_oa_'s Profile
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March 17, 2009
differential settlement cracks
Well, we gave an offer on a house in Bay Ridge and had our first ever inspection. The inspector was very thorough, but his report is discouraging.
The house had two sets of cracks on parallel walls which inspector believed to be differential settlement cracks. The house is 80+ years old; we don't know when those cracks have occurred.
He basically recommended that crack monitors should be installed. If cracks are growing, this would indicate that there is foundation or subgrade failure. There are other signs that this may be the case.
We really like the house, but this is probably a show stopper. We want to withdraw our offer, but before we do, we'd like to know if this type of thing is common in Brooklyn houses?
Is it reasonable to ask the seller to install those crack monitors?
March 11, 2009
owls' head park
How safe is the area around owls' head park? (Bay Ridge)? I absolutely love the area, and we are seriously considering buying a house there.
I've been to the park in the morning and during the day -- seems safe. Crime stats look ok.
However, I just had a conversation with family friend who says the park becomes gang playground at night. I'll be driving there myself to check it out tonight, but tonight may not be representative..
Author's Comments
traditionalmod: Beacon, NY is a very lovely place. The commute is rather long, however.
I am also a huge fan of New Paltz, NY, but it is not really within commuting distance.
Posted by: _oa_ at April 14, 2009 2:40 PM in response to where would you live
"I'm not even thinking too specifically about neighborhoods." -- are you thinking about Brooklyn?
I watched a (very expensive) condo bldg go up in Manhattan. Construction methods seemed very solid, compared to another bldg that is going up next to it. Poured concrete, etc, etc. The name of bldg is Visionaire (and no, I am not affiliated, I just got to see construction out of our windows).
Posted by: _oa_ at April 14, 2009 2:35 PM in response to A well-built, well-run condo
The house is very cute. I wonder if the driveway is shared.
Posted by: _oa_ at April 2, 2009 2:51 PM in response to House of the Day: 29 Maple Street
Folks, thank you for all the info! Very helpful.
The cracks are v shaped. They are best seen in the basement, but they continue up the wall to the second floor.
In the basement the cracks are about 1 cm in the bottom, 2-4 at the top. On the upper floors the cracks are patched up and covered by plaster, but the plaster itself is also cracking. This in itself worries me most, I guess: seems that cracks continued to develop after repair.
There is a cinder block garage in the back of the lot. It has same types of cracks but they are much wider: you can almost put a fist through them. The inspector warned us the garage will likely need to be demolished.
We do really like the house, but we are unprepared for major structural work (in terms of time and money). I guess we'll think about structural engineer consult.
Posted by: _oa_ at March 18, 2009 9:04 AM in response to differential settlement cracks
The remedy would depend on whether the house is still moving. To repair existing masonry would probably be ~20k (according to a very ballpark estimate from the inspector). However if the house is still moving and it needs to stabilized the price will be much higher.
Posted by: _oa_ at March 17, 2009 10:36 PM in response to differential settlement cracks
OK, this is exactly what I wanted to know: how seriously should we be taking this issue? There is some indirect evidence to support the theory that the back of the house is still settling, 80 years later. Basically, the front of the house is sitting firm and the back of the house is sliding down the hill. The house has relatively new porch (20+ years) that has moved downhill away from the house and has been repaired several times. The upper level floors are also tilted in that direction.
If we wanted to seek a second opinion on this issue, who would we consult?
As for crack monitors: the house has been on the market for a while.. As crazy as it sounds, we would offer to pay to have them installed (without any commitment from the seller to not sell the house). If the house does not sell for a few more months we may have some useful data. Is this completely unreasonable?
Posted by: _oa_ at March 17, 2009 9:19 PM in response to differential settlement cracks
SenatorStreet: thank you for info!
Posted by: _oa_ at March 17, 2009 6:05 PM in response to owls' head park
Italiana, Marty, thank you for the smell info! I guess this is going to be something we need to think about. The brooklyn eagle did use some pretty strong adjectives to describe it (gagging and nauseating come to mind).
On the other hand it may not be a big deal if it only happens once or twice a year.
I'll have to check out the park gates when I am there on Saturday.
Posted by: _oa_ at March 13, 2009 7:41 PM in response to owls' head park
Folks, thank you so much for all the comments! This is very helpful.
I went to the park tonight. Nice and quiet at 10 pm on Wednesday night. No broken bottles on the ground, no graffiti. No gangs in sight. I will come back on Saturday night as well to check it out further.
Now, a different question: how bad is the smell from the sewer plant? It did not smell today or during my other visits, but there are some pretty strong articles on the web about last summer's stench.
Posted by: _oa_ at March 11, 2009 11:48 PM in response to owls' head park
bobjohn: the house we are looking at faces the park. How loud or rowdy do those kids get?
SenatorStreet: do you feel safe there?
The houses in the area don't seem to have iron bars on the windows, which I take to be a good sign. And the park is amazing.
Posted by: _oa_ at March 11, 2009 6:47 PM in response to owls' head park
sam: No, I haven't! We've been slowly looking for a place in Brooklyn. Cobble Hill did not make our list since it looked parkless.
Posted by: _oa_ at March 5, 2009 1:27 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 220 Congress Street, #6D
To quote the broker: "steps to shopping or the park" -- which park do they mean? Is there a park nearby that gmaps does not show?
Posted by: _oa_ at March 5, 2009 1:12 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 220 Congress Street, #6D
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
Sorry, but 2-4 cm is huge (3/4" - 1.5"). Any building inspector who's not incompetent would suggest further evaluation by a structural / soil engineer to determine what's happening with that house. Corresponding cracking on upper floors can be dated by finding out when painting was last done, as usually cracks in plaster are usually patched as part of prep work. It will cost $$$ to hire engineers, so you should ask yourself how committed are your to this property.
Posted by: an inspector at May 26, 2009 9:32 AM in response to differential settlement cracks
I made a supernatural short film at Owls Head Park. Amazing set for my movie, spooky in the rear of the park.
destinyschildmovie.com
Watch it on youtube.com
Posted by: anthonycap at November 10, 2009 8:49 PM in response to owls' head park
Can't comment on the price, but this is a pretty short lot!
LOT SIZE 25 x 59
BUILDING SIZE 25 x 35
Posted by: _oa_ at May 20, 2009 3:40 PM in response to House of the Day: 449 Bergen Street