Back in April of 2024, Mom and I made the decision to bring in a home inspector. After all, our 1970s home was getting up in age, and I wanted to see what work would need to be done to address some issues I'd noticed and some that various contractors had alerted us to in the course of doing other work.
The idea was to determine whether the repairs were worth doing or whether we should cut our losses and move on. We wanted to stay, but I also didn't want to be investing in something that could potentially turn into a money pit.
The home inspector's report indicated that there were extensive crawlspace issues that should be addressed, primarily due to the age of the house, moisture issues, significant wood rot, and mold - the typical things one would expect to find in a nearly 50-year-old crawlspace that hadn't gotten much attention over the years.
That inspection led us to call in a structural engineer, who provided a report outlining what all should be replaced in the crawlspace (I guesstimated about 60-75 percent of the wood had to either be replaced or sistered, and our contractor later told us that sounded about right). Fortunately, the engineer believed that most of the settling was done, and there was no mention of any structural issues with the foundation. But he did recommend repointing and Heli-Tie stitching ties on some hairline stair-step cracks in the mortar spotted in a few places in the brick veneer, and then monitoring after that.
READ MORE (VIP): The Things You Learn
Though both reports mentioned that a few pieces of plywood on the roof and some dry rot issues on the fascia corners should be addressed at some point, our first and foremost concern was the crawlspace.
We got estimates, picked a contractor, and the work was done (including supplemental piers, French drain system, sump pump, a dehumidifier, and full encapsulation). About eight months later, we brought the same contractor in again to raise the house in certain spots since there had been some resettling as a result of the new work.
The crawlspace project about broke me emotionally, and after it was done, I went into a sort of project paralysis where I did not want to take on any more projects of a similar nature for a while. Plus, we were tapped out financially.
Our plan was to, over the course of a few months, evaluate the repairs we'd had done to see if they "took" (meaning, no new issues with cracks above doors, windows, the brick veneer, etc) before we took on anything else mentioned in the home inspector's report.
But some of the brick veneer stair-step cracks have returned. They're only a tiny bit wider than hairline size, but are concerning enough that we've connected with a foundation expert, who we'll be meeting with next week. My fervent hope is that he, too, will conclude that foundation issues are unlikely, that likely it's just seasonal shifting and settling going on, and that the cracks in the veneer just need to be repointed and monitored (I don't think the work was done right on the cracks initially as, upon further inspection, it looks like the hairline cracks only had mortar put on the surface of them, not in between the bricks - outside of where the stitching ties were put).
On top of that, as I was walking the property last week, I happened to notice that one of the fascia corners had rotted through (about a two-inch area). I felt sick. I had known at some point that the fascia corners would need to be looked at for possible repair/replacement, but had put it off in part due to my project paralysis, with the goal to start calling roofing contractors at the first of the year.
SEE ALSO (VIP): Caregiver's Diary Part 46: Day in the Life
We now have a roofing contractor coming in next week, as well, weather permitting, to take care of the immediate problem of the rotted corner fascia. But now mom and I are pondering a possible summer roof replacement, considering what we were told and shown about our roof, not just by the home inspector and structural engineer, but also the roofing contractors we had come by to review and provide us a quote.
Roof replacement is not something I want to do. But though older homes are, IMO, built better than newer ones, eventually they, too, need some extensive TLC, and we are at that point with this one. Without a solid foundation, crawlspace, and roof, everything else is pretty much meaningless.
Needless to say, I've snapped out of my project paralysis and am in "get'er done" mode, though spending the money will be painful. These are, as they say, the "joys of home ownership," and though I'm grumbling about what needs to be done, I'm immensely grateful for our home. I just want her to be safe and sturdy.
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