to code and it needs to be fixed. 

Brian hit it right on the nail! Usually its just dirt to a contractor and that's about as far as it goes. Only the contractors that have been burned in the past with soil/water issues actually pay attention to soils. I've also seen multiple engineers completely overlook soil issues on projects to only have very costly repairs later down the road. One would think the foundation of anything would be important right? I guess it wasn't for this house....

Thank Peter! I just sent you my info. 

Hi,

Just a quick question. I am a new builder (GC) and I have a deal that would require some funds. Basically, we sold a couple houses pre-construction and I am trying to figure out ways to fiance this deal. What is the best way to do this? Buyers will put down 10% right before construction (escrow) and we already have contracts. Just trying to weigh in my options.

Thanks!

Emma,

If someone installed steel beams(columns) to take care of the bending walls it sounds like the problem has been fixed. However, this depends on if the beams were designed and installed by a professional or just a homeowner trying to figure it out in a few weekends. Just for your own peace of mind I would hire an engineer not involved with the construction side. If the columns were not in place and the problem was not fixed in the past then I would recommend hiring a foundation company like Travis stated above. Good Luck!

Justin,

Are you going to have cars parked above the wall? How tall and long is the wall? Is there any cracking within the wall or is it just starting to fail (tilt) as one piece? What do the soils look like behind the wall?  These are just a few questions I would ask to get started. If your answer to my first question is "yes" then I would strongly advise you to not make this a weekend DIY project. 

Just curious, is there anything in the report that would raise some red flags?

Tim,

Welcome to BiggerPockets! This site is full of info and is a great tool for investors. Its always great to hear from fellow investors in the same area and across the nation.

How is the house flipping business going in Jax?

I'm not even close to an expert but Ive been here since 2005 and have a good understanding of most areas. If you dont live here and are considering investing you should at least come drive around so you can get a feel for the different areas in town. Jax can be very patchy but I guess it depends on what type of investing you are interested in. I try to focus on a few areas east of the river as they are very centralized and close to downtown, Town center mall (very hot area), Jax port, and the beaches.