I just don’t like the look of radiators. They seem old, clunky, and block some furniture arrangements. It’s likely I will remodel anything I buy so I’m thinking about heating systems.
Heated floors would be ideal if the space allows. Adding ductwork for a heat pump could work. And I could put minisplits in rooms that are not central to the activities of the house.
Thanks for the good ideas.
You’ll need a structural engineer and a good inspector. I would not go into anything with possible foundation issues without both. My husband, a mechanical engineer, says he’d probably walk away, unless the purchase was for the land
Is it built on stilts?
Not sure if you can call it stilts. There are pilings under the sand and posts on top of the pilings from what I understand. The house is more valuable than the land. If the house goes down, the value of the land would be about 1/3 -1/4.
An inspector can tell you waaaay more about the property than a bunch of internet strangers who have never seen it! 
With climate change I’d think twice about buying anything on the sand. When I last drove through Malibu I noticed that many of the burnt homes on the ocean side of PCH had little to none solid ground.
It’s been inspected thoroughly. That’s how I know the posts are leaning. Not clear what caused it according to the inspector.
You then need an opinion of a structural engineer who is familiar with this type of construction in that particular location. Your realtor should have some names (ours did when we needed a structural engineer’s opinion on why the floor was uneven and whether it was easily fixable).
Probably inspection by a soils engineer as well.
Other question is whether it can be insured. A home of one of our neighbors is on the water and is uninsurable due to almost non-existent bank and the threat of flooding. They paid cash and didn’t really care, but now that they’re trying to sell it, it’s another story.
@Igloo , agree with zeeba and Bunsen.
Agree, can it be insured? And, Did an appraiser do a report? Do the leaning posts affect value or pose safety threat?
It will be fixed and insurable. They can’t sell it otherwise. My question is more about fixable part. Would anyone know if it is fixed? Fixed now but the problem comes back?
The answer is “it depends.” Depends on what is causing the issue and the type of the fix. Just to give you some perspective by example. The sunken floor I mentioned above was due to the owner removing a support post below - dumb? Ya betcha, but the owner wanted a flat wall, apparently. The fix was to add the support post back in. There was a simple way and there was a complex way which required drilling into the bedrock. The simple way was less expensive but would have resulted in the problem returning in a decade or maybe even sooner. The complex way was a more permanent fix. So long story short, call a structural engineer!
I don’t understand this statement. It certainly could be sold as is and uninsurable.
Apparently, that’s not how it works in the market. They are better off to fix it before selling. I am guessing it comes down to the cost. In a way, it’s better if I get involved in fixing. Better chance to make it right.
I would not want the seller of a property with structural issues to fix said issues unless it was done by a reputable contractor and to code/fully permitted.
How would you know how it was done if it was fixed before you knew there was an issue? In a way, it’s better that the issue is in front of your eyes.
Our neighbors paid cash, so no insurance was required. They’re finding now that anyone who wants to pay $1.3M for a home on the water can’t or won’t pay cash.
I’d be uncomfortable not getting the insurance either way. It will be fixed by a reputable contractor and become insurable. My question is ,Is it good enough? If I am talking to a contractor or two, what should I ask? I am thinking at minimum get a guarantee.
This headline made me literally LOL when I saw it, and ditto husband when I read it to him. I always say we haven’t updated our kitchen because we’d end up divorced, and apparently that’s not so far fetched!
The article was NYT reprinted in the SDUT but I don’t have free links to either publication so just took a picture,
I looked for a gift link on NYT but am not finding this article….
But lol timely as we had a contractor come today for a bathroom Reno!
Old article; I tracked it down to originally published February 10.
