Harrisville House Drainage & Retaining Assessment
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
I have my eye on a 75-year-old home just outside Harrisville, MI. The house and a separate garage are partly built into a steep hill that rises 60 to 80 feet above the house. It appears that decades of slope wash have crept up around the buildings, but it is not easy to determine what is wash and what was there when the house was built.
The first floor of the house is block. It is buried at the back so that the second floor is at ground level. It looks like a normal house in the front. Sort of like a walk out basement. The second floor is wood. There is no sign of failure inside that we can see There is signs of a small amount of water leaking leaking through the back wall in one location. The former owner was waterproofing the back wall (the materials are sitting there) but he died before that was completed. There is a small retaining wall behind part of the house. It is made from steel posts driven into the ground holding wood planks. When I looked at it last fall, it appeared that there may be some mesh in the soil behind the house as well, but i am not certain. We are having a contractor look at it tomorrow.
Before I commit to the purchase I need a qualified professional to visit the site, or if practical review photographs and video and tell me exactly what I’m getting into as far as the hill/retention and drainage.
If they visit the site I would also like them to look at a road that goes up the hill and tell me whether it seems practical to get a large motorhome up the road also whether the top of the hill can support a tower structure. this is secondary and just involves looking at it and something like "there is no way you are getting a big RV up this road," or this can be "practical with a few changes." This is not critical at this time as it will not drive our purchase decision, but if you are there, we would like you to look at it.
We are not looking for testing/excavation etc as we do not own the property. We will take a shovel and dig alongside the house to determine whether there is any wood at or below ground level.
We are looking for straight-to-the-point findings on whether there is accumulated soil can safely be removed and what further restraining measures are needed. We do not want someone who just says we need a massive retaining walls and complete re-excavation because they are afraid of risk. We can sign whatever waivers of liabilty. We just and an honest measured opinion.
I am just radomly guessing at the price range. It is negotiable, but we cannot spend a fortune to review a house that we may not buy.
The property is unoccupied and you can visit the exterior at any time, or I can set up an appointment. I can also take photographs or do a real time video online if that is sufficient.
If the house still looks like a sound buy after your review, we will need a concise concept plan for re-grading and drainage improvements that I can hand to contractors later. This will obviously be a different price and will require a licensed and insured engineer stamp on the plan so we can get a permit.
I’m not after a glossy set of drawings; clarity, accuracy, and real-world advice are what matter. Let me know your availability and how long the work will take.
The first floor of the house is block. It is buried at the back so that the second floor is at ground level. It looks like a normal house in the front. Sort of like a walk out basement. The second floor is wood. There is no sign of failure inside that we can see There is signs of a small amount of water leaking leaking through the back wall in one location. The former owner was waterproofing the back wall (the materials are sitting there) but he died before that was completed. There is a small retaining wall behind part of the house. It is made from steel posts driven into the ground holding wood planks. When I looked at it last fall, it appeared that there may be some mesh in the soil behind the house as well, but i am not certain. We are having a contractor look at it tomorrow.
Before I commit to the purchase I need a qualified professional to visit the site, or if practical review photographs and video and tell me exactly what I’m getting into as far as the hill/retention and drainage.
If they visit the site I would also like them to look at a road that goes up the hill and tell me whether it seems practical to get a large motorhome up the road also whether the top of the hill can support a tower structure. this is secondary and just involves looking at it and something like "there is no way you are getting a big RV up this road," or this can be "practical with a few changes." This is not critical at this time as it will not drive our purchase decision, but if you are there, we would like you to look at it.
We are not looking for testing/excavation etc as we do not own the property. We will take a shovel and dig alongside the house to determine whether there is any wood at or below ground level.
We are looking for straight-to-the-point findings on whether there is accumulated soil can safely be removed and what further restraining measures are needed. We do not want someone who just says we need a massive retaining walls and complete re-excavation because they are afraid of risk. We can sign whatever waivers of liabilty. We just and an honest measured opinion.
I am just radomly guessing at the price range. It is negotiable, but we cannot spend a fortune to review a house that we may not buy.
The property is unoccupied and you can visit the exterior at any time, or I can set up an appointment. I can also take photographs or do a real time video online if that is sufficient.
If the house still looks like a sound buy after your review, we will need a concise concept plan for re-grading and drainage improvements that I can hand to contractors later. This will obviously be a different price and will require a licensed and insured engineer stamp on the plan so we can get a permit.
I’m not after a glossy set of drawings; clarity, accuracy, and real-world advice are what matter. Let me know your availability and how long the work will take.