Hello Forum,
I hope I have posted in the right section.
We are planning to buy a house. The house is generally in good condition — the windows are fine, the roof is new, and the house is dry.
However, there is one thing that concerns me a bit. Maybe it’s not as serious as I fear.
The house has a full basement, and in the basement ceiling there are five steel beams installed (square, approximately 15x15 cm (6x6 inches)). On the left side, there are two steel beams next to each other, in the middle two beams side by side, and on the right side one single beam.
Now, the right steel beam has slightly bent downward. Correspondingly, small but long cracks have appeared in the screed on the house floor.
Could it be that the screed simply settled, or should this be considered a structural problem? Is it likely that the beam’s deflection will continue to worsen?
What kind of action is necessary in this case? Is it enough to support the existing beam, does another beam need to be installed, or can the situation be left as it is?
The house was built in the early 1990s by a Czech company (timber frame construction).
I hope I have explained my problem clearly—I am unfortunately not an expert in this field.
Thanks in advance,
Daniel
I hope I have posted in the right section.
We are planning to buy a house. The house is generally in good condition — the windows are fine, the roof is new, and the house is dry.
However, there is one thing that concerns me a bit. Maybe it’s not as serious as I fear.
The house has a full basement, and in the basement ceiling there are five steel beams installed (square, approximately 15x15 cm (6x6 inches)). On the left side, there are two steel beams next to each other, in the middle two beams side by side, and on the right side one single beam.
Now, the right steel beam has slightly bent downward. Correspondingly, small but long cracks have appeared in the screed on the house floor.
Could it be that the screed simply settled, or should this be considered a structural problem? Is it likely that the beam’s deflection will continue to worsen?
What kind of action is necessary in this case? Is it enough to support the existing beam, does another beam need to be installed, or can the situation be left as it is?
The house was built in the early 1990s by a Czech company (timber frame construction).
I hope I have explained my problem clearly—I am unfortunately not an expert in this field.
Thanks in advance,
Daniel
Hello,
The trend of homebuyers opting for existing properties is widespread! The risks sometimes “bought in” due to lack of expert knowledge can be significant. Pure speculation! I find it hard to understand how some people naively invest in what can become a money pit.
A professional assessment is necessary both for the building structure and the building services (heating, etc.)! Even experts have a tough time with this!
Existing buildings are usually much more complex to upgrade to a comparable, acceptable energy standard. The costs for this are often seriously underestimated, and the purchase price is usually too high when considering the full picture.
Without expert advice, supervision, and verification, the risks are high!
Best regards.
d3rm0d schrieb:Definitely. Have the drawings and structural documents reviewed!
... The house has a full basement, and there are 5 steel beams (square, about 15x15 cm (6x6 inches)) installed in the basement ceiling... or can one assume there is a structural issue here? Is it expected that the bending of the beam will continue to progress?
d3rm0d schrieb:Who can responsibly and confidently answer this question? Even if someone did, would you base a major financial decision on it?
... What kind of action is needed here? Is it enough to support the existing beam, should an additional beam be added, or can the situation be accepted as it is?
The trend of homebuyers opting for existing properties is widespread! The risks sometimes “bought in” due to lack of expert knowledge can be significant. Pure speculation! I find it hard to understand how some people naively invest in what can become a money pit.
A professional assessment is necessary both for the building structure and the building services (heating, etc.)! Even experts have a tough time with this!
Existing buildings are usually much more complex to upgrade to a comparable, acceptable energy standard. The costs for this are often seriously underestimated, and the purchase price is usually too high when considering the full picture.
Without expert advice, supervision, and verification, the risks are high!
Best regards.
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