What are the steps to building a house?

[dragonballz]

First time homebuyer. So I'm looking at this property. The house needs to be thrown in the dumpster. The land is really sloped. It's 0.25 acres, long and skinny, sloped, and wooded. The end of the backyard is 50 ft higher than the front of the yard.

What would be my first step in pursuing this property? Should I get an architect to come with me to see what can be done, especially with the land the way it is? Or do I get a GC to come with me?

I'm not really looking for a step by step guide on actually physically building the house, but who do I speak to first, second, and last?

Would the first person I speak to be able to give me a ballpark estimate of the entire project BEFORE I actually buy the property? Basically, what and how much can I do without buying the property yet?

I hope somebody understands what I'm trying to say here haha.
Thanks

 

[Apex Structures]

First figure out your budget, then start shopping around for some home plans to use as a guide for the builder to quote or modify.

The cost for the site development can also play a major role in the cost of the entire project, not everyone thinks of that first, those costs can be a little harder to put together especially if new utilities would be involved.

 

[bgarrett]

dude! you have been here 3 years and you come here asking that kind of question??
I think you should read more of this forum

 

[barnee]

You also need to do a little research at your city/county. Codes change over the years and if you tear down the existing house you may not be able to build one back due to greater setbacks, steep slope regulations, septic field requirements, etc.

Take a property map and go sit down with the building official.

 

[dragonballz]

dude! you have been here 3 years and you come here asking that kind of question??
I think you should read more of this forum

I originally came here for the TOOLS! Haha. I am a mechanic. Now, I am starting to read all the build threads. There are alot lol

 

[dragonballz]

First figure out your budget, then start shopping around for some home plans to use as a guide for the builder to quote or modify.

The cost for the site development can also play a major role in the cost of the entire project, not everyone thinks of that first, those costs can be a little harder to put together especially if new utilities would be involved.

You also need to do a little research at your city/county. Codes change over the years and if you tear down the existing house you may not be able to build one back due to greater setbacks, steep slope regulations, septic field requirements, etc.

Take a property map and go sit down with the building official.

Thank you

 

[LB-1911]

First time homebuyer. So I'm looking at this property. The house needs to be thrown in the dumpster.

The land is really sloped.

It's 0.25 acres, long and skinny, sloped, and wooded.

The end of the backyard is 50 ft higher than the front of the yard.

What would be my first step in pursuing this property?

Best advise you'll get

You also need to do a little research at your city/county.

Codes change over the years and if you tear down the existing house you may not be able to build one back due to greater setbacks, steep slope regulations, septic field requirements, etc.

Take a property map and go sit down with the building official.

 

[Apex Structures]

The foundation cost may also be hard to price if you don't know the slope from high point to low point, that is one of the many considerations as well.

The 50' drop might be a deal breaker for me personally.

 

[roverhybrids]

I just finished building a house on approx 90 x 120' lot with about 16' of slope from the front to the back.
I had to remove over 100 yards or dirt($10k+)
Had to have engineered retaining wall/footings for slab($10k+)
Had to have retaining wall down on side of property($5k+)

Where I'm at you can have a 2:1 slope without retaining walls. meaning every 2 feet you can go up 1 foot. My lot had 16' of slope from highest point at rear corner to lowest at the front. We set the house at 8' and the garage had to be 3.5' lower to keep the driveway slope within the max slope of 12*

Ended up with 4bed/3bath 2080sqft with 3 car garage and RV parking.

http://natemolter.com/idx/mls-15-1172-5697_constitution_way_redding_ca_96003

With 50' of slope I would call that unbuildable!

 

[FloydShine]

dude! you have been here 3 years and you come here asking that kind of question??
I think you should read more of this forum

Yep, I am amazed as well.

 

[dragonballz]

I just finished building a house on approx 90 x 120' lot with about 16' of slope from the front to the back.
I had to remove over 100 yards or dirt($10k+)
Had to have engineered retaining wall/footings for slab($10k+)
Had to have retaining wall down on side of property($5k+)

Where I'm at you can have a 2:1 slope without retaining walls. meaning every 2 feet you can go up 1 foot. My lot had 16' of slope from highest point at rear corner to lowest at the front. We set the house at 8' and the garage had to be 3.5' lower to keep the driveway slope within the max slope of 12*

Ended up with 4bed/3bath 2080sqft with 3 car garage and RV parking.

http://natemolter.com/idx/mls-15-1172-5697_constitution_way_redding_ca_96003

With 50' of slope I would call that unbuildable!

I think it could be buildable if all that dirt was removed. I would have to remove alot more than you did. Probably would cost ALOT more

 

[APEowner]

Unless you're in a position to pay cash the first step is to talk to some lending institutions. Financing for a situation like that can be a little hard to come by and it'll be easier to get builders and architect to talk to you if you've got the money side under control.

 

[sublimate]

The house needs to be thrown in the dumpster.

Don't just focus on the new build and forget to diligence the demolition.
Some very old houses get deemed historic and you can't tear down or even alter much.
Many moderately old houses have asbestos, buried fuel oil tanks, etc. that make demolition/cleanup very expensive.

 

[bczygan]

First time homebuyer. So I'm looking at this property. The house needs to be thrown in the dumpster. The land is really sloped. It's 0.25 acres, long and skinny, sloped, and wooded. The end of the backyard is 50 ft higher than the front of the yard.

What would be my first step in pursuing this property? Should I get an architect to come with me to see what can be done, especially with the land the way it is? Or do I get a GC to come with me?

I'm not really looking for a step by step guide on actually physically building the house, but who do I speak to first, second, and last?

Would the first person I speak to be able to give me a ballpark estimate of the entire project BEFORE I actually buy the property? Basically, what and how much can I do without buying the property yet?

I hope somebody understands what I'm trying to say here haha.
Thanks

You can know exactly where you stand, but you are either going to have to do some work, or pay someone to do it.

First, have you decided that this property meets all your needs? If the lot is not ideal and the house is trash, it seems you could do a lot better with a fixed up house on a good lot. Existing is way cheaper than building new, especially if you need demolition and excavation first. And that lot is a challenging one that will cost more to build on. Do you like it because of this unusual feature? A lot with unusual features, while it is more difficult and expensive to develop, can also lead to unusual and wonderful design solutions that give you a more interesting life in that home. I would much rather have a cliff on my property, than have a standard postage stamp lot.

Have you decided on all the things you want in a property?

If so, you can do a conceptional estimate.

What that is, is a detailed design and pricing process that will give you an accurate total cost for whatever combination of property and improvements you desire.

Start with a blank piece of paper and make lists of what you want.
Then turn these into rooms, spaces and buildings that accommodate the uses you have in the lists.

Draw up a rough plan of a structure or structures to get the total square footage.

Then, depending on the accuracy you want, do a takeoff or materials and add labor bids or estimates, or just apply SF costs, to get a total.

Do this for demolition and removals, excavation and earthwork, other site work and the buildings construction. Add in land and utility and permit costs and you have your answer.

Use a spreadsheet so you don't miss anything and so you can plug in alternate scenarios.

The advantage of this early planning and running of scenarios, is you start to decide on and figure out what you want, and begin to focus in on and define the project. If you don't have the ability to do this for yourself, a designer or Architect, or smart builder can help you with this. But the more detailed and time consuming their work, the more you should expect to pay. And this is all preliminary work. But you have to start somewhere. The more you can do, for yourself, the better.

Get it?

Bill

 

[jonjon1]

Normally, you can buy a buildable lot for less than a lot with any type of existing construction.

I have done this a bunch of times, my realestate trick was buying up large properties with single dwelings and sub dividing them, then building, and building, and building...

SO, first, look around for property, I understand that in some areas it just doesn't exist.

Next if you are intent on buying this property, consider what you want in the end.

So if you want 1700 sq feet 3 bed 1 1/2 bath and whats there is a 1000 sq foot 1 bed 1 bath, consider a remodel rather than a rebuild, if the foundation is solid, {I am going to guess this is municipal water and sewer, not well and septic, by the lot you described}.
In most cases this is much easier...

I bought a house in 2010, it was built in 1950 and looked like it was built in 1550, kitchen cabinets with no doors, rooms with no floors, etc... I paid 63K for it because the sellers inherited it and needed to sell it to buy a house I was selling...

So I didn't touch this thing for almost 2 years, it got even WORSE in that time, lol.. I couldn't get an insurance co to insure it, I had to put it under my construction insurance {in the case someone trespassed and got hurt}. Then I had a bt of free time, so I started thinking about what I was going to do with it. The foundation was solid, the house was a good size 2000+sq, but the layout was terrible {most houses of that error, lots of small rooms, built ins, small closets, not enough baths, etc}

I ended up meeting the city inspector on site and picking his brain, he made it clear that rebuilding on that lot would be tough because of code changes, thats all I needed to hear, I went home, that night drew up a plan, filled out the permits and submitted them the next day, full remodel, I gutted it, sistered 2x6 construction to the existing x4 walls, new roof {trusts and all}, vinyl sided it, new doors and windows, new out side stairs, landscaping, ran natural gas, full irrigation for the lawn, all in about a month. Then we had to move onto another project.

If you looked at the house it looked brand new, until you walked inside and noticed it was an uninsulated shell with construction stairs and not 1 interior wall!!! I even put curtains up, lol...

Anyway, I find a buyer for the house, some called to see if it was forsale, {they couldnt see inside to see the mess it was}, so I met with them, and they loved the area and had family a few doors down, and wanted the house..

I let them in and they were heart broken, lol, I explained that they could pick any floor design they wanted, I removed free spanned and headered EVERY weight bearing wall so it was literally wide open {has 9ft ceilings both floors to start}, I even took out the stairs...

They asked what it would cost to finish and I replied, it would be much easier if I knew what they wanted to spend, they gave me their preapproval number, how many beds, sizes, baths, kitchen, office, dining room, etc and I drew them a house that night..

They loved the design, we worked with the bank a bit, a month later they were picking wall and floor finishes!!!!

NOW, the moral of the story is, I was into that house, property and all for around $180K, it was worth over $300 when I was done, if I demo'd and rebuilt, I would have spent $275K and it would have ended up smaller, because the demo costs, permits, new foundation, etc etc etc would have drowned the project...

So look at whats there, unless its a stone foundation, with 15 years of water damage to the sticks, everything else can be saved. Even if its too small, you get the right contractor and you will be amazed, I turned a 1400 sq foot raised ranch with attached garage into a 3200 sq foot ranch and saved the original shallow raised ranch foundation, used it as a short ceiling mechanical room/storage area, poured a slab on the opposite side {the side with no garage} used the garage as a slab for that side, lowered the floor in the raised area so you walked in the front door and didnt go up or down the center of the house had nice high ceilings, the 2 wings had normal height, 1 side was a master suite, the other was 3 bedrooms. Even the inspectors in that town could not believe it, turned a $140K raised ranch into a $490K mini palace, lol...

 

[dragonballz]

You can know exactly where you stand, but you are either going to have to do some work, or pay someone to do it.

First, have you decided that this property meets all your needs? If the lot is not ideal and the house is trash, it seems you could do a lot better with a fixed up house on a good lot. Existing is way cheaper than building new, especially if you need demolition and excavation first. And that lot is a challenging one that will cost more to build on. Do you like it because of this unusual feature? A lot with unusual features, while it is more difficult and expensive to develop, can also lead to unusual and wonderful design solutions that give you a more interesting life in that home. I would much rather have a cliff on my property, than have a standard postage stamp lot.

Have you decided on all the things you want in a property?

If so, you can do a conceptional estimate.

What that is, is a detailed design and pricing process that will give you an accurate total cost for whatever combination of property and improvements you desire.

Start with a blank piece of paper and make lists of what you want.
Then turn these into rooms, spaces and buildings that accommodate the uses you have in the lists.

Draw up a rough plan of a structure or structures to get the total square footage.

Then, depending on the accuracy you want, do a takeoff or materials and add labor bids or estimates, or just apply SF costs, to get a total.

Do this for demolition and removals, excavation and earthwork, other site work and the buildings construction. Add in land and utility and permit costs and you have your answer.

Use a spreadsheet so you don't miss anything and so you can plug in alternate scenarios.

The advantage of this early planning and running of scenarios, is you start to decide on and figure out what you want, and begin to focus in on and define the project. If you don't have the ability to do this for yourself, a designer or Architect, or smart builder can help you with this. But the more detailed and time consuming their work, the more you should expect to pay. And this is all preliminary work. But you have to start somewhere. The more you can do, for yourself, the better.

Get it?

Bill

Right now, usable land is a little under half of the total quarter-acre lot. The current house is ~700 sqft. I want a 3-car garage so I will need to do excavating.

What attracted me to this property is the low price. It's been on and off the market for the past 2 years. It's a foreclosure.

Thank you for your help

 

[Falcon67]

I think that low price comes from the expense of doing anything long, narrow, only 1/4 acre and ski slope. That reeks of "expense". On the good side, you could just about bury everything in the hill and take advantage of the natural insulation from a 3/4 underground.

 

[bczygan]

Right now, usable land is a little under half of the total quarter-acre lot. The current house is ~700 sqft. I want a 3-car garage so I will need to do excavating.

What attracted me to this property is the low price. It's been on and off the market for the past 2 years. It's a foreclosure.

Thank you for your help

It's that price for the above reasons, as you know.

Once you have dealt with the difficulties of the lot and house, you may well have spent more than a property without these special conditions.

So in reality, it isn't a better deal than a normal lot with a house that is ready to move in.

The marketplace has already told you that it isn't worth the present asking price, or it would have sold by now.

Is the reason you like it because the price is low enough for you to get it, when a ready to use property is out of reach?

Let me tell you a little secret. A lot of people fall into a trap. I have myself.

It is the "I don't have the money for the fixed up thing, so I'll get a damaged one and pay as I go."

Here's another thing that happens to people. They fixate on the first possible deal they find. I have done this many times. I become the best salesman for the seller. I ignore all the problems and focus on the "possibilities" of the property. Real estate is a cold hard business. Properties aren't something to fall in love with. The numbers must work.

Your actual budget and the real costs of doing everything that must be done must all be set down in concrete before a deal goes through.

So do some extra due diligence on this one.

We can help you in the process, but it will require a lot of work on your part and a lot more information. Tell us more. And we need lots of photos!


Bill

 

[dragonballz]

It's that price for the above reasons, as you know.

Once you have dealt with the difficulties of the lot and house, you may well have spent more than a property without these special conditions.

So in reality, it isn't a better deal than a normal lot with a house that is ready to move in.

The marketplace has already told you that it isn't worth the present asking price, or it would have sold by now.

Is the reason you like it because the price is low enough for you to get it, when a ready to use property is out of reach?

Let me tell you a little secret. A lot of people fall into a trap. I have myself.

It is the "I don't have the money for the fixed up thing, so I'll get a damaged one and pay as I go."

Here's another thing that happens to people. They fixate on the first possible deal they find. I have done this many times. I become the best salesman for the seller. I ignore all the problems and focus on the "possibilities" of the property. Real estate is a cold hard business. Properties aren't something to fall in love with. The numbers must work.

Your actual budget and the real costs of doing everything that must be done must all be set down in concrete before a deal goes through.

So do some extra due diligence on this one.

We can help you in the process, but it will require a lot of work on your part and a lot more information. Tell us more. And we need lots of photos!


Bill

Ready to use LAND isnt plentiful in the area i am lookin in. Ready to use HOMES arent what i am looking for. Not enough space to build a 3 car garage on property that already has a house. They want 200k for the one i'm looking at. I was thinking of offering 100k or less. But now that you guys have given me some help and ideas, i can adjust my price and expectations.

I am now looking at online house plans now and searching for an architect online.

 

[jonjon1]

Asking price is way too high, i know that. I was going to make a low-ball offer. But even then, i'm still worried about final costs so thats why i made this thread. You guys have helped me alot so far. Thanks

I am now looking at online house plans now and searching for an architect online just so i can get an idea

are you looking for just an idea of what it costs to build a house?

If that is it, figure $125 per sq foot to the the moon depending on what you want for the finish for stick built. Where a property like you are describing is going to hurt you is the additional costs, Demo, Debris removal, sight work, and don't forget about all the extra permission slips that they don't give out for free...

 

[dragonballz]

The house in the background on top is about 45 feet higher than where i took this picture from.

That's alot of land that i will have to (pay to) move

 

[volleyball]

I think buying because a small portion seems like a bargain , is a costly way of doing things. You need to know what the total cost would be and what it would be worth all done. While you can build it the way you want and forget about resale, have you the money to do so? Can you take a big hit financially?
Have you toured the property? You need to look for any other problems. Talk to everyone

 

[dragonballz]

I think buying because a small portion seems like a bargain , is a costly way of doing things. You need to know what the total cost would be and what it would be worth all done. While you can build it the way you want and forget about resale, have you the money to do so? Can you take a big hit financially?
Have you toured the property? You need to look for any other problems. Talk to everyone

Finding the total cost is one of the reasons i made this thread.

I have toured the home, not the wooded steep backyard.

From what ive gathered from the help in this thread, the problems will possibly be final costs (because of the hill) and new rules/regulations.

I'm getting ready to contact an architect right now. Will final costs and regulations and stuff like that be something the architect can answer for me? Or would i still need to contact a Building Official myself?

 

[volleyball]

An architect should be able to give you building costs. The building dept. should be able to give you permit costs based on building costs. I'd get a soil engineer to give you cost ideas on dealing with the hill. Have you contacted the neighbors? They as adjoining property owners will have input as to the project.

 

[dragonballz]

An architect should be able to give you building costs. The building dept. should be able to give you permit costs based on building costs. I'd get a soil engineer to give you cost ideas on dealing with the hill. Have you contacted the neighbors? They as adjoining property owners will have input as to the project.

Is there 1 person that i can contact to have them contact everybody else? Would that be a General Contractor?

What would stop that GC from taking the property before me?

 

[volleyball]

It is not the GC job. How much is it worth it to you to have someone do the leg work? I could be available. But it may price you out of the project.
If you are looking at this lot, I bet you don't have the money to pay people. This is all on you.

 

[dragonballz]

If you are looking at this lot, I bet you don't have the money to pay people. This is all on you.

You are probably right lol.

The reason im looking at this lot is because it gives me the opportunity to build what I want. But the slope is holding me back

Thanks for your help anyway. I really appreciate it

 

[volleyball]

I live on a hill and have thought about a lot of this. Soil management is costly. Very labor intensive. If you do it yourself, it is just time, and still money.
I will say that water and sewer hook ups will be needed.
Start with the building dept. They should be able to give you relevant regs. I'd search for existing plans to get an idea of base costs.
You know what the seller is asking, add up the costs and then maybe add 30 - 100% more.
If you can live in the house, it may be a start. Then get the work started. I am thinking you will want/need to terrace the hill.

 

[Tdoriot]

Here is the best advice you'll get, from a award winning custom builder who has been there, done that for over 35 years. **** CAN that place ! If you read garage journal, you'll want a decent shop. Find some flavor gently sloping land without a demo job and do it the smart easy way. Feel Free to send me $ 10,000.00 for that advice. After all I may have saved you 10 times that, not including the cost of your wives attorney fees, child support, and alimony !

 

[ssdave]

The lot is probably overpriced if it is free.

I am an engineer, and have done professional land development for most of my career. The only reason to build on a lot such as you describe, especially if you want a 3 car garage is that land is scarce where you are, this is a very special lot because of location, view, or neighborhood, and price is no object. The lot is too small and too steep to do anything within reason for less than astronomical costs. And, it will not be a good value when it is completed.

I live in a house currently on .65 acres, that had 34 feet of drop from the back of the house to the street. I designed the house to fit the site. First thing I did is build a 5 foot high retaining wall on the two lower lot lines. Then, built a geogrid reinforced embankment behind them to create a small flat front lot. Then, built a 4 story split level house, entirely of concrete with three articulations in the back, three internal buttress walls, and two octagon turrets on the front. The floors were designed as diaphragms to transfer force from the back wall to the octagons on the front, which because of shape are quite resistant to tipping over. I backfilled the back wall excavation with styrofoam to reduce the earth pressure on it. The back wall is designed as a 2 way beam, with #5, grade 60 rebar on 12 inch grid, both directions, 2 mats, both front and back of wall. The lower level is a daylight basement, and the top floor walks out onto the back yard, which I also built a retaining wall about 20 feet behind the house, and used up 4 more feet of fall. The house has been here 9 years, and hasn't moved the least, or the back wall leaned, so I consider it successful.

I had $10,000 in the retaining walls, $10,000 in hauling away another 1400 cy of dirt, and about $70,000 in the concrete superstructure of the house. Plus my own labor; I did most of the work myself.

A conventional house/lot would have been to the same stage for about $25,000 and less work on my part. So, about $65,000 premium paid for building here. But, I got the lot for about $40,000 discount, and the neighborhood is premium and lots weren't readily available when I built. Worth it. And, I did the design work myself, saved at least $10,000 and maybe as much as $20,000 on engineer/architect fees.

My advice? Buy a nice, easily buildable lot, especially if you're new to building. Tough lots have a way of turning out to be very expensive houses that aren't worth completed what they take to build.

If you insist on building on this lot and have the money to do so, pay a good engineer to topo the lot, and run earthwork calculations and cost estimate so you know what you're up against for costs. Then, work with an Architect and Engineer to draw up the house plans to suit the conditions.

If you're doing this to try to save money, run, don't walk, away.

Good Luck!

 

[Playwme]

I think the "run away" advice is best, however, if you do end up talking to an architect and he gives you a ballpark figure, double it and then consider if you can still progress with the project. If you don't you'll end up with a seriously compromised version of your original idea that's cost you the most money you could afford.

 

[bczygan]

One final note to the OP.

You have had excellent posts above by very qualified posters, concerning the cost and difficulty of this site.

We haven't seen photos or details of the existing residence. If you could fix that up without much cost, and could modify your need for the big garage, so that changes to the lot were not needed, then this could be workable.

But taking on a project, with the difficult earthwork as part of it, is not for the unknowledgeable.

From your initial questions about who to contact, it is obvious that you don't have the background to deal with this kind of project. Even with qualified professionals being hired, the client (You), needs to be savvy for the scope of this kind of project.

So the ball is in your court. Do you want to continue your search or change what you would do with this property? If it is the latter, then post photos and details, and we can advise what can be done, if anything.

And you have been less than forthcoming with those details and photos. I suspect, because you are afraid that someone will scoop up the deal. Don't be. It's not a deal. At least not until someone figures out a unique way to make it work, and a much better price is gotten.

Bill

 

[justanengineer]

You also need to do a little research at your city/county. Codes change over the years and if you tear down the existing house you may not be able to build one back due to greater setbacks, steep slope regulations, septic field requirements, etc.

^^^Research this and have any necessary testing or measuring conducted. Some of this you can do yourself to get a rough pass/fail idea, but....

If you insist on building on this lot and have the money to do so, pay a good engineer to topo the lot, and run earthwork calculations and cost estimate so you know what you're up against for costs. Then, work with an Architect and Engineer to draw up the house plans to suit the conditions.

^^^often that work gets rolled into this work depending on the locale. This is definitely not a place to cheap out btw, hire somebody with a good reputation locally.

Growing up in the Northeast I saw many instances of builders getting ahead of themselves, failing perc tests after the fact or otherwise failing to heed a basic building requirement that was taken forgranted, esp on properties like the one described - tiny and hilly. Ive also witnessed it once since moving to the midwest 5 years ago, another tiny + hilly property with a beautiful old home I wanted to buy which couldnt pass a perc test AND had no room for a well. You REALLY dont want to be the guy that has a home built that you cannot occupy, usually there is VERY little if any legal recourse in these situations.

 

[volleyball]

Perc test is not applicable. You cannot afford a septic on this lot. That is why I said it needs street utilities.
But it does bring up what is under the surface. It is either clay soil/and or rock. Material costly to remove and harder to dump.
Does the survey show the land going all the way up the hill? If not you will have to deal with retaining the neighbors land, not disturbing it. Also you may be subject to most of their run off. Plus you'll have to fence it off.
I need to know that the location is valuable. I've seen building lots like this in Hawaii where land is costly. Same with places in NYC.
Maybe you just live with the garage and improve the house. Many of us would love to have a dream space but our wallets are just too light to make it a reality.

 

[APEowner]

What would stop that GC from taking the property before me?

My smart *** answer is "No competent GC would want that property!"

My more helpful response is that even with desireable property there's really no motivation for a GC to buy property out from under potential clients. They'd only have to do that once before word got out and their business suffered. Also, they most likely already know about the property.

 

[dragonballz]

Thanks you to everybody, especially those who went into alot of details. I think i will do what most of you said to... walk away. It is alot for a first timer to deal with.

Ssdave, yes, land is VERY scarce in this city and it is in a very good location. But money is an object lol.

Again, thank you everybody.

 

[bczygan]

Thanks you to everybody, especially those who went into alot of details. I think i will do what most of you said to... walk away. It is alot for a first timer to deal it.

Ssdave, yes, land is VERY scarce in this city and it is in a very good location. But money is an object lol.

Again, thank you everybody.

You probably just saved yourself a lot of grief, and maybe a disaster financially.

If you decide to look into it further, or another property, there are a lot of knowledgeable and helpful people on this forum who will be glad to help and offer advice and council. Just lay out everything, with as much info and detail, including photos, as possible. We ever got the chance to do that with this one. Who knows, maybe there were solutions...

Bill

 

[PT Doc]

sounds like this it's a good candidate for a walkout foundation.

establish budget
find house plan that you like.
guesstimate $/sq ft based on current new construction costs
are you still in the green zone? if not, bail. if yes, talk with a local home builder and have a consult.

 

[bczygan]

I'm not sure this thread was as helpful as it could have been.

The combination of an OP who didn't share much, and posters who provided all the possible scary scenarios, with not much real information to go on, means any concrete advice, based on the real and specific details of this site, was lacking.

Kind of a shame we never got to do a real online site inspection to see the true existing conditions.

If the OP is still available, and wants to do that, I would be willing.

 

[dragonballz]

I'm not sure this thread was as helpful as it could have been.

The combination of an OP who didn't share much, and posters who provided all the possible scary scenarios, with not much real information to go on, means any concrete advice, based on the real and specific details of this site, was lacking.

Kind of a shame we never got to do a real online site inspection to see the true existing conditions.

If the OP is still available, and wants to do that, I would be willing.

The house is on the left in this pic