Snowbladz

Thanks All! I will check with Les to see if he can do an inspection. I think that seems like the most logical next step for us. I appreciate all of the responses! Erin

From what I can tell, there is soil behind the wall, but the top of the concrete blocks lines up with one of the sides of the house. I took a second look at it today without my realtor (so from the outside only) and it looks like there are VERY new gutters on the house. That being said, if the gutters didn't exist before, the area that is in question could have been washed out from water running off the roof. Of course, this is pretty uneducated speculation on my behalf, as I'm no expert, but it does seem to be a logical explanation for the wear. I really need to find someone to check it out in person...

Robert, Thanks for the reply. I figured I wouldn't get a diagnosis on the problem really, but a referral to an expert in my area would be awesome! I want to have an inspection before I get too far down a road with a purchase that may be too much trouble. So, I guess I'm looking for an expert in the metro-detroit area.

Hello everyone, I stumbled on this site while trying to research some info about home foundation issues. My husband and I are first time home buyers looking at a foreclosed home. The home is ranch style with, what I would call, a Michigan Basement. There is a standard door to the "basement", but when you get down there, the floor to ceiling height is maybe 6' at best. The floor has wood boards on it and the walls are concrete block. The total area of this space is, in my best estimate, about 10'x12'. Beyond this space, the "Michigan Basement" transitions into more of a crawl space. The sump pump, water heater, etc are in the Michigan Basement part. That said, here is my question: I noticed one of the walls is bowing in approximately 2' from the ceiling in the Michigan Basement and there is a horizontal crack and a hole near the top of the concrete block. We love the house, but I don't want to take on a disaster. Can anyone point me in the right direction on how to best figure out what this fix would cost? It seems like there are a lot of "fixes" out there, but I want a real fix that is going to work. Any suggestions to point me in the right direction with this one? Erin p.s. I don't have any photos at this time because we only did one walk through and I didn't think to take photos of it.