Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe1

PF_Flyer said:

Did a clean/reorganize in my shop. This might be a sign it was overdue 🙃

Would the “buy a car on your phone without going to see or test drive it” crowd have a clue of what it is?

It's a fingernail pricker. I have 3 of them so I otta know.

jmonroe

driver100

I was at the little dog park today with Mrs D and with Trixie. We heard this dog yelping in panic mode, and in the big dog part a big Bull Mastif and a smaller one had pinned down a beautiful Lab mixed breed. They would have torn the Lab apart, but this tall friendly guy who was in the little dog area leaped over the fence and he kept the BMs mouth apart, was rolling on the ground with it. The lady with the smaller BM got her dog under control but the idiot with the big dog took awhile to get a leash on his dog. The guy that jumped the fence saved that labs life. He was cut on his hand but said he was OK. We did take down license plate numbers and exchanged phone numbers etc in case of repercussions.
The guy with the big BM went and sat in the car, didn't apologize, didn't see if the guy who saved the other dog was OK.
Off leash dog parks are great, but, you have to be careful of aggressive dogs.

stickguy

I never go to dog parks like that. Just don't trust them. and way too many people are, well, idiots and irresponsible.

28firefighter

Same here. No dog parks for us. 

ab348

driver100 said:

The picture brings back fond memories of my 1959 bug eyed Sprite that I filled with WD 60 (I think) and that still used more oil than gasoline. I used to buy oil in a one gallon can.

That must have been one of those cars that when you pulled into a service station you told the attendant "Fill the oil and check the gas".

berri

@imidazol97

Pepsi can opener for those who want to drink it fast.
Now I remember the best way to drink it fast was to use an opener on the bottom and then pull off the tab on the top

imidazol97

I've heard that before. Never tried it.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

I've heard that before. Never tried it.

You’re suppose to do it with beer. I think it’s called “shotgunning”. Never tried it, I like to taste my beer.

driver100

stickguy said:

I never go to dog parks like that. Just don't trust them. and way too many people are, well, idiots and irresponsible.

I know it is risky, but the little dog area seems fairly safe....at least you have a chance if something goes wrong. After this incident I told Mrs D I think I will bring a baseball bat.
Usually nothing much happens, some days Trixie hits it off with another dog and they run and play together and that makes it worthwhile.....love watching her run at full speed and have fun, especially with another friendly dog.

henryn

A baseball bat is too obvious. I like to carry a walking stick or cane. And believe it or not, I actually have a big staff, like the one carried by Gandalf.

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

The picture brings back fond memories of my 1959 bug eyed Sprite that I filled with WD 60 (I think) and that still used more oil than gasoline. I used to buy oil in a one gallon can.

That must have been one of those cars that when you pulled into a service station you told the attendant "Fill the oil and check the gas".

I had to go to work in it....it was about a 15 mile trip each way. I think it used about a quart of oil every 2 or 3 days.

henryn

driver100 said:

I had to go to work in it....it was about a 15 mile trip each way. I think it used about a quart of oil every 2 or 3 days.

That sounds about right. 30 mile round trip, times 2.5 days, is 75 miles to the quart.

Way way back (long ago in a galaxy far far away), I had a 1959 Chevy, 6 cylinder, standard, with stuck oil rings. And that baby got about 75 miles to the quart. Cost me all of $75, and replaced my first car, a 1949 Chevy. The 49 was actually in better shape, but I never had a title for it, so couldn't buy license plates and eventually had to give it up.

There was one station in town that sold "recycled oil" for about 19 cents a quart ...

sda

That was the joke I told often about my 71 Vega GT. It used a quart every half tank of gas..about 100 miles. I could count on cleaning spark plug #3 monthly, the others had a nice beige look to them. The car ran well overall and never stranded me.

jmonroe1

henryn said:

driver100 said:

I had to go to work in it....it was about a 15 mile trip each way. I think it used about a quart of oil every 2 or 3 days.

That sounds about right. 30 mile round trip, times 2.5 days, is 75 miles to the quart.

Way way back (long ago in a galaxy far far away), I had a 1959 Chevy, 6 cylinder, standard, with stuck oil rings. And that baby got about 75 miles to the quart. Cost me all of $75, and replaced my first car, a 1949 Chevy. The 49 was actually in better shape, but I never had a title for it, so couldn't buy license plates and eventually had to give it up.

There was one station in town that sold "recycled oil" for about 19 cents a quart ...

Back in 1960 when I was in the Navy going to 'A' school in Jacksonville, a fellow student and I bought a 1950 Chevy 6 cylinder two door sedan from an older guy for a hundred bucks who didn't want it anymore. That thing drank oil too. About a quart per 100 miles. We also bought "recycled" oil for about 17 cents a quart IIRC. However, almost all of the off brand gas stations had it. The name brand stations never carried it. For convenience we carried about 2 quarts in the trunk just in case an off brand station wasn't around when we needed oil. There was no way a couple of poor sailor students were going to pay full price for oil since it was truly an oil guzzler.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

sda said:

That was the joke I told often about my 71 Vega GT. It used a quart every half tank of gas..about 100 miles. I could count on cleaning spark plug #3 monthly, the others had a nice beige look to them. The car ran well overall and never stranded me.

You got that right. A beige colored plug was the "gold standard" for the color of a good spark plug since it was a pretty good indicator of a cylinder's health. I can't tell you how many plugs I changed back in the day and every time I yanked one, beige was the color I was hoping to see and it happened almost all the time. GM V8's were pretty good that way as long as you didn't abuse them too much.

jmonroe

jipster

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Michaell

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

jipster

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

Well, that's what I was thinking when we looked at the house the other day. This is in Newport, Kentucky by the way. The 100 year old house is on a hill. I'm thinking the foundation wall was damaged, then leaked, thru soil and water pressure. And there is no sump pump?

To me this looked like the contractors walked off the job before it was completed, OR, the trench wasn't refilled with dirt and drainage... for some unknown reason to me.

Michaell

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

Well, that's what I was thinking when we looked at the house the other day. This is in Newport, Kentucky by the way. The 100 year old house is on a hill. I'm thinking the foundation wall was damaged, then leaked, thru soil and water pressure. And there is no sump pump?

To me this looked like the contractors walked off the job before it was completed, OR, the trench wasn't refilled with dirt and drainage... for some unknown reason to me.

I suppose being at the top of the hill is better than being at the bottom, when it comes to water...

There aren't many 100 year old houses in Colorado, so I'm not sure how much help I can be...

jipster

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

Well, that's what I was thinking when we looked at the house the other day. This is in Newport, Kentucky by the way. The 100 year old house is on a hill. I'm thinking the foundation wall was damaged, then leaked, thru soil and water pressure. And there is no sump pump?

To me this looked like the contractors walked off the job before it was completed, OR, the trench wasn't refilled with dirt and drainage... for some unknown reason to me.

I suppose being at the top of the hill is better than being at the bottom, when it comes to water...

There aren't many 100 year old houses in Colorado, so I'm not sure how much help I can be...

The house is actually about on the middle of said hill. So halfway between good and bad. ;-)

oldfarmer50

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Why would she consider a house with a foundation damaged by water? If the conditions existed once they can certainly happen again.

Anyhoo, what I know is that foundations can be damaged by water PRESSURE which is a build up off water outside the wall to the point it is literally pushed inward or by water INFILTRATION where water undermines the footings causing the wall to sink.

Both problems can be fixed by installing drainage systems and sump pumps. You need to be able to flow the water to a lower level which can involve excessive digging or mechanical pumping systems. Waterproofing the outside of the foundation is probably required in a high water environment or else you’ll have a damp, even moldy basement.

I don’t know where this house is located (flood plain) but I’d walk away from it. Sounds like nothing but problems.

For me personally, I built my house on 18” of gravel above the surrounding soil, then put perimeter drains around both the exterior and interior of the foundation. Finally, I connected the drains to the underground system that drain my farm fields.

oldfarmer50

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

Well, that's what I was thinking when we looked at the house the other day. This is in Newport, Kentucky by the way. The 100 year old house is on a hill. I'm thinking the foundation wall was damaged, then leaked, thru soil and water pressure. And there is no sump pump?

To me this looked like the contractors walked off the job before it was completed, OR, the trench wasn't refilled with dirt and drainage... for some unknown reason to me.

I suppose being at the top of the hill is better than being at the bottom, when it comes to water...

There aren't many 100 year old houses in Colorado, so I'm not sure how much help I can be...

The house is actually about on the middle of said hill. So halfway between good and bad. ;-)

Ahhh...so the plot thickens. If the damage isn’t caused by a high water table it could be caused by water flowing down the hill undiverted. Has there been activity upslope that changed water flow? If so, building a French drain upslope might divert the water around the house.

Still expensive.

stickguy

Yeah, I would walk away. without even knowing exactly what it needs, I can guarantee it will be nosebleed expensive. Maybe if this was SoCal where nothing was affordable, but in an area that should have reasonable prices, why take the risk?

Really need an experienced engineer to look at it. But, around here, standard is to get the pipes under the foundation leading into a sump pump hole. And around the bottom of the walls, on the exterior, drain tile (pipe) tied into that. All the below grade exterior walls are also lined/painted to waterproof them. And of course, eaves/gutters/grading to keep the water away from the foundation in the first place.

You can do it after the fact. And it the foundation is exposed, might save something on the exterior portion. But that does not help much if it has no place to go.

At this point I am done with basements. Nothing but trouble. A place for my wife people to collect endless amounts of junk, and a magnet for water leakage. Put a house on a slab above grade, and much less to worry about!

bwia

imidazol97 said:

bwia said:

Yes, and it's now a reality as Michelin has paired up with GM at least with the Bolt.

Can you explain what you mean that Michelin has paired up with GM and the Bolt?

Here is the story. "GM and tire supplier Michelin said Tuesday they formed a joint research agreement to develop and validate the tire supplier's Unique Puncture-proof Tire System, or Uptis, with plans to introduce the tires on passenger vehicles as early as 2024.....Steve Kiefer, senior vice president of GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, described it as 'breakthrough technology' that General Motors is 'excited' to partner on with the tire supplier."
https://www.autonews.com/suppliers/gm-michelin-plan-deploy-airless-tires

berri

If it is not drain tiled, and it probably isn't, a french drain(s) from the trench may help as well as extending gutter spouts.

berri

sda, was your 71 Vega a coupe or Kammback ? Had a friend who owned a 71 kind of dark copper colored coupe like that. H only kept it a short while and then bought an Opel GT as I recall.

houdini2

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Just run away!

houdini2

bwia said:

imidazol97 said:

bwia said:

Yes, and it's now a reality as Michelin has paired up with GM at least with the Bolt.

Can you explain what you mean that Michelin has paired up with GM and the Bolt?

Here is the story. "GM and tire supplier Michelin said Tuesday they formed a joint research agreement to develop and validate the tire supplier's Unique Puncture-proof Tire System, or Uptis, with plans to introduce the tires on passenger vehicles as early as 2024.....Steve Kiefer, senior vice president of GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, described it as 'breakthrough technology' that General Motors is 'excited' to partner on with the tire supplier."
https://www.autonews.com/suppliers/gm-michelin-plan-deploy-airless-tires

When I first heard of these a few years ago, they could only be used on low speed vehicles, tractors, mowers, etc. Problem was they were so light they were unstable at speed. (shimmy). Maybe they figured a way to overcome this.

sda

berri said:

sda, was your 71 Vega a coupe or Kammback ? Had a friend who owned a 71 kind of dark copper colored coupe like that. H only kept it a short while and then bought an Opel GT as I recall.

It was a hatchback, sunflower yellow with black stripe, black interior. Not my favorite color at all, but the price was right for a junior in high school $495. It was replaced in my freshman year of college ('78) with a very nice '76 Pontiac Sunbird coupe, V6, 5sp, a/c.

houdini2

stickguy said:

Yeah, I would walk away. without even knowing exactly what it needs, I can guarantee it will be nosebleed expensive. Maybe if this was SoCal where nothing was affordable, but in an area that should have reasonable prices, why take the risk?

Really need an experienced engineer to look at it. But, around here, standard is to get the pipes under the foundation leading into a sump pump hole. And around the bottom of the walls, on the exterior, drain tile (pipe) tied into that. All the below grade exterior walls are also lined/painted to waterproof them. And of course, eaves/gutters/grading to keep the water away from the foundation in the first place.

You can do it after the fact. And it the foundation is exposed, might save something on the exterior portion. But that does not help much if it has no place to go.

At this point I am done with basements. Nothing but trouble. A place for my wife people to collect endless amounts of junk, and a magnet for water leakage. Put a house on a slab above grade, and much less to worry about!

Basements have a redeeming quality in tornado country. A very popular style of house in my area is called a reverse 1 1/2 story. One or two bedrooms on main level, incl. the master, and 2 or 3 bedrooms and rec room in walkout basement. Lot needs to slope from front to back to accomodate the walk out. This is what we have.

berri

IIRC, those Sunbird's were based on the Vega chassis?

jmonroe1

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

First off, I'm sure you mean "concrete block" not "cinder block". I don't think they even make "cinder block" anymore. Cinder block is black since it's made from cinders. It is as porous as a sive and is not structurally sound. Was only intended to be used as a partition wall that does not bare weight. Now that I've gotten over one of my pet peeves, here is what I think:

Count your blessings that it wasn't back filled because this now gives you the chance to call in an expert. I'm positive that if the wall is structurally sound, you'll be told it should be waterproofed with a quality spray on goop and then covered with a solid waterproof barrier. Then drained and properly back filled with gravel. This ain't going to be cheap.

Now having said that, I'd run as fast as I could from this one hundred year old house. If you don't, you're going to have trouble with every nail you drive and every screw you try to sink and I ain't even touched on the plumbing and electrical nightmare's you're going to have.The only people who should even think about buying a one hundred year old house are guys in that biz and most of them won't do it again if they are being honest about it.

There, I've said it, and I'm glad I got it off my chest. Now it's up to you or should I say your daughter.

jmonroe

imidazol97

Permit for work on property?

There has to be a story that the buyer can get on how and why the trench is open. Might check city for permits issued if that's a permit type that's required.

Also, I've seen Newport. My long time buddy lived in Newport. That "hill" can be fairly steep or can be a mild slope, judged in Western Ohio/Eastern Central Indiana values. Either way, I'd think about slumping of the hillside as well. Not knowing what's underneath the overburden or dirt, there could be movement of a whole area. Take a look at properties above and below this house to see if there are any signs of earth shifting.

In Cincinnati area, this spring has been catastrophic for the hillsides above a 4-lane thoroughfare dug into the side of the hill on north bank of the river (Columbia Parkway) because of gravity. Several landslides have closed the parkway this spring.

Lots of rain has kept the earth above the parkway soaked over a period of time, and gravity takes over. You ca't beat Mother Nature. Those rains and soaked earth may have affected this Newport house.

. Don't buy problems. Don't trust the real estate broker. When I sold my condo, the broker didn't want to know a French drain had been installed because the 4-unit building had cracked right at my basement window behind the insulation as the building settled during first or second year.

In car terms: the house has a salvage title in my opinion. Would you buy a wreck where you can't even look at the underside and can't determine what happened in the accident?

sda

berri said:

IIRC, those Sunbird's were based on the Vega chassis?

Correct. It was slightly modified and the Monza, Sunbird, Starfire and Skyhawks were H-bodies.

berri

I liked those hatchback H body versions. You could even get a V8 as I recall, but the engine had to be lifted for some maintenance matters.

ab348

I'm been out front working on my lawn after crows damaged it in the late winter. While that is not my favorite job it has a redeeming quality in that I get entertained by my DIYer neighbor up the street. This week he has been very busy. First he spent a day and a half widening his driveway by one foot - cutting into an adjacent banked lawn, digging a trench, filling and tamping, and then laying 12" wide patio stones. Honestly, didn't seem worth the effort but then again he always seems to exert himself a lot for not much reward. He topped off the day by getting his old pickup filled with gravel which he then spread along the side of his attached garage - I think maybe he wants to park the truck there sometimes. Seemed to wreck the bed liner though as he wrestled with it to take it out after.

This weekend has been either hilarious or sad depending on your POV. He began yesterday morning early on picking away at a set of front wooden steps. Only 3 steps high but quite wide, something like 6' or 8'. It looked to me that he had some rot in the risers, as that is what he began going at with a wrecking bar and a saw. I went back out there a couple of hours later and the risers were all gone and he was then doing something with the treads. Around dinnertime I went out and he was pulling off the bottom trim pieces surrounding the two large posts that hold up the overhanging roof. Just before dark I looked out and was surprised to see the entire step structure was gone and yellow caution tape was marking the porch. I can only assume he kept finding rot until he finally decided to take it all down.

Just before lunch today I hear more noise and he is out there with an electric jackhammer working on the large concrete footer/bottom step. Did not appear to be having much luck. He has now brought in reinforcements and I hope they know what they're doing. At the rate he is going the whole front of the house might be gone by sundown.

graphicguy

This is the result of a trip to the Bourbon Trail this weekend. 70+MPH in some hilly terrain. Quite pleased!

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

This is the result of a trip to the Bourbon Trail this weekend. 70+MPH in some hilly terrain. Quite pleased!

I’m constantly amazed by the gas mileage of some of today’s cars. That’s very good mileage for a car with some performance. What engine do you have?

graphicguy

@oldfarmer50 ...it’s a 3.5L V6....SH-AWD. I could probably do better if I took it out of Sport + mode, which let’s me redline every shift....and holds higher revs longer.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

I’m constantly amazed by the gas mileage of some of today’s cars. That’s very good mileage for a car with some performance. What engine do you have?

Yes, and the older you are, the farther back you can remember, and the more amazed you are.

Back around 1964, a friend of my fathers came up with an older, used Volkswagen bug. Luther was an auto mechanic, as was my father, and he had by that time opened his own independent shop. I remember him joking about how he had to drain the gas ever so often in that VW as it would go bad before he could use it up. In reality, those things only did low to mid 20's for gas mileage. But of course, over 20 mpg was considered phenomenal.

Luther was an adventurous sort. He took an Oldsmobile V8 complete with automatic transmission and transplanted it into a 1954 Ford pickup. Now that was a really neat thing, I would love to have that truck.

driver100

Since everyone has been showing off their trunks lately I decided to post mine. Mrs D went to Costco earlier while I played tennis, so these are only bags from the grocery store. Usually there are about 6 plastic bags and 3 or 4 bags of Costco stuff. They just float around back there, can't say I have ever had anything roll around or break. My car is kept fairly neat and clean, but, I don't care if things are a little out of place.


A few extra tennis caps too....and I think an extra racquet lying in there too.

thebean

graphicguy said:

This is the result of a trip to the Bourbon Trail this weekend. 70+MPH in some hilly terrain. Quite pleased!

Did you purchase any good bourbons?

henryn

Speaking of good bourbon -- I had a chance recently to try "Walking Stick". I was impressed enough to look it up later, not cheap.

henryn

Just got my new Nvidia Shield about an hour ago. Amazon Prime delivered it in less than 24 hours, and on a Sunday. Jeff Bezos is going to take over the world at this rate. People were concerned that WalMart was driving everyone else out of business, now it looks like Bezos is going to bury Walmart. Time will tell.

But I am so far impressed with the Shield. Seems to be a very neat toy.

It's a good day to stay inside and play with a new toy. Right now, at 1:37 p.m., it is 96 degrees, with a heat index of 105. Supposed to hit 99 later this afternoon. Brutal.

kyfdx

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

Well, that's what I was thinking when we looked at the house the other day. This is in Newport, Kentucky by the way. The 100 year old house is on a hill. I'm thinking the foundation wall was damaged, then leaked, thru soil and water pressure. And there is no sump pump?

To me this looked like the contractors walked off the job before it was completed, OR, the trench wasn't refilled with dirt and drainage... for some unknown reason to me.

I suppose being at the top of the hill is better than being at the bottom, when it comes to water...

There aren't many 100 year old houses in Colorado, so I'm not sure how much help I can be...

The house is actually about on the middle of said hill. So halfway between good and bad. ;-)

What is the address? If it’s on a hill in Newport, I’m probably within a mile of there. Is it listed with a realtor?

Also, if the basement floor is below the water table, it wouldn’t need a sump pump

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

Since everyone has been showing off their trunks lately I decided to post mine. Mrs D went to Costco earlier while I played tennis, so these are only bags from the grocery store. Usually there are about 6 plastic bags and 3 or 4 bags of Costco stuff. They just float around back there, can't say I have ever had anything roll around or break. My car is kept fairly neat and clean, but, I don't care if things are a little out of place.


A few extra tennis caps too....and I think an extra racquet lying in there too.

What does that have to do with @jipster's daughter buying a one hundred year old problem house?

jmonroe

jipster

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Why would she consider a house with a foundation damaged by water? If the conditions existed once they can certainly happen again.

Anyhoo, what I know is that foundations can be damaged by water PRESSURE which is a build up off water outside the wall to the point it is literally pushed inward or by water INFILTRATION where water undermines the footings causing the wall to sink.

Both problems can be fixed by installing drainage systems and sump pumps. You need to be able to flow the water to a lower level which can involve excessive digging or mechanical pumping systems. Waterproofing the outside of the foundation is probably required in a high water environment or else you’ll have a damp, even moldy basement.

I don’t know where this house is located (flood plain) but I’d walk away from it. Sounds like nothing but problems.

For me personally, I built my house on 18” of gravel above the surrounding soil, then put perimeter drains around both the exterior and interior of the foundation. Finally, I connected the drains to the underground system that drain my farm fields.

Why buy? My daughter said that the house was really cute with a great view of downtown Cincinnati. LOL. Aside from the foundation, a rusty cast iron drainage.pipe, the a\c wasnt.cooling well on a day where it was only 74 degress,and a huge driveway retaining wall bowing out, some crumbling concrete...the house is really nice.;-) The deal estate as said the house was renovated by a crew from the hgtv show.. A structural engineer inspection is recommended. But my recommendation to my daughter was not to buy it. Does it sound like that foundation wall repair was completed to you?

jipster

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Michaell said:

jipster said:

Anybody know anything about foundation wall replacement? Daughter looking at a house where the basement wall was replaced with cinder blocks, due to water damage. The outside trench wasn't refilled. A drainage pipe wasn't installed. Agent doesn't know squat. Nothing I can find on the internet. You guys are my last hope. :-(

Are sump pumps a thing where you live? Here in Colorado, we have one for our house to collect and drain the water that accumulates around the perimeter of the house. It's an electric pump and we've extended the drainage pipe so it expels into the front yard.

Well, that's what I was thinking when we looked at the house the other day. This is in Newport, Kentucky by the way. The 100 year old house is on a hill. I'm thinking the foundation wall was damaged, then leaked, thru soil and water pressure. And there is no sump pump?

To me this looked like the contractors walked off the job before it was completed, OR, the trench wasn't refilled with dirt and drainage... for some unknown reason to me.

I suppose being at the top of the hill is better than being at the bottom, when it comes to water...

There aren't many 100 year old houses in Colorado, so I'm not sure how much help I can be...

The house is actually about on the middle of said hill. So halfway between good and bad. ;-)

Ahhh...so the plot thickens. If the damage isn’t caused by a high water table it could be caused by water flowing down the hill undiverted. Has there been activity upslope that changed water flow? If so, building a French drain upslope might divert the water around the house.

Still expensive.

No activity upslope. Just a large wooded area. The hill slopes down from right to left, so looks like a large part of water flow would be running off into the neighbors yard.

jipster

stickguy said:

Yeah, I would walk away. without even knowing exactly what it needs, I can guarantee it will be nosebleed expensive. Maybe if this was SoCal where nothing was affordable, but in an area that should have reasonable prices, why take the risk?

Really need an experienced engineer to look at it. But, around here, standard is to get the pipes under the foundation leading into a sump pump hole. And around the bottom of the walls, on the exterior, drain tile (pipe) tied into that. All the below grade exterior walls are also lined/painted to waterproof them. And of course, eaves/gutters/grading to keep the water away from the foundation in the first place.

You can do it after the fact. And it the foundation is exposed, might save something on the exterior portion. But that does not help much if it has no place to go.

At this point I am done with basements. Nothing but trouble. A place for my wife people to collect endless amounts of junk, and a magnet for water leakage. Put a house on a slab above grade, and much less to worry about!

That's what I suggested several times....walk away. Which is what the contractors appeared.to do with not.completing that foundation wall repair. No pipe. No sealant on that outside wall. Just the hole. It's a sellers.market in that area, in market for 40 days.

stickguy

I wonder which HGTV show would be working in that area?