Well, we spoke with one last lawyer earlier this week. Nobody will take the case without at least a $10k retainer and the potential to pay upwards of $75k to search for the previous owners, depose witness testimony, and serve papers to multiple parties, not counting legal work.
We got the assessment from the structural engineer after excising the beam supporting the roof we suspected was sagging...
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So, the partion beam in this screenshot (on the right) has the primary 16 ft beam anchored with just what you see on the bottom, a half joist hanger.
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Here's the opposite end of the beam, sitting on a shiv of three wood blocks and a single brick. The beam is twisted due to age so its compromised on this side heavily. The owners apparently wrapped it with that pine, then drywalled over it to make it look flush.
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The 'beam' the half joist is anchored against? Is actually two slices of wood with drywall in between, and screwed together. So the beam is sagging because the weight is pulling that inner piece of wood 'apart' and its only a matter of time before it fully gives. The engineer basically said we have to demo the entire 300sq ft side of the house. The rest of the addition was built with about $1000 of wood from Home Depot because the wood/siding had all the original stickers and stamps on it showing the date and UPCs they were that clean. All the trim outside we removed was fresh, and painted over, and the prior owners effed up and left the paint cans buried in a pile in the corner of the garage with their prior contract and dated for March 6th. So, they knew what was up.
The drainage in the backyard and grading is going to be around $7k. The roof needs fully replaced since its cracking and the inspector said it was well-maintained (its not) -- that's going to be around $22k. The insulation is molded and compromised throughout the home, and all the fan exhausts were venting into the attic...the HVAC needs its drainage fixed because there was no routine maintence done when the new unit was installed in 2024 so we had the hallways flooded. The rest of the house is compromised by moisture and mold, since the renovations that were done used the wrong gypsum, I think it was Duraline? And its all disintegrated, molded, and just gutted. And we still have to update the electrical. Not to mention, building a new 300sq foot addition, plus all the drywalls and remediation. Costs are estimated around $180k conservatively to get the house in shape, which I can't afford.
So first time home buyer, and not even 50 days into the purchase and I have to file for bankruptcy because I cannot get anyone, or afford anyone, to sue despite the forensic engineer, clear evidence of fraud and concealment, and malpractice by our realtor for not doing their diligence along with the inspector. What a lovely year. The lawyer I spoke with said bankruptcy would potentially be the only way to save the home and by presenting that in front of a judge, the courts would be compelled to put the case to trial to understand how all this happened and possibly assist. But, its a long shot, a very long shot. I have about 20 days to decide since I lose the home insurance on July 31st and we can't afford the replacement insurance the mortage company is going to tack on.
lurkingdirk
pointed out a couple benefits. You get better rain and protection from the overhang, solar shielding bc there's more shade, etc. It isn't really a roof pitch thing as you can have larger overhang regardless. One downside the builder keeps referring to is header height of the windows and how a deeper soffit requires him to drop the windows a bit more. I'm guessing this is just because with a larger overhang you occlude the window if it ends up buried underneath the eave?
