House Foundation Repair Texas

♦ December 3, 2012 ♦ Leave Your Comment

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION:
What is the future of foundation that has been “repaired”?
I am looking to buy a home that has had foundation repairs due to settling, common in north texas with the clay soil. I am wondering what further problems are possible with relation to the foundation. There is a lifetime warranty, but are there any problems that can arise that are not covered with the warranty?
- ANSWER:
  It is good that you have a TRANSFERABLE warranty, right? If so, then that is good. Make sure Before you buy the house that if any foundation repair has been done that the foundation repair company is reputable, registered, and is affirmed as having the warranty that can transfer to ALL new owners that come along…not just you.
  
  That being said, it is possible that foundation issues to still continue for years to come. Slight changes folks say the house is “settling”, but extensive changes are foundation issues and you can’t just sit on it and do nothing. Foundation problems can be from the expansion and contraction of the clay soils or it can be caused by a plumbing break (even ever so slight), so that may need to be checked, as well. If problems still arise, and the weather has been “balanced”, do check the plumbing for leaks under the foundation.
  
  So, weird very wet and very dry weather (which we just got over a 4 yr drought) can cause foundation issues for slab homes and a break in plumbing can do the same. Sometimes one causes the other, too.
  
  You mentioned North Texas, well howdy! I’ve lived in Collin County since 1966, and have seen quite a bit when it comes to types of homes built, neighborhoods that have foundation issues up & down the street, and some areas that seem fine.
  We do have strips of soils that are sandy and even shallow of the clay [meaning that rocky limestone is very close to the surface, which helps with foundations, but makes it tough on plants which need deep roots] , which makes for less shifting (Allen). Homes that are on pier & beam actually still have foundation issues, but they are MINOR in cost of repair. The track builders like Fox & Jacobs (Centex today) found that laying concrete slabs for foundations were quick and cheap and that is how all of this started. Other than that, homes were prior to then variations of Pier & Beam. Then other forms of slab came along with tension wires that claimed that were effective in keeping the foundation sound, but they weren’t perfect either.
  
  KRLD radio – 1080am on your dial has a saturday program that is hosted by an area homebuilder called Tom Tynan, I believe at 2pm. He’s easy to understand and is laid back and seems very honest. You can probably call in and ask him some questions like the one you posted here.
  
  KRLD can also be found www.krld.com
  
  Another thing, too. Check with the city building inspector of the town you are interested in. Just for example, the town of Frisco had some mutiple huge issues with foundations a few years ago because it was growing very quickly and many unprofessional builders flew in, built homes with POOR foundations, and they split. Home after home was cracking up, and the city stepped in and put in some very strick building restrictions before that finally cleared up. So, check up on the history of building in the town you are considering. Did they have extreem growth spurts, or was it controlled? Can make a difference! Check around the neighborhoods and look for signs in the yard of foundation work done. If you see a few, its possible that it’s a bad area for homes. This clay was great for the cotton and corn farmers, but it reaks havoc on the slab foundation home. And don’t even think of mobile homes – the old ones were constructed with 2×2’s and are as safe as a matchbox to live in. Even if they are “hurricane tethered” to the ground, and they are constructed with a late model 2×4 beams, and even PLACED on a slab, they will – I repeat WILL blow away with any great gust of wind. Period! So avoid mobile or manufactured homes. Pre-fab may be better, but I wouldn’t put my money there either, even if they do throw in some acerage!
  
  Be smart. Do your research. Might consider building your own and monitoring the construction. We are in a tornado proned area, so do try to build a reinforced “safety” room in your home for such times that tornado warnings are present.
  
  Good luck and a TEXAS WELCOME to you!
QUESTION:
On average how much does foundation repair cost?
We have one corner of our house that has already been repaired by the previous owner, but now the grout outside is getting cracks in it again. That’s the only area of the house that has problems. We are going to get professional estimates, but I’d like to hear input from others.
My husband has looked at the foundation from where he can and the slab is NOT cracked, so perhaps it is just cosmetic.

We live on that black land soil which cracks during the summer.
- ANSWER:
  It is not uncommon in Texas for houses to have concrete slab foundations with cracks at the corners. This is not generally associated with an actual cracked slab but is due to stress at the corners. This can be cosmetically repaired if you like for 0 or so per corner but may not last long. You can even make the repairs yourself.
  
  If the foundations is truly cracked and you have walls that are also cracked and/or doors which will not close properly, then might you have more serious problems and need professional help. The average foundation repairs are in the range of ,000 to ,000 depending upon the type of repairs required, how deep they have to dig around your house, the number of pilings they have to place into the ground, etc.
QUESTION:
Single grandmother of 3 seeking help with home repairs. What Charities can help me in Texas?
I live in a old wood frame house that need the wiring upgraded and my foundation needs to be repaired. I don’t have the money to make the repairs myself nor can I afford to make loan payments.
Habitat can’t help because I am still paying for the house.
- ANSWER:
  Habitat for Humanity or a local church group would be your best places to check.
QUESTION:
Where can I find information to repair my pier and beams on island?
I live in texas on a coastal island Every rain and my yard floods I need to replace and repair posts beams in silt and sand. If I have to hire it done I still need to know how because most foundation companys around here are less than honest. While at it should I just raise the house up a level?
- ANSWER:
  This web site may provide good info for you as it shows the technique used to repair (replace) wood with concrete, which is probably the way you should go. The company has a San Antonio office which might do work in your area. If not they should know a competitor that does.
  Unable to speculate whether you should raise the house up a level without more info, but that would be quite a bit more expensive. Make sure whoever you hire is reputable. Ask for references and check them out before signing any contracts.
  http://www.centexhouseleveling.com/pierbeam_repair.html
  Good luck!
QUESTION:
Where can I find information to repair my pier and beams on island?
I live in texas on a coastal island Every rain and my yard floods I need to replace and repair posts beams in silt and sand. If I have to hire it done I still need to know how because most foundation companys around here are less than honest. While at it should I just raise the house up a level?
- ANSWER:
  Greetings!
  
  What you really need to do is consult with a structural engineer. Having a contractor without using an engineer, or doing it yourself may void your insurance policy should there be a mishap.
  Also it is not a cheap undertaking. The engineer will also give you an reliable estimate as to what the work would cost.
  Also he would be able to answer questions you have not even thought about yet.
  
  Good luck
QUESTION:
Is my foundation in trouble because of too much pressure or is it sagging?
I have a home in Texas. It’s on a slab foundation, heavy clay deposits in the area. My drywall is starting to crack, signs of foundation problems. I also have a stuck door.

The door is stuck at the bottom, with a sizeable gap at the top. The drywall that is cracking is separating from the top of the wall, and angling down.

Based on that information, would you suppose my foundation troubles are a result of the ground settling too much? Or is there pressure building underneath my house?
- ANSWER:
  Clay, as you know, owes a large part of its’ mass to water. During periods of drought, or simply dry times, these clay deposits are going to lose mass. The result, if this clay is under your slab, might be differential settling of your slab and/or footings. Here in Florida we have a similar problem when the aquifer lowers and the pourous, formerly hydrated material collapses on itself and creates a “sinkhole”.
  
  There is a technique that will elevate your slab to its former condition, in spite of unstable conditions below. Pressure-Grouting is a system of jetting a concrete slurry along the peremeter of the footing until iit fills up the voids created by loose or dehydrated soil, then surges back up to the top under pressure, elevating the slab in the process. This is often used in Florida for homes built over muck. Here is a Texas-based company that specializes in foundation repair, including pressure-grouting:
  
  http://www.dallasfoundationrepairs.com/index.html
  
  Good luck. Hope this information helps.
QUESTION:
The soil is pulling away from the foundation of my house. It is only happening on one side, what should I do?
I live in Texas. The side of the house where the soil seems to be shrinking is on the east side, where I get full morning sun. I water 3 times a week in the summer, but this isn’t helping. Should I add more soil along that side of the house?
If it’s because of the clay content in my lawn, what can I do about the problem?
- ANSWER:
  I have lived in Dallas for 25 years (if that’s where you are) and our clay soil is horrible. The best thing you can do for your foundation is put soaker hoses along that side of the house, about 2′ from the foundation. Run them in the very early morning before the sun hits the area for at least 1 hour. Then again in the evening after the sun has left, for 1 hour. Do it for a week and see if the soil is tight against the house again. If so, go to once a day or once every other day to keep it damp.
  
  DO NOT add soil. Adding soil become another problem when it starts raining again and it expands and pushes your foundation in another direction.
  
  Over time you may need foundation piers installed under the foundation. Keep an eye on the side of the house for brick movement and inside at the tops of windows and doors. If you see cracks getting bigger, call a foundation repair company before it gets really bad.
QUESTION:
What type of legal action can I take against my property manager who refuses to fix flood issues in our house?
We rent our home from Frontline Property Management in Arlington, Texas. The foundation and landscaping at the back of the house is so bad that every time it rains our house gets flooded and we have to live with the horrid smell it leaves behind. Are there any actions we can take against our management company?
- ANSWER:
  If your property is not habitable — and it sounds like it may not be — you have the right to terminate the lease if the landlord or his agent (the property manager) fails to make timely repairs.
QUESTION:
what is the best method to repair a pier and beam foundation on clay soil?
House was built in 1924 in Central Texas. The cedar peirs were replaced in 1999. The house is just on stacked block right now. Too much movement this winter. All the bids I have received so far are for spread footings or pressed pilings.
- ANSWER:
  Spread footings would be a good choice usually. You might consider doing some over excavation and re-compaction with engineered fill to prevent the problem in the future. The only problem with this is that it would be very costly on an existing structure.
QUESTION:
Why is my tub draining under my foundation?
I live in Texas, and have a slab foundation. Do the sewer lines go through the slab, or are they imbedded in it? What started as a back-up, is now a major problem. There is water draining under my foundation on one side of my house. Assuming the foundation hasn’t been damaged, how easy is this to fix? Can I can any help from Homeowner’s insurance?
Thanks….
- ANSWER:
  When a concrete foundation is poured, the tub drain pipe is left accessible for the rough-in plumbing by installing a box and dirt to prevent concrete from being poured over the pipe. When the tub is set after the house is framed, the plumbers will assemble the p-trap and connect the tub drain to the pipe which flows to the sewer system. It is possible that the p-trap has come loss or needs replaced. If this is the case, a section of the lower wall (sheetrock), where the faucet and drain is located, will have to be removed if an access is not there (some cities require the access for their code purposes). I would immediately contact a professional plumber and your insurance agent. Water undermines the integrity of the foundation and causes extensive repairs and depreciation of property.
QUESTION:
what is the cost to fix structural cracking and foundation issues on an 1800 sq ft brick house in texas?
I need an estimate on the cost to level my 1900 sq ft brick house, the house has shifted and there is some structural cracking on the bricks only on one side of the house but all the walls inside the house facing east have cracks up the walls into the ceiling. If a hire someone to fix the foundation do they fix the inside cracking too?
- ANSWER:
  You have not given nearly enough information to give a cogent answer. And before you do anything at all, you should have a registered structural engineer experienced in your type of construction survey the house and actually design the means and methods to fix your problem. You will need to determine:
  
  a) The primary cause of the shifting and whether it is ongoing.
  b) Has this cause been corrected permanently.
  c) The extend of the damage – can it be corrected safely or must structural elements be replaced.
  d) What means must be employed to correct the damage.
  e) What are the long-term implications of the damage.
  
  And finally:
  
  f) Design a package of corrective measures, structural and cosmetic, in detail for bidding purposes.
  
  From the above you can go to the proper contractors and get legitimate estimates make the repairs. And short of this you may simply be covering over the problem rather than correcting it.
QUESTION:
How do I twister proof my home?
I plan on moving out to Utah one day and having my own house built. Tornadoes scare me and after seeing pictures of damage they scare even more and I honestly don’t want my house to look like what the ones in the pictures do. Anyway tornadoes are rare in Utah but still, how do I build my house so that it’s hard for even a strong tornado to destroy?
- ANSWER:
  I have seen and inspected a lot of tornado damaged homes and often the damage was largely preventable. I have seen homes valued at several hundred thousand that were totally destroyed by the lack of a few things that would have added no more than a hundred dollars to the cost of construction. So you are wise to think about this before the construction phase of your house.
  
  I also have a house under construction and am finding it difficult to have a few things done that I consider important for the survivability of the house in severe weather but the construction people are so use to cutting costs where ever they can that they do not want to do it.
  
  If you are very serious about damage, consider a mainly below surface house. In some, only the roof or a portion of the roof is all that is above ground. A house of this type can easily be made to withstand even an EF4 or EF5 tornado with only minor damage. Some of these designs are very pleasant and most are very economical to heat and cool. But the construction costs are high and not all construction companies are capable of building one. Location is key and are usually best on the higher portion of a hill side. Often drainage is a problem that isn’t considered until they get flooded out in a heavy rain event. The down side is that a lot of people don’t like living in what some refer to as a cave. Also, if problems develop with the structure, it is very expensive to repair. But, if done correctly they are a very durable.
  
  For above ground construction. Make sure that the all components of the foundation, walls, and roof components are all tied together. In coastal areas, this is often refered to as hurricane strapping. This offers an increased measure of sturdiness that keeps the roof on and the walls from falling down.
  
  I could go on and on, but there basicly, the houses that I often see destroyed by a tornado could have been built to withstand all but strongest tornados just by a few improved construction paractices that only involve a few thousand dollars of material and labor during the construction phase. Retrofitting a house after it is built is very expensive.
  
  Texas Tech has done a lot of research over the past 20 years or so on what damages structures. You might want to look at some of thier work at;
  
  http://www.wind.ttu.edu/index.php
  
  They offer some suggestions as well as some designs of in house “safe rooms” which offer protection in already completed homes.
QUESTION:
Our house has some foundation movement and cracking because the adjacent drainage is bad. Any ideas to fix it?
This was not always a problem and I think it is an issue due to a slope that has developed slowly over time. I was thinking maybe doing some re-landscaping might be enough, but I’d like a better idea of what really needs to be done before calling in the pros so I can try to avoid any sales pitch type double talk. Anyone have experience with this issue?
- ANSWER:
  A lot of us in Texas are struggling with similar issues due to heavy precipitation last winter followed by a horrible drought – the clay soil under the foundations has caused them to crack. Here’s some good information I found:
  
  Many properties are experiencing drainage problems because of insufficient planning at the beginning of construction or because of changes on or adjacent to the property. These changes can create problems if drainage isn’t taken into consideration. Original French drains, retaining walls, and other solutions sometimes shift and fail over time. Sometimes new fencing or shrubs can alter the flow of water.Many properties are experiencing drainage problems because of insufficient planning at the beginning of construction or because of changes on or adjacent to the property. These changes can create problems if drainage isn’t taken into consideration. Original French drains, retaining walls, and other solutions sometimes shift and fail over time. Sometimes new fencing or shrubs can alter the flow of water.
  
  OPTIONS:
  Making subtle changes to the overall slope of the landscape surrounding buildings and other landscaping features
  Creating a swale, essentially a ditch, but better looking and with a less objectionable name
  Installing horizontal or vertical moisture barriers, catch basins and/or a French drains to redirect or carry water away from problem areas
  Building a pumping system to move water past higher obstacles
  Planting the right types of vegetation in carefully planned locations in order to reduce erosion and control water flow
  Building or repairing retaining walls to redirect water flow and control erosion
  Arranging for the installation of properly designed rain gutters
QUESTION:
Can drought cause your house to shift?
I noticed my interior doors are way off all of a sudden. Shoud I make a run for it?
- ANSWER:
  You bet!!!! We are having a drought here in central Texas and there are allot of foundations that are shifting. The foundation repair companies are going to be making a fortune. After it rains allot and the ground absorbs the water, it will move back. But the foundation will still have to be repaired. I have sprinklers around my foundation and it is so dry here that mine still shifted. Not good.
QUESTION:
I live in Texas. I bought my house NEW in 2000, and it now has foundation issues.?
I recently noticed a 1/2 inch crack in the front brick from foundation to shingles. It looks like one front corner is starting to sink some causing it. I’ve heard that builders are responsible for foundation issues for 10 years. Is this true? Any suggestions before I call them? Thanks.
- ANSWER:
  Good luck! Do you live in a subdivision where the builders are still active, or is this a finished subdivision or custom home site? If the builders have “moved on”, you may have a hard time getting them to work on it, or possibly even finding them at this point.
  Texas is known for subsidence issues, especially in some of the newer neighborhoods where a LOT of dirt work has been done to get the ground level for building. Subdivisions have been created in formerly unlevel ground that may be prone to flooding, erosion, etc.
  You can get foundation repair, but it’s not cheap. Nolan Ryan is the “pitchman” for one of those companies in Texas.
QUESTION:
Have you ever had your houses concrete foundation repaired…….???
I am getting several estimates and I know their are several factor to factor in like soil, environment and the house itself, But I am just curious if anyone else on here has had concrete foundation repair in TEXAS and ABOUT how much it cost. I know it is expensive but how expensive????? Will I have to mortgage my first born?? he he =))
- ANSWER:
  First, take your time and don’t be rushed into anything by anybody. The house has stood all this time, and it’s not going to collapse any time soon. Some companies will take advantage of your fears and concerns just like a good lawyer will when you go to them sometimes. The problem with depending on the contractors themselves to tell you what you need is that they have “an axe to grind” meaning that they only care because they stand to make good money on the job. If you could make further inquiries to find other homeowners in your immediate area that had the same problem and also seek the advice of your local county government building code authority, it may help.
QUESTION:
The 22′ l, x 4’w x4′ deep concrete bunker is between the subfloor and the slab foundation?
We don’t have basements in Texas and I don’t want or need to use the ‘bunker’. I need to seal it up once I pump the water out and the foundation is evaluated and repaired.
- ANSWER:
  I read your other question, and not sure bunker is the best word for it, sounds like a horse trough or a cistern, it may have preexisted the house and the contractor was to lazy to remove it before construction (you’d be amazed at the amount of construction garbage and spiders you find while restoring homes), or it was put there to trap rain water (little unusual for the area but not uncommon on islands) it would have piping to it for that though.
  
  Id say the cheapest and easiest thing to do would be to rent an electric roto-hammer and punch a few holes in the bottom and corners so it drains in the future and just leave it, maybe fill it with gravel. If waters getting into the foundation it probably needs to be sealed and drain tile installed and that would keep any more water from collecting unless the water is piped in from the gutters or leaking from the house. Cant really say much without seeing it.
QUESTION:
Break in water supply line where pipe enters the concrete foundation.?
I,m in Texas (San Antonio) can I , the home owner, cut into the supply line. Cap all the pipes in the foundation. Go up the wall and make all my “cold water ” and “hot water” supply lines drop down from the attic. Can this be done legally or do I have to break the foundation and search for the leak?
- ANSWER:
  There is no problem capping all your lines and running them overhead assuming your main feed doesn’t branch under the slab. You could cap one at a time and refeed to its outlet to determine if you need to do them all. Start with the one you think is most likely leaking. If you can isolate certain lines with valves, you can cut individual lines off and see if your meter stops running.
  
  Keep in mind that unless you use something like CPVC or PEX tubing, you cannot make drops from the attic on exterior walls unless you tear into the them for access. Internal wall drops are easier but in all cases make sure you watch out for electric lines when you drill your wall top plates. Copper pipe would require a lot of cutting and couplings. Electrical fish tapes can be used to pull PEX and would save a lot of wall repair and ultimately time and expense.
  
  Remember that only 2 fixtures should be fed off 1/2″ pipe so you will need to run some 3/4″ and then branch to feed certain areas like a bathroom cold side (3 fixtures). Or you can do a “home run” with PEX and run 1/2″ from a central header. Depending on the size of your house, you can do some plumbing research and with a decent helper repipe in a day or 2 saving about 00. With the savings it would be wise to invest in some pipe insulation for both the hot and cold lines in your attic. The hot lines will cool quickly in winter and the cold lines will get warm in summer in Texas.
  
  Good Luck!
QUESTION:
Is minor cracks in the front just above the foundation of garage can be ignored while buying a house? please.?
I am going to buy a house which after inspection appears to have minor cracks in foundation of garage in a 2004 single story brick house. My inspection man just shows the problem and no suggestion. Does that matter and will creat a problem in future, or can I aske seller to fix that? It’s in state of texas, please suggest me.
- ANSWER:
  The cracks could Very Well be a serious problem ….
  
  Your inspector was PAID to Inspect and advise you ; not leave you hanging ….
  
  I’d be gettting ahold of this so called inspector and demand that he explain the cracks to you ….
  
  IF I were you; I’d put in the contract that the Seller MUST have those Repaired / replaced by the date of Closing .
QUESTION:
should i treat for termites?
ive seen swarms of termites outside in the yard no signs of any termite damage to the house, no wings in the window sill etc. but i saw them swarming outside yesterday.
i had the house professionally checked last yr and he confirmed the house was termite free but they are in the soil… do i need to spend 2000 bucks to have them killed?
- ANSWER:
  If they are swarming in your yard, they will eventually find your house. Keep in mind, the inspection you had really only checked about 15% of your home. It is impossible to see under the foundation, inside walls, under floor coverings etc. I used to work as an exterminator in Texas. There are 2 kinds of houses in the south, those that have been treated for termites, and those that will be treated for termites.
  Your home is the biggest investment of your life. Home owners insurance will NOT cover termite damage. The only real choice is do it now and prevent damage, or do it later and repair damage.
QUESTION:
Should a 6 y.o. home need foundation repair?
My house was built in 2001, and we are starting to have problems with doors not closing and small verticle cracks inside. Is it strange that a house that new would need foundation repair? Is there something else that can be causing this? We are in north Texas and have a slab foundation. I will be calling some places for estimates, but wanted to get some ideas first. We are the second owners of this home built by DR Horton. Is it possible a builder’s warranty might cover this? Our homeowners insurance only covers foundation repair caused by flooding. Thank you.
- ANSWER:
  Houses do settle and wall cracks occur as a result. Vertical cracks can be fixed as they are normally cosmetic. BUT, horizontal cracks are serious!
  
  Contact a reputable home inspector or a contractor who does foundation work for an estimation of the problem.
  
  Is the house built on or near a ledge or close to a busy highway??
  
  I’d check with the neighbors to see if they have similar problems. Speak with the contractor after you have all of the facts. Six years is a long time to hold the contractor liable unless it was in the sales agreement.
QUESTION:
Posted in wrong category. I’m sorry this is a repost. ?
I live in McKinney Texas so I’m looking for information specific to north Texas. In the next few weeks I’ll be paying out several thousand dollars to have the foundation repaired on my house. What steps or forms do I have to get to make sure I’m clear of any leans against my house once the company is paid. I don’t want some worker or company that supplys materials to come after me at a later time. This exact thing happened to my brother who was living in Arlington at the time. Thank you.
- ANSWER:
  once in a while
QUESTION:
Are foundation reports guaranteed? If so Do they expire?
We bought a house last year and were told that it may need up to 10,000 of foundation repair to which the bank agreed to fix. But they sent out their structural engineer who did a full report saying it needed no foundation work. Now we are starting to notice several cracks popping up over windows and doorways… among other issues. Are we protected at all?
- ANSWER:
  A foundation report is an opinion as of the date of the inspection. Things could happen in a month that change the condition of the foundation.
  
  But with that said, is your situation that you bought a bank owned house, your inspector said it needed work and then the bank (the seller) got an inspector who said it didn’t – and you bought it anyhow? If that is the situation, then you have no recourse to the bank – they sell in as-is condition, with no warranties.
  
  However, (I noticed you live in Texas) here in Texas, we have dry spells – and that is when home owners have to protect their foundations from the damage caused by soil contraction. That is when the ground gets so dry that it “shrinks” away from the foundation, or at least shrinks down around the edges of the house – that’s when a foundation can flex and even crack. The cracks over windows and doorways is caused by this flexing going on.
  
  Get some soaker hoses at Walmart. Those are the black, spongy looking hoses. Put them around the foundation – about a foot and a half from the house, NOT right up against it. You don’t want puddles around the house – the ground should slope away from the house – and you don’t want dry ground around the house. A constant moisture level keeps the foundation in place.
  
  Do that with the soaker hoses – it might just close up those cracks you’ve been noticing.
QUESTION:
roughly how much would it cost to build a small 3 bedroom pier and beam home in texas?
- ANSWER:
  While I am not sure of the price here is a company that can tell you a huge amount of information.
  http://www.bedrockfoundation.com/pier-and-beam-foundation-repair-dallas-tx.html
  These people repair pier and beam houses. They can tell you what to build and how to build it. Based on what repairs they do, it seems that houses fail later on because they build with cheaper products in the beginning. By this I mean they use small timber supports where larger ones are recommended. This company has good answers on repairing and based on that they sound like they can offer you great information on building.
  I live in Australia and until I read this question didn’t know anything about the company I am telling you about.
QUESTION:
Home repair grants in Texas?
Does anyone know of any grant programs in Texas that will pay for home repair? I have a neighbor who lives on SSI and can’t possibly repay any kind of loan. She’s also 10 years too young to qualify for a reverse mortgage. I don’t think her house would qualify, either–the roof is leaking and the foundation is cracked. She also needs a lot of other work.
I’ve checked every website I can think of, including HUD, which only has programs for loans and rural homeowners. Does anyone have any other ideas? This lady really needs help!
- ANSWER:
  yes she can get help. i tried the same thing but didn’t qualify. the state helps those that have low income, have disabilities, and senior citizens. also check with your city and county. they may be also to provide some assistance.
QUESTION:
What are some good resources on how to buy foreclosure properties? Has anyone done this?
Foreclosure props – buying procedures and information
Advice and suggestions
Resources – best books, websites
- ANSWER:
  Some of the best resources for forclosures are:
  www.faniemae.com, www.ocwen.com
  
  But the most effective source is your local REO Agent, this is a real estate agent that gets most if not all the properties that are going into foreclosure in their area.
  
  The best part about it is they know about the property before it even gets listed. If you can make friends with this agent you can be sure that you get what properties nobody even know about and gives you the advantage over other investors looking for these properties.
  
  Buying procedures; You have to find the property first then find out how much they are asking for it. Then do a market analysis on this property by contacting a realtor to give you comparables in this property area of atleast the 3 latest houses sold and 3 houses currently selling in the vicinity as well.
  
  After you do your market analysis and know what the price is and how much your going to sell for, this will determine if it is worth going to look at the property. If it’s worth looking at it then take a camera and a notebook pad to write everything down that you see needs repairing or replacing and I mean every little detail no matter how small. Make a detailed list.
  
  Make sure you look at the foundation very good and look for signs of water leaks or water coming into your basement. Look at the structure of the house, if you see that the roof is sagging you might have to replace the roof etc.
  
  Even though you might not determine if this might be a problem it will give you an idea if the property is worth even putting in an offer or will give you an idea of how much money it will take to rehab the house.
  
  Then take your notes and contact atleast three contractors to give you a free WRITTEN estimates on how much it will cost you to repair the house.
  
  After this you put all your numbers together and determine what you will offer and remember if you are selling the property after you repair it make sure that take into account your profits, carrying costs ( mortgage payments ), closing costs, title insurance, attorneys fees, advertising and always add an extra ,000 dollars for those unexpected things that show up.
  
  After you calculate all this and have an offer ready make sure you put in your additional contions or better yet in a seperate addendum that the contract is; ” Subject to final inspection by an inspector at Buyers sole discretion ” You want your own inspector and not the banks or the owner of the house. This will give you an out on the contract if the inspector finds that there is foundation or structural damage which are some of the most expensive repairs.
  
  Make sure you ask the agent listing the property if there are any sellers disclosures, like for example : Lead Based Paint, Asbestos Issues, Termite or Radon Gas. Ask the inspector when you go for inspection to educate you on this. Most inspectors would be glad to share their insights.
  
  Most if not all foreclosure properties owned by banks you need either proof of funds or a letter from your lender stating that you are pre-approved.
  
  You can checkout this site that gives you leads in your area for Wholesale, Foreclosures, Bankruptcies and Pre-Foreclosures. You can sign up for .00 and a month free of all of theses resources and also checkout the bonuses area, here he has pre-recordings and free ebooks so you can read too.
  
  The site is: www.hotbargainproperties.com, the owner of the site is Tim Mai and he is loceted in Texas but will help in your area as well.
  
  Also go to : www.reiclub.com and www.creonline.com and sign up for free. Here you will get to know investor clubs in your area and get a lot of free advice as well.
  
  I hope you find this useful and wish you well with all of your endeavours.
  
  Good Luck
QUESTION:
How to find history of Texas? To all the archeologists?
How can I find old detailed maps of Texas? I want to become an archeologist one day and im trying to find old and ancient historical places in Texas so I can study rocks and layouts…etc But I cant find old maps where it would show me where to search for an abundant old town or maybe where some battles happened “not in San Antonio” where it would be a good place to learn. Or how do I go about finding historical places like that? For example: I went from Dallas to El Paso one day and took some small road in the middle of no where and end up finding a very old abundant place, it was probably 1800’s or so stone building that had only about 2 small broken walls sitting on a some sort of foundation… This is kind of stuff im looking for, old history where I can study and understand what kind of a building was there, try to re build it on my computer to see what it possibly looked like in those days, and from there I want to find out what happen, who lived there…etc And I have no clue how to find all this information… I think practice like that will do me good in college and work.
Any help from archeologists would be much appreciated! Im not a digger- “black archeologist” and I dont believe in messing with historical places, I just want to understand and recreate old 1800’s and older places on my computer for my portfolio.
I forgot to mention that one archeologist, long time ago, told me that I need to use Topography Maps?!? I cant seem to find it for Texas…
- ANSWER:
  Try the Handbook of Texas website, links are in this Wikipedia article :
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handbook_of_Texas
  The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA).
  
  I don’t know what part of the state you are closest to, the oldest Texas history (after the Europeans arrived) is along the Gulf Coast. The French, then the Spanish occupied many areas there between what is now Austin and the Gulf Coast. Much of the area is still rural and may have some buildings from that era still standing.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_La_Bahia
  You can visit the Presidio La Bahía in Goliad, Texas.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliad,_Texas
  
  There are a lot of magnificent houses built in the late 1800s still standing in Cuero and Gonzales, Texas. Unfortunately, a lot of houses from that era have been torn down, probably because the owners died and the heirs could not find a buyer for the properties and the houses became derelict.
  
  The old jail in Gonzales is now a museum.
  
  Most of the area has been low-population rural, but the fracking oil business moved in that part of Texas around 2010 and now there is a lot of traffic on the county roads of large trucks hauling sand, gravel, chemicals, and water to remote drilling sites. It is not pleasant driving. Many abandoned farm houses have been renovated to become housing for drilling crews, if not bought outright.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Texas
  List of ghost towns in Texas
  This list of ghost towns in Texas might be a start, but some of them simply no longer exist; they were wiped out completely by hurricanes, or burned down by Indians or Spaniards, or the people abandoned the town when the railroads stopped running by and the buildings all decayed from the elements.
  
  One ghost town to look at would be Concrete, Texas. There are a few people living in the area. There is a two story brick building whose wood roof and second floor have rotted away; it looks to be sturdy enough to repair and use again.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unused_highways_in_Texas
  no useful information here
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_with_fewer_than_ten_residents
  Interesting list that might be out of date, you will have to search for the Texas links.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luckenbach,_Texas
  Luckenbach, Texas
  this very small town gets a lot of visitors and was made famous by the Waylon Jennings song:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luckenbach,_Texas_(Back_to_the_Basics_of_Love)
QUESTION:
I just built a new house and the driveway and patio are full of small cracks. Should I accept this?
- ANSWER:
  surface cracks in concrete cannot be prevented, cannot be repaired, and are perfectly acceptable — read your warranty book. Every 10 year warranty company I’ve worked with in 30 years has specifically excluded surface cracking of concrete from warrantability. If the builder rips it out and repours, it’s likely that the new concrete will crack, too.
  
  If, on the other hand, there is structural failure of the concrete, that’s an entirely different matter. Here in Texas, Foundation concrete is often warranted structurally for 10 years, and flatwork such as patios, driveways, walkways, etc. is warranted for one year as a general rule. If the crack doesn’t extend to the edge of the concrete, it’s almost certainly surface checking. if is goes to the edge of the concrete but goes down only a fraction of an inch, it’s surface cracking. But — it the crack goes into the ground, or if there’s separation greater than 1/8 inch wide, or if one side of the crack is higher above the ground than the other, you probably have a structural issue, and should seek remedial action from the building company.
QUESTION:
Y/A Republicans How would you solve Poverty in non-Caucasian communities?
Here is your chance Y/A Republican show EVERY one on Y/A that you care about EVERY one.

Y/A Republicans How would you solve Poverty in non-Caucasian communities?
(A Bush Family member-Good points)
- ANSWER:
  Deport illegal immigrants.
  
  Democrats in Congress ignore congressional reports that prove illegal immigrants put minorities out of work. Democrats also removed E-Verify from the stimulus bill. E-Verify makes sure only people legally here in the U.S. can be hired for work. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090213233052AALISd5
  
  1) “Illegal Immigrants Take Jobs from African-Americans”
  http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca5…
  “Mass Immigration vs. Black America
  Statement of T. Willard Fair ” http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca50_bilbray/morenews/05142007.shtml
  And in 2007 “Democrat politicians refused to allow an African American man to testify as an expert witness in front of the Democrat controlled immigration committee….Republicans then setup a special committee so the concerns of the man could be addressed”
  
  2) 97% of illegal immigrants taking jobs away from Americans (only 3% work in farming)
  “While 3 percent of unauthorized workers are employed in agriculture, 33 percent have jobs in service industries and substantial shares can be found in construction and extractive occupations (16%) and in production, installation and repair (17%).”Pew Hispanic Center Offers Fuller Portrait of Unauthorized Migrants ”
  pewhispanic.org
  
  3) by: www_minutemanproject_com
  “Latinos entering the country between 2000 and 2004 were hired to fill more than one-third of all new jobs in the United States last year according to the Pew Hispanic Center.”
  http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/11550761.htm
  
  4) Illegal immigrants are not needed to pick vegetables. Growers hire illegal aliens to maximize profits. It is much cheaper to hire illegal aliens than to buy one tomato harvester that can harvest 40 tons of tomatoes an hour.
  Farmers found out it is less expensive to hire foreigners and then have taxpayers pay for foreigners costs to local governments. That dramatically increases profits for farmers.
  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhB3YMAG8qNUfIc4bu8fxsojzKIX?qid=20070314135822AAI8u2P
  
  5) The price of lettuce will stay the near the same after illegal immigrants are deported. Even if we pay farm workers an hour it would only increase the cost of lettuce by 14 cents.
  “The average “consumer unit” in the U.S. spends a week on fresh fruit and vegetables, less than is spent on alcohol, according to Martin. On a head of lettuce, the farm worker gets about 6 or 7 cents, roughly 1/15th of the retail price. Even a big run-up in the cost of labor can’t hit the consumer very hard.
  http://www.nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry200603140822.asp
  
  6) ” House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith, Republican-Texas, called the decision to remove the E-Verify requirement “outrageous” and “a gross disservice” to U.S. citizens and legal immigrant workers. “It is a simple matter of accountability,” Smith said. “If the goal is to create jobs and stimulate the American economy, then is it too much to ask that the jobs go to U.S. citizens and legal immigrant workers?” Smith pointed to an analysis from the conservative Heritage Foundation that the stimulus bill would create jobs for about 300,000 undocumented workers without the E-Verify requirement.” http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=42050&dcn=todaysnews
  
  Edit: Thank you.
QUESTION:
I have a 50+ year old house that has a few small cracks in the basement wall.?
they have been there since we brought the house 2yrs ago. there has not be any changes in them and the home inspector didn’t think it was a bring deal. should I be worried and easy there a easy and cheap way to fix it(we are on a tight budget).
- ANSWER:
  To answer your first question, it depends on where you live. I am in Texas and the ground is all clay so “settling” and foundation cracks are common. If you are very concerned, call a contractor for a free estimate. Most companies that do foundation repair will do an onsite free estimate and they use a machine to see if it is a problem (if the foundation has moved more than an 1/8 of an inch). Look up local repair companies in the yellow pages and ask if they provide free estimates.
  
  Once they determine if it is a problem, you have a number of options (depending on the foundation type). They will tell you which ones are the cheapest.
  
  Bottom line – dont freak out yet – get an expert to provide a free estimate!
QUESTION:
I’ve heard horror stories and I’m looking for advice. ?
I live in McKinney Texas so I’m looking for information specific to north Texas. In the next few weeks I’ll be paying out several thousand dollars to have the foundation repaired on my house. What steps or forms do I have to get to make sure I’m clear of any leans against my house once the company is paid. I don’t want some worker or company that supplys materials to come after me at a later time. This exact thing happened to my brother who was living in Arlington at the time. Thank you.
- ANSWER:
  Make sure you go with a licensed contractor and is cleared with the BBB>
  
  Also, your question ended up in the books and authors section. (your question has the word story)
  You may want to re-post this in a more appropriate section.
QUESTION:
Can I buy Foundation insurance?
I am buying a house with foundation issues. It is a slab foundation in Texas. I am having the foundation repaired with a lifetime transferable warranty. I am having a structural engineers report compiled as well.

I am concerned about future settling and wonder if I can get specific insurance to address the foundation. I am worried about other issues in other areas that won’t be covered by the warranty

I carry my auto and home owners with Allstate and have been happy with them, but they do not offer this type of coverage.

Thanks for your assistance
- ANSWER:
  You’re not going to find it on a standard homeowners policy in TX. TX is well known for settling issues, and, settling and foundation issues are what’s called an “inherent vice” – it’s just something that you can expect to happen, ANYWHERE.
  
  If you went to a specialty market, you’d probably pay 20% or 25% of the value of your home in premium, IF you could find someone willing to take it on. In other words, it’s not going to be affordable for you to pay for someone else to maintain your foundation.
  
  That warranty you have, is only as good as the company backing it up – the second they close doors, the warranty is over.
QUESTION:
I need a foundation repair service, dallas tx?
looking for good recommendation for a reputable company that has been a round and is experienced in this industry.
please help, my house is falling a part
Thanks
- ANSWER:
  Advanced Foundation Repair in Dallas did a great job for me when I lived in Roanoke, Texas. The number should be in the yellow pages. Good luck!
  
  PS…I looked up the #. It’s (817) 429-4658. I don’t remember who I dealt with directly, but I do know they got the job done for a reasonable price.
QUESTION:
how much does it cost to biuld?
let me rephrase i mean if i want to biuld a 100000 dollar home and do all of the work myself is that like 75% of the cost of the house is labor and 25% supplies something like that
- ANSWER:
  generally, figure land at 20% of price, hard costs (labor and materials) 60% with 20 being materials and 40 labor, and the remaining 20% covers soft costs (closing costs, permits, engineering, blueprints, insurances, overhead, etc. and profit (with profit being about 4 or 5% in a good market. Don’t expect to save 4 or 5 by being your own contractor — builders negotiate much better labot and material costs than an individual, and the individual makes more and costlier mistakes. A couple of times per year, I have a do it yourselfer ask me to finish a house for him because he discovers he can’t afford to build it himself, and he wants to stop the bleeding. ( I always refuse to get involved, for warranty and liability reasons). If you act as your own builder, you’ll have a much higher cost for money, you’ll have no warranty service, no foundation guarantee, and you’ll probably do many things wrong, according to modern building and insulation practices, etc. My company just received an award which was earned by only 9 building companies in Texas (It’s from the US Dept of Energy and the electricity distributor. Also, if you’re in a city or town, expect to spend a lot of money doing things over just to make the code inspector happy. By the way you phrased your question, I get strong feelings that you don’t have the experience or know the people to accomplish this successfully. May I respectfully suggest that instead, you buy a house needing lots of repair, and rehab it? It’s a lot easier, and less risky.
QUESTION:
Does Keeping the Soil Moist Reduce A Shift In The House?
Ok, My wife and I purchased our first home three years ago. I noticed that lately the back door is not closing properly. There is a small gap at the top. I also noticed that the fireplace(Brick) next to it has cracks along the roof(Small but you can see them). I noticed the door closes better in cooler weather and when the ground is moist. I was afraid my foundation was cracked but someone told me that it could be the fireplace’s weight or the ground shifting(I also noticed cracks in my backyard). I do live in Texas where the soil is always crazy. I hear a soaker hose around the edge of the house may help this? We are gonna be here for awhile but I dont have the money to drop on a foundation repair right now(Just had a baby). Any suggestions on the Soaker hose idea?
- ANSWER:
  It’s likely due to expansion and contraction of the door and/or door frame.
QUESTION:
Am I protected in an “as-is” real estate sale in Texas?
I bought a house at a real estate auction a fews years back. After I took ownership and fixed it up, I found that the house had been ran into by a car, had flooded previously, and might need foundation repair.

Obviously, I couldn’t sell it to somebody else for full-price, so I put it on the market for sale “AS-IS”. I even made the buyer sign an addendum stating they accepted the property in “as-is”/”where-is” condition.

We agreed they would take it for a very cheap price (about 20k below normal value). A few days before the closing the buyer came back and said they wanted a foundation inspection because when the house had flooded in the past, the swelling of the ground had caused a crack in the brick, but not the foundation.

I was furious and told them that it was fine, but that I would simply increase the price, if something had to be fixed. Long story short, because we were so close ot closing, I gave them 00 for foundation repairs to close.

Now, three years later, the lady is back and talking about sueing somebody because the property has flooded again. She says she’s not going to sue me, but I still have a suspicion that she wants to turn this back into a “not as-is” sale, like she did 3 days before the closing.

Am I screwed? I put in the disclosure that the house had flooded. I showed her where cabinets had been damaged, etc. We had talked about the crack in the wall. She signed the addendum.

The only thing she has on me is that we thought the city had fixed the problem at the time,but also I told her she needed to get her own determination. The addendum says that too.

I just know she’s gonna cry to some judge that I’m a terrible, dishonest investor who duped her, but it’s simply not true.
- ANSWER:
  an as-is home sale has no warranty. It is also a notice to the buyer to do their due diligence.
  
  She can sue, but I doubt she can win.
QUESTION:
How do I dispute my house taxes?
I bought this house as a foreclosure at about 30 percent of what it is valued at. I don’t know why it was valued so high, I believe the previous inhabitants probably applied for a lot of renovation permits and didn’t go through with them for financial reasons. This house still needs a lot of work, namely foundation repairs. My question is how do I go about getting my taxes down to reflect what I paid for the house? Or should I go with some expert and are they reputable? This is in Texas, BTW. Thanks in advance.
- ANSWER:
  The taxes will never reflect what you paid for the home. They are assessed by the market value of the home. You can file for a grievance with your local receiver of taxes….this may either make the taxes go up, down or stay the same.
QUESTION:
Texas Foreclosure Law? Deficiency Judgments ONLY for difference between sale price and FMV?
Thank you. My young family has on their hands a MONEY PIT that is breaking all of our hearts and we just do not want to continue. We’re on the verge of divorce over this collapsing house. We never should’ve trusted the realtors assessment.

=(

Even if they reworked the mortgage we’d want out. First the foundation needed repair, then the roof, then the A/C then the foundation AGAIN (I’m guessing) because we have a swampy front yard from a broken pipe in this drought. It’s literally killing me. My life seems pointless, and everyone in this family is suffering. We’re on the verge of divorrce.

Anyhow.

How much Mmore can we expect to get scr*wed if we walk away. (and I know we messed up as well, so, we’re not toally helpless victims)

We’ve been paying extra every month are are barely ahead of the fair market value (FMV).

MY QUESTION:
I’ve heard that the bansk in TEXAS can only ‘come after you’
for the difference between the FMV AND THE AMOUNT STILL OWED.

True?

Please, please help us.
Any advice is welcome.

=(
- ANSWER:
  Texas is a non-recourse state and they can not come after you for the loan balance but you will receive a 1099 tax bill for the amount of loss that the lender suffers due to the foreclosure. The IRS can enforce the tax lien with out a court action. Good Luck
QUESTION:
Dry wall cracks in the ceiling, around the doors and some corners. Is this foundation issue or just dry wall?
I live in Dallas, Texas I put a new roof on June 2008. After that I started noticing increasing number of cracks in my ceiling and around the doors. All my outer doors are working fine. Except the closet door and the one door in the upstairs room. Both of these doors are not closing since the top corner is hitting the door frame.
So I had initial inspection from accurate foundation in September 2008, he mentioned that he is not seeing lot of movement. So I planned to the fix dry walls.
Again I called accurate foundation guys this time a different person showed up and they recommended foundation repair.
pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/mahas.email.in/DryWallCracks#
- ANSWER:
  Nice pictures but it is a little hard to draw any conclusions from them. One is above a set of steps for sure but what about the others?
  
  Let’s go back to the roof. Was the new roof put over the old and thus added weight to the roof and foundation? Were roof shingles or other heavy supplies piled up on the roof in one location before work was begun on the roof? Was that near the cracks? Was there any other unusual demolition around the cracked area? Did it rain while a roof was stripped off allowing water to enter the house? Was additional insulation added to the roof that possibily cut down on ventilation and increased interior condensation? Was existing ventilation in the old roof removed or modified in any way? Was there any other work done on the house during this time or for 2 years prior? Is there a bathroom above these cracks with a possible leak? All these things might lead to cracking of the walls.
  
  These cracks are in corners of rooms and not around door jams from the pictures. A better view of the surrounding area would help as well of any idea of the shape of the roof above.
  
  Cracking in walls can have a number of causes. The cause most often seen is a water problem above or below. Changing stresses is the next thing to look for. Drywall is not going to simply crack on it’s own without some kind of movement and usually more movement than if it were a plaster wall. (Although plaster may resist movement more.) If the problem that caused the cracks is still present then they will reappear after repair.
QUESTION:
how to take the smell of sewer water out of a home?
I live in South Texas and have had thousands of dollars of foundation repair done a few years ago. I am now having to replace my tub due to a water leak and poor installation of the first tub and discovered a huge cave under my tub. I tried to fill it with sand and used 600lbs and was still unable to cap it off. The smell of stale sewer water fills the bedroom when the AC unit kicks off..How do I get rid of the smell and should I keep filling the hole with sand? There doesn’t seem to be a pipe broken but the cave was so massive under this area.
- ANSWER:
  If you put that much sand in there then what you have is a sinkhole. This is dangerous. One possible cause of a sinkhole is a broken or leaky sewer pipe that is carrying away the sand and soil. I advise you to call your local utility or sewer authority immediately! It is unlikely that your drain is carrying away that much soil unless there is a source of water contributing to this whole mess.
  
  Did the foundation repair include stopping water? If so, and the water is stopped, then it is finding another path and taking the soil out from under your house as it flows.
  
  If there is no sewer pipe and a geotech confirms that there is no sinkhole danger, you’ll have to fill your hole with #57 stone then cover with about a foot of 21A/B stone. This will allow the groundwater to flow through without carrying away the stone. Watch out that it isn’t undermining another part of your house or yard.
QUESTION:
**TX realtor or attorney** Want to sell home thats condemned what is the best way to sell?
I have an old home in Texas that was built in the 1930’s. Its vacant and falling apart. It needs lots of major repairs like a complete new roof, lots of foundation repair, large holes in the brick wall, broken windows, major electrical system repair, and a general remodel. I don’t have the time or money to fix it up my self so I want to sell as-is. Can I legally sell even though code enforcement condemned the property. Also what kind of deals can I make when selling, like lease with option to purchase, sell as-is, owner finance, or rent for cheap to a handyman. And what would be the best deal to make in this situation. I’d appreciate your help with any ideas.
- ANSWER:
  Based on the condition description it sounds like its not worth the investment to restore it to a livable dwelling.
  
  It might be worth more as an available lot if you have the structure demolished first. Check for ads in local publications for those “we buy ugly houses” and see what offer they make as is.
  
  Talk to a few local real estate offices to see what advice they may have.
QUESTION:
Home repair grants in Texas?
Does anyone know of any grant programs in Texas that will pay for home repair? I have a neighbor who lives on SSI and can’t possibly repay any kind of loan. She’s also 10 years too young to qualify for a reverse mortgage. I don’t think her house would qualify, either–the roof is leaking and the foundation is cracked. She also needs a lot of other work.
I’ve checked every website I can think of, including HUD, which only has programs for loans and rural homeowners. Does anyone have any other ideas? This lady really needs help!
I don’t know if she has a social worker or not but her disability is emotional, not physical. Thanks.
- ANSWER:
  her disability is emotional, not physical…
  
  just tell her to stop watching the SPURs, it will get rid of
  her emotional disability. I would be depressed watching
  the SPURs too….
  
  and yes I am still mad at you .. I never got my Burrito Dinner…
  
  you may want to call one of the tv stations, they normally do a
  story and people come out and help for free and do the
  work for free. it’s also good advertisement for them.
  so both benefit.
QUESTION:
How do I tell the difference between a subterranean termite and formosan termite by looking at the wood?
I had an exterminator visit and he told me I have drywood termites. I think he was wrong. I have determined that my house must not have drywood termites because of all the termite demographic maps I found on Google image search shows that north Texas is not in the drywood zone. My reading of numerous pest control articles has revealed that Drywoods cannot live in freezing climates. North Texas does receive 20 degree winters in addition to occasional snow. So, my dilemma is now to determine what type of termite I have. I have never seen an outdoor Subterranean mound ever in my life, any where in Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas and the wilderness where I go hiking/camping.) This is mystifying. At my house (slab foundation) I have never seen mud tubes. However, I have seen flying termites outdoors once in the past 10 years. I thought they were flying ants. I thought only drywoods swarmed. So, the issue here is that I have Google image searched all the different termite species with the keywords “wood cross section.” All these wood pieces look alike to me. The distinguishing feature is that there is what I would call mud left on the wood stud from bottom to top and a cabinet that was removed had a large mud patch (20 inches round) on the back of it where there was an infested stud. This mud is brown with white flecks in it. The termites appear to be eating only half of the wood on the outer edge and the paper on the drywall.

This is a small, brick 1500 sq. foot house. These termites have only been found in the kitchen (wood siding on kitchen only) and the bathroom walls. It appears it has taken them 10 years from when the house was purchased to now to make their way around the circumference of the dining room and both bathrooms. I had to repair the bath tub faucet plumbing and when I opened the wall from the back the wood was not termite damaged where you would expect it to be. My guess is that the termites entered the kitchen pipes, moved along the bottom 2×4 that supports the studs, made their way down the length of the house to the bathroom. They only appear to be infesting outside walls and one bathroom. They are however, moving up the studs to the attic in two places.

Can anyone tell me what kind of termites leave mud on the wood studs? And how do i tell a Subterranean (Florida) from a Formosan (Asian.)

Just a note, the red flags were there when we previewed the house before buying, the bathrooms were totally tiled from floor to ceiling with wood paneling slapped up floor to ceiling on the back side of the adjoining wall. It would have been impossible for a termite inspector to investigate these walls.
During all of my repair work I have not seen any live termites except once when I removed a portion of a door frame. I saw only the little wiggling white back ends in the exposed end of the bottom plate – it reminded me of maggots. They have moved on from that timber now (that was five years ago) and I couldn’t take a sample because it was the bottom plate.
- ANSWER:
  Texas A&M is on the ball with this one, with some excellent people behind their work. They have lots of stuff online, including a formosan distribution map that can help or you can contact them directly. Start here: http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/termites/formosan.cfm
QUESTION:
What kind of rights do you have to ask your landlord/property management about what condition the house/apt is?
..what condition the house/apt (apt, 92 year old quadplex) is in currently after moving in. It’s a 92 year old house that was remodeled before I moved in (looked perfect at the time) but it was a terrible job and sewer pipes have busted in the walls (leaking in the walls downstairs causing mold, flies and a smell) and the foundation has been repaired two separate times because they went the cheapest route the first time. I moved in November, the sewage pipes busted in December and the property manager split, took 4 months to fix despite the flies and smell with the new manager. The foundation was finished at the beginning of March also. Now the owner is selling, can I ask any questions why? I feel like I’ve lived in a impassable house that has been fixed so he can sell and get on with it. With the condition of the house and situation, what are my rights? I want out, I should have contacted the board of health a long time ago but I believed this guy that he was going to get it fixed and when I got strict the next day people were there working. Im dealing with the property management company and I’m in Texas if that helps. Thank you!
- ANSWER:
  quit paying rent and reserve in savings. Tell the landlord you are moving and why and if he gives you any guff, take it to the health department
QUESTION:
Can my realtor be held responsible if she sold me a house that I learned later had structural problems?
I bought a house three years ago. It was two years old when I bought it. Shortly afterward, I noticed a crack on the foundation on the side of the house. When I called my realtor, she said to call the builder. I did and they said they would come and look at it. Here in Texas the weather can go from drought like conditions for months to flooding. They kept saying we needed to wait for rain. Then they said we needed to wait for dry weather. Each time, they would come and do measurements. Each time the numbers were different, but they said the numbers were within normal range. Then the cracks started forming. They came by and did some cosmetic repairs, even covering the crack in the foundation on the side of the house. While all this was going on, we noticed the vinyl in the kitchen was bubbling up in a line across the floor. This line was directly in line with where the outside crack was. After they did their cosmetic repairs, we started having problems with doors not closing. More cracks started appearing all around the house. The builder tells us there is no foundation problem. They will not make anymore repairs. (they still have not bothered to pull up the vinyl to check on the crack.) My boyfriend argues with me saying that it is the realtor’s responsibility. She sold me the house and she should be taking care of this problem for me. I argue that I paid an inspector 5 to inspect this house and he should be responsible if not the builder. At closer inspection now, we can see where cosmetic repairs were made before, some of them in the same spots where cracks are forming now. My realtor told me to call a geotechnical engineer to do a report so that I will have leverage with the builder. That is another 0!!! Who is responsible? What do I do?
- ANSWER:
  Your realtor is not a structural engineer. You could have hired any inspector you wanted.
  
  There is no way you should be bothering the agent, this is no where near the agents responsibility.
  
  If you must bark up a tree you need to bark at the building inspector you hired.
QUESTION:
Rental home with insufficient heating…?
My rental home has a “heat pump” which will not work in temperatures under 40 degrees. Instead, I must use emergency heat if it gets too cold. Additionally, I cannot get the temp in my house over 65 without running the emergency heat when it is over 40 degrees (but under 60)….

And to make matters worse the foundation is under repair at this time and the house is raised on stilts… leaving 2 feet of airspace under the whole house.

Now my heating bill is 3x the typical bill for this time last year. The energy bill is almost as much as the rent. My landlord just told me that his bill was high and he has a heat pump too and that’s mother nature… we have to deal with it. He will not send a technician to check the efficiency of this unit. I cannot afford to purchase a more sufficient system for this home.

In order to keep the house at a livable temperature of 65 degrees, we have to use excessive amounts of energy and its costing us the same amount as the rent we pay. Can we deduct this extra cost from our rent? We rent in Texas.
- ANSWER:
QUESTION:
What type of things would make the VA NOT finance a house?
My husband and I are looking at a bank-owned home in Texas, and they’re definitely not going to be making any repairs on it. It looks fine other than a few small cracks in the wall in the living room. It’s a garage renovation, so it could have been done by just crappy renovation. But, if it’s worse-case scenario and there is a foundation problem, would they deny a VA loan? It’s not really a big enough house to cause major problems, and it doesn’t seem to be bad. We’re prepared to spend the money to fix it in a year or two if we have to, but for now, it’s livable and from what I’ve seen, there are no major plumbing problems.
What do you think? Would they deny it based on that?
- ANSWER:
QUESTION:
who’s responsible for repairs?
it got down to 10 degrees, I left the water running so it wouldn’t freeze, the towns water pump broke down and the water stopped running and now my pipes are frozen. WHEN the pipes thaw out and if they are broke or cracked is the town responsible for repairing them or am I, since I own this house? The pipes are all under the house and I can’t get under my house to do the repairs. I’ll have to cut a hole in the floors to get under this house. It has a solid cement foundation completely around it. This house was built in 1930, the pipes have never frozen in th 15 years I’ve lived here. 10 degrees is just exceptionly cold for this part of Texas, I wonder if my insurance will cover any part of the cost. Anybody out there ever had this happen? Who pays for repairs?
well that’s just my luck! Guess I know where my income tax refund will be going this year! Thanks for the answers and taking your time to reply!
- ANSWER:
  The township is not responsible, any water lines, or drain lines in or under your property is your responsibility anything outside of it is automatically theirs.
QUESTION:
I want your advice… I’m fed up with our landlord?
We’re renting a house right now. I live in Texas, and yes that’s relevant. I looked up Texas Tenant rights, and our landlord is breaking all sorts of rules.

First off. I just had a daughter. All of the rooms in the house have lead based paint, because we tested. They were tricky in our lease contract about that because it stated that they were unsure if it did or not, but chipping paint is a bit obvious and is a no-brainer.

Our foundation is so severely damaged that we can’t open windows, close doors, all of our locks don’t work properly, bugs come in from the cracks in the walls, etc. My fiance owns a foundation company, so I know how much it would cost to repair this house, and it’s not much, trust me.

Mold. That’s right. We have mold. Everywhere. In the master bedroom, kitchen, in one of the baby’s closets, and on all of the trim boards on the exterior roof.

I do know the dangers of all of these things, and we have brought it to their attention. The owner of the house actually has a rental agency take care of their repairs… and both parties know about this. The owner of our house has even come over personally to take a look at it.

Legally, he has only 7 days from the time that he knows about it for him to fix the mold problem. It has now been 3 weeks. I know that we can break the lease because of this, but we have no where else to go, and I know they wouldn’t provide us anywhere to stay since we don’t have rental insurance.

Any suggestions?
- ANSWER:
  First, even though you say the landlord and rental agency know about all of your problems, they really aren’t obligated to do anything until they have received a written notice (preferably via certified mail). As you mentioned, breaking the lease would be preferable, especially with a new baby and mold in the home. Barring that, your next best bet is to sue. If you truly can’t afford to move, you might qualify for a Legal Aid attorney. I don’t know what part of Texas you’re in, but search for Legal Aid in your city to find out more. They specialize in landlord/tenant disputes for low-income families.
QUESTION:
Do I have any rights in Texas if I buy a money pit that the seller or inspector did not inform me of?
I have the following problems upon move-in:
1. The electrical outlet supplying power to my dryer was not enough to start the heating element. I had to get an electrician come out, cut a hole in my wall, repair the error, and then drywall it back.
2. The home slab was leaning to the front causing massive cracking all over my home.
3. My back door to the home has yet to OPEN since my move-in.
4. The airconditioning unit IS NOT appropriate to the size house (i.e. the add-on portions of the home) and therefore I had to ADD two window AC units to be able to do so.
5. Several minor repairs made in the home, were not with low cost and quality over time (ie. cabinet magnets to keep cabinets closed).
6. The electrical unit continues to trip on the dryer and requires to be reset continuosly.
7. The formal living room is not flat (uneven) and requires floating.
8. The add-on portion of my bedroom (closet walls) are done poorly and now the screws holding up the closet poles for clothing are coming out of the wall only one year later.

…I mean the list can continue. BUT if anyone has any insight or guidance of what I can do to correct this wrong. I am OPEN TO ALL INPUT! PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE!
- ANSWER:
  Most of these are non-issues. AC is an opinion, a personal one. The inspector also had no way to determine if the outlet was correct for your dryer, not that it is even a reasonable concern.
  
  Most floors are not plumb, especially if the house is not new, this is not something that is inspected.
  
  The only thing that might be an issue is the foundation, the inspector should have caught that it was bad. You will need to inspected by a structural engineer to determine how bad.
  
  It sounds like you wanted a brand new house but bought a used one instead. You can not sue for getting what you paid for.

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