Are these things normal or can they be fixed?
Question:I'm preparing to make an offer on a house but I have a couple of concerns: 1. There is a sump pump in the lower level (it's a split-level home). A hole is cut out of the floor and the pump goes down into the crawl space. It's hidden in the back of a closet... is this normal? 2. There appears to have been a leak from one bathroom to the bathroom below it as the drywall has peeled back a little on the ceiling. Should I buy this house? I love everything about it, but these 2 issues concern me.
Answers:
These items are not deal breakers, your sump pump should have a cover on it, you can purchase these at Lowe's/Home depot for under $10, for your drywall, providing the leak in repaired, drywall compound can be re applied to where the paper is bad, remove the old paper first, Kilz the water stains and repaint, if done on your own this is a $25 project
Lots of homes have sump pumps in the basement. Get the leak thing checked out maybe a minor problem easily fixed. Don't let the seller know you really love the house and maybe they'll come down in price when you voice your concern about bathroom leaks. Have it checked out too by a plumber before you buy it. Happy house hunting!
the sump pump hole is only a concern if you live in an area which has radon in the soil. call your extension service at the courthouse and find out if you are in this type area where radon is known to exist. the leak thingy is not a major problem. you should be able to retape the joint where the two sides meet, paint it with "kilz" to keep from fading/staining and paint to match. this may take several hours as there are several steps, but can be done very inexpensively.
Sump pumps are for draining excess ground water that tends to find its way into the house out of the house. They are often accompanied by a perimiter drain called a "French Drain" that follows the perimiter of the wall and leads the water that seeps in from the foundation or foundation joints over to the sump pump. When it reaches a certain level, the pump turns on and pumps the water thats built up in to the hole away from the house. This is normal if the house has had drainage issues in the past and many houses have them in just the same manner...an ugly hole through the foundation with a pump inside it.
Your bathroom situation is concerning though...I'd ask the current owner for full disclosure as to what caused it, what was done to cure it and get a home inspector in (you should be doing this anyway) to look at the house. A certified home inspector can let you know about anything that would be potentially wrong with the house that hasnt been disclosed already.
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