Looking at buying a house, pending home inspection - one issue rebar/concrete

[MikeDVB]

The insulation doesn't bother me .

 

[sig-man]

If its on a full basement, then the floor system, not the wall would actually be what is sitting on the fndtn wall. The mud sill goes down first, typically a treated 2x6 or 2x8, and then the floor joists sit on the mud sill and tie into the rim joist. I have built many homes, and I do have one concern, and that is water and moisture getting in. Typically a home is framed so that the finished substrate is flush with the outside face of the fndtn wall. This allows the siding starter strip to be nailed so that it hangs slightly below the top of the fndtn wall making for positive water shed down the side of the building and fndtn wall. As I see this water would run down the siding and then onto the top of the fndtn wall. It could then eventually rot out the mud sill and or work its way into the house. (Typically the only seal between the wood and concrete is 1/4" foam roll sill seal)

 

[MikeDVB]

@sig-man: I'll make sure to address the inspector in regards to that concern so they can make sure to do whatever checking possible. I suspect they will anyways, but if not.

One interesting thing - this house is still under it's original builder's home warranty. I think it's fairly obvious this happened during construction so I wonder what the builder will have to say as far as fixing it and any damages due to it. Will have to look at the builder warranty to see what it covers and for how long.

 

[sig-man]

I think i see it better now.
When i looked earlier it appeared i was seeing the top of the fndtn wall.
I now think i am seeing the side.

I now agree with Leo.

I cannot believe that this was one framing contractors "fix" for a bolt in the way.
Shameful...

 

[MikeDVB]

I cannot believe that this was one framing contractors "fix" for a bolt in the way.
Shameful...

Me either...

The kicker? The house is still under the builder's warranty... Wonder what it will cover [if at all] in this case?

 

[Leo]

I would not worry too much about the Radon fans, at least until I got an independent radon inspection. Some towns are wild crazy about radon fans if the Government has detected even a trace reading at one house in the area. One of those better safe than sorry deals. It is pretty hard to find an older home in Indiana that the new sensitive sniffers cannot signal even a trace of Radon.

On the other side of the coin, with new houses being made so they are sealed up so tight they do not allow much fresh air in. A little suction from the radon exhaust fan will help draw a little fresh air into the house.

 

[CHCRandy]

I don't think the metal bar is a problem.....cut it off and apply Hydraulic Cement and smooth it out, you will never know it was there. I think when they took forms off basement walls they hit it and knocked it over.....probably planned to repair and super never pushed it.

The blue stuff is waterproofing, would be my guess. They spray the exterior walls before backfilling.....this will prevent water from entering thru concrete over time.

MikeDVB, who was builder?

 

[MikeDVB]

Only worried about it if it's done incorrectly. If it's correctly done - no big deal.

Will be having a radon test done regardless as a part of the inspection.

 

[rgrimm01]

... I'd be looking closer at why and how that blue stuff at grade level wound up there...

The blue stuff looks like waterproofing that is sprayed or rolled on then covered with styro insulation. The insulation helps insulate (I know, "duh", right) and protect the waterproofing (such as during backfilling).

Nothing to worry about. The anchor bolt got bent over some how. The sill plate has enough bolts or they may have drilled in a new anchor. It is not rebar or reinforcing steel just a connector for the wood to the concrete. As everyone has said cut it off buy a little epoxy and wipe flush. If that is all that is wrong with the house you are in good shape.

+1 It is also possible that the contractor had another anchor bolt placed in this area that would have satisfied code which brings me to...


I would not be so sure that this is covered under a builders warranty if it is not causing a structural problem and could be considered simply cosmetic. It is not uncommon for an owner to sign a document prior to closing and possession accepting the house as a finished product.

It does make one scratch their head. This would have been such an easy, quick and painless fix at the time the forms were stripped.

This is an easy fix. Do not let this be the deal breaker... Some leverage maybe...

 

[MikeDVB]

Nah, not a deal breaker - but I will likely ask the seller to take care of it. The only risk there is that they may not have it done as nicely as I would - but I will see what I can do about that .

 

[MikeDVB]

 

[MikeDVB]

 

[MikeDVB]

 

[MikeDVB]

 

[MikeDVB]

 

[MikeDVB]

Pictures don't do it justice. The siding looks terrible in the pictures but in person it doesn't look bad at all. Lots of stuff not pictured like the basement, laundry room, etc.

 

[rgrimm01]

That looks very nice. It has an appealing front elevation and I love the garage (I got a thing for garages). The color scheme and finish look nice as well.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Looks like you've picked a nice looking place, Mike. I hope it all works out for you. Just to add my $.02 on the subject on the OP...yeah, it definitely looks like a sill anchor bolt. Like others have suggested: I'd take an angle grinder and simply cut it off as much as I could below the outer surface of the basement wall. (Home ownership is a great excuse for buying cool new tools by the way). Then just go to Lowes/Home Depot and buy concrete patch and slather it on. I wouldn't be too worried. Trust me, you'll find a bunch of new warts in you new home after you move in. I've been in this place for 9 years and I find a head scratcher or two on a regular basis.

 

[printcraft]

Is that a Bruce Gunstra home?

If so, I would reconsider. Strongly.

 

[karl77]

anchor bolt for a planned A/C compressor cement pad that was not used. is my best guess.