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Bought a house & the plumbing is TRASHED!

2,623 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by JBLHAG03
emando2000
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AG
My coworker recently purchased a duplex. It needed some work and while doing some of the repairs they noticed the sewage started backing up. After numerous plumbers they got an answer stating that the ground had settled causing a bow in the plumbing and it will no long drain properly and it has to be fixed.

Out of pocket estimate: $20,000.

They have homeowners ins...the whole 9 yards but since it's caused by the "ground settling" $0.00 will be covered.

Any recommendations on what to do?
aezmvp
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Is it on the declaration or sold as is?
CS78
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Get another quote.
emando2000
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AG
quote:
Is it on the declaration or sold as is?
I doubt it's on the declaration. I doubt he'd sign without getting it looked at.
SteveBott
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AG
Did he use a home inspector? If so, what did it say?
SnowboardAg
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AG
He should have had an inspection or it should have been on the sellers disclosure. During inspection they run dishwashers, toilets, tubs, etc. If it was an old unit, they should have run a camera or hydro test the sewer system.

Is he a first time buyer or investor?
emando2000
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AG
My understanding was that they did use an inspector. But from what I have heard, some inspectors are not that thorough. I have been in the real estate market in the past and know that this business takes shortcuts to get deals done

It was not disclosed in the contract and that's why I am asking. Is anyone else liable for the situation or is he just **** out of luck?
Copp
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Either way, 20k to replace a sewer line is ridiculous even if they have to tunnel. Replacing sewer lines is not cheap, but it sure isnt 20k. Besides, if it is in one spot they could potentially isolate the one area that has collapsed or allowed soil to penetrate the line and splice in to the existing line. Now if it is an old cast iron line, sometimes it is not worth trying to isolate because there are leaks and cracks throughout the entire line.
Martin Q. Blank
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Find out what the plumbers are going to do. Hire some day laborers at Home Depot to do the digging. Call plumbers back. Don't pay a plumber $100/hr to dig.
AlaskanAg99
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AG
I had to hire a plumber with a camera set up because my inspector didn't do that. I covered all my bases for exactly this reason. Everyone should do this but it is not standard procedure.
PhatMack19
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AG
quote:
Find out what the plumbers are going to do. Hire some day laborers at Home Depot to do the digging. Call plumbers back. Don't pay a plumber $100/hr to dig.
Be careful with that. I've seen jobs that weren't backfilled correctly and the whole slab started cracking after they were done.

That last one I did cost $17k, so it's not cheap. It does depend on where the issue is, if it is close to the edge of the house you don't have to dig out as much.

You aren't paying a plumber $100 an hour to dig anyways. Foundation companies do the work then hire a plumber for a few hours to connect the pipes. Make sure they have good insurance and get a copy of their policy. I have a friend that is still involved in a lawsuit for going on 2 years now.
JBLHAG03
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AG
It cost me $13k to replace the cast iron sewer lines under my house and out to street with PVC. Fortunately I have crawlspace so plumbers were able to access. $20k seems reasonable for a duplex.

Everything was fine during inspection, but we moved a family into a house that a 80 year old lady lived in alone, so we completely changed strain on systems and cast iron lines collapsed.

Homeowners insurance wont cover unless it damages stuff inside of the house.

My realtor warned me when buying a house from 1965 to start saving for the replacement because it would happen eventually; unfortunately, I was not expecting it 2 months after we moved in.
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