The house I am buying has this retaining wall that needs to be fixed and I am looking for estimates on what it may cost to fix and what would be involved in the potential fixes. The front side of the wall is made of bricks that are not mortared together, or they have gaps that allow water to escape through the front which is apparently a good thing to release the hydrostatic pressure. However the left wall facing the fence is made of concrete and does not have any way for water to escape, so the hydrostatic pressure has been pushing that wall away from the front wall. It looks like a rather large amount of separation (several inches). The inspector suggested one possible solution may involve drilling large holes into the wall and installing some pipes to allow water to escape. That may not be the best solution though as it wouldn't fix the current displacement, it would only relieve some of the pressure going forward. There is about a 3ft gap between the wall and the fence and when I walked down there (after rain) the ground was very soft.
The seller did include this in disclosures, but listed it as-is so they wont fix anything. I am considering asking for a credit towards closing costs and wondering what would be appropriate.
The foundation of the house was fortunately in great shape, so it's just this outside patio area that has the issue. if the wall were to fall down, it would likely land in the neighbors yard and the patio area may be partially destroyed. I included some pictures from the top so you can see how it looks above, but I didn't have the best angles.
by Throwaway_MD410
13 Comments
Have you requested a structural engineer? That’s what I would do.
I don’t know how much. But I know it will be very expensive.
Yeah I would definitely pay an engineer to quote a full root-cause analysis as well as repair/remediation/replacement cost estimate, and subtract that plus 15% from any offer. Otherwise I’d walk away from this deal unless you are desperate. Lot of money in walls of this size and scale, not to mention the red tape in some areas of permitting/earthwork.
Yeah that’s completely done, needs to be torn out and rebuilt. You are looking at minimum 40k to have it replaced and redone correctly. Thats pricing based on southeast Michigan
Beautiful home btw
What’s the wall along property line look like ? You looking at serious money to properly rebuild all that. Upwards of 80k in my area
woah, get with your agent. do you have inspection contingencies in your contract? if so I would walk away from this. That whole side wall is about to fail and it appears to back up to the house foundation. this is a non starter.
Lots of factors such as the length, height and surroundings( whether it’s easy to access by heavy machinery). Did mine earlier this year. 35k. Yours will mostly like be much more than that
All this need to be removed. The level of your yard it is too high., especially when you compare on the side of the house, you can tell the bury part of the basement. You need to be removed., lower, and your retaining wall needs a proper angle, like 45°, and then you slope towards the street too, so it doesn’t get that high .
This is a complicated issue that will require more information to accurately price. Most likely would require a permit and some form of engineering to accurately quote & resolve. It will be a significant cost and should be taken seriously. Also looks like it could be tricky to access which could also drive cost up. Get a licensed and qualified professional to give you more accurate information after a site assessment. I usually charge for it in this case. Especially if my information is going to be used for negotiation purposes. I found out pretty quickly people will just use me for a “free quote”
That’s a full rebuild
$35k range
I would not close, do you have an inspection contingency