Hello everyone,
I have been looking for a house for quite some time now, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been much suitable on the market recently. Now, a nice three-family house is up for sale. It was built in 1974, with the two main apartments renovated in the early 2000s. Only the ground-floor apartment would still need work, so the interior renovation scope is quite manageable.
However, there are moisture problems in the ground floor, which is partially built into a slope. It’s not yet clear whether this is due to soil pressure or the trees growing too close to the house. Much of it is probably related to the building’s age. The house itself would only be partially affected by the moisture, as only the stairwell and one room of the ground-floor apartment border the slope. The rest are the boiler room and garages, which are not part of the main building structure.
The cost of installing drainage is already partially factored into the purchase price. I have obtained a quote and will likely need to budget between 50,000 and 70,000 euros (approximately 300m³ (roughly 400 cubic yards) of earth need to be moved).
Now, in the photos of the boiler room, I noticed a mysterious pipe and a gauge, and I wanted to clarify what this might be before the second viewing.
In the photo you can see what I mean. The two pipes as well as the pipe for the analog gauge come out of the moisture-affected wall. It looks like there might also be a float indicator. Has anyone seen a setup like this before?
I can only imagine that water would come out of the two pipes if the level reaches a certain point. That would mean there is already a drainage system in place, which is only clogged by the tree roots.
Does it even make sense to install a drainage system now? I have read several times that it often causes more harm than good.
Best regards and have a nice Sunday!
I have been looking for a house for quite some time now, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been much suitable on the market recently. Now, a nice three-family house is up for sale. It was built in 1974, with the two main apartments renovated in the early 2000s. Only the ground-floor apartment would still need work, so the interior renovation scope is quite manageable.
However, there are moisture problems in the ground floor, which is partially built into a slope. It’s not yet clear whether this is due to soil pressure or the trees growing too close to the house. Much of it is probably related to the building’s age. The house itself would only be partially affected by the moisture, as only the stairwell and one room of the ground-floor apartment border the slope. The rest are the boiler room and garages, which are not part of the main building structure.
The cost of installing drainage is already partially factored into the purchase price. I have obtained a quote and will likely need to budget between 50,000 and 70,000 euros (approximately 300m³ (roughly 400 cubic yards) of earth need to be moved).
Now, in the photos of the boiler room, I noticed a mysterious pipe and a gauge, and I wanted to clarify what this might be before the second viewing.
In the photo you can see what I mean. The two pipes as well as the pipe for the analog gauge come out of the moisture-affected wall. It looks like there might also be a float indicator. Has anyone seen a setup like this before?
I can only imagine that water would come out of the two pipes if the level reaches a certain point. That would mean there is already a drainage system in place, which is only clogged by the tree roots.
Does it even make sense to install a drainage system now? I have read several times that it often causes more harm than good.
Best regards and have a nice Sunday!
I will definitely clarify that. If necessary, we need to find out whether the sealant in the hole where the pipes enter can be removed and if it is possible to inspect inside with a flashlight.
If there are still tanks buried underground, that would be an unforeseeable risk.
If there are still tanks buried underground, that would be an unforeseeable risk.
max91 schrieb:
I will definitely look into that. If necessary, we’ll have to check whether the sealant around the openings where the pipes enter can be removed and inspected with a flashlight.
If there are still tanks buried underground, that would be an unpredictable risk. What are your exact next steps regarding this issue?
quisel schrieb:
How exactly are you planning to proceed with this matter?I will try to find out something through the heirs. The extension with the current oil tanks was probably built later; maybe the original location of the tanks is still known.
Otherwise, I would look into whether there are other options besides digging to find out if anything is still underground.
I will report back on any findings.
