row house repair...
I live in a row house (wood frame). My next door neighbor apparently is having some floor issues and is correcting this by installing beams in the basement to straighten things out. Over the past 3 days I’ve noticed a vertical crack in a wall close to the adjacent wall that both houses share. Are…
I live in a row house (wood frame). My next door neighbor apparently is having some floor issues and is correcting this by installing beams in the basement to straighten things out. Over the past 3 days I’ve noticed a vertical crack in a wall close to the adjacent wall that both houses share. Are they liable for the repair if this crack worsens into something more severe?
another plug for what communication can do…
thanks to all who commented… I actually went next door and talked to them. They are re-enforcing the joists and putting in new floor boards for part of their kitchen. They’re good neighbors and set up an appointment for me to meet with the main contractor today so I can show him the crack (which didn’t worsen at all with all the work they did yesterday). I took pictures and will continue to do so throughout this process.
You don’t mention if he is jacking up the house, or just sistering on new beams. Talk to the neighbor, see what the deal is. It might be a small problem, but if you rat him out, you now have a neighbor who hates you which can turn into big problems.
Yeah, I’d only add that the neighbor may be entirely unaware of what’s happened on your side of things (though perhaps he could have forseen it). Before you get all 311 on him, let him know what’s going down. If he shrugs, document and call an engineer.
Yeah, 311 and maybe you should hire an engineer pronto. Nothing wrong with asking your neighbor to stop, and/or showing him the crack meanwhile.
dude, your house is getting jacked the F up. Literally! I would be so frazzled right now and it seems like you’re sitting home waiting for comments to flow in.
I’d call 311 and start inspecting every square inch of my home if I were you.
Good luck with that.
and start taking pics now. do documnet any damage.
Find out if your neighbor used a floor jack to lift his joists. If you guys share a common, wood-framed wall, yeah, that could be the reason for that crack.
that sarcastic comment by me above was directed to the spams that have been since taken off. (thanks brownstoner)
I’d still love to hear if anyone has any input on this.