When faced with the choice of purchasing our own home, we begin to think about what is the best thing to do? We ask ourselves – buy new home or build a house yourself? By asking yourself this question and calculating available funds, we often come to the following answer: “There is neither the money nor the time to build or buy a new house!”
Then the last option remains - to buy an old house. In this article I want to dwell on a detailed consideration of the issue of choosing housing of an old building. Upon purchase wooden house old building - frame or log, you need to know what to pay attention to when inspecting, what you need to see and how to see it, that's what we'll talk about.
Why is an old house inspected?
Why carry out such an inspection? The answer seems obvious, of course, to look at what we are buying, and not to take the house like a “pig in a poke.” So it is, but at the same time, when you inspect the house, you will see not only shortcomings, since buying wooden house, for example, buildings built in the 60s and 70s are almost impossible without flaws, but you will also be able to assess the scale of the upcoming repairs if you decide to buy this house. In this case, you will be able to plan in advance the priority of repairs and distribute the remaining funds to purchase the building materials necessary for repairs.
But there is one more here important point- this is a bargain. After all, buying a house is the same market transaction as buying, for example, a tomato on the market. If the tomato looks wilted, then, of course, you will haggle with the seller, and he will definitely reduce the price. Likewise with a house, by pointing out the identified shortcomings, you can negotiate with the owner for a certain discount. After all, as a rule, the owner will declare an inflated price during the initial sale of the house.
What is the best time of year to have a home inspection done?
The most favorable time of year for inspecting a house is from May to October. During this time period there is no snow cover, which impedes visual inspection of the house, hiding possible disadvantages structural elements of the house and the adjacent area.
Preparing to inspect an older home before purchasing
So, before you go to choose a house and inspect its condition, you need to arm yourself with the following:
- Theoretical knowledge of home inspection, what to pay attention to and what not to. How to see flaws hidden from the eyes of a non-professional structural elements Houses.
- Perseverance and patience. The owners cannot always reveal to you all the details of the technical condition of the structural elements of the house, because often, before selling the house, the owners try to do the so-called “marade” of the house - you see cosmetic repairs, refreshed or new finishing of the facade, etc. But this is where you need to show persistence and patience, and treat the inspection of the house with the utmost attention.
Since inspecting a house is a visual assessment of it, you don’t need to take a set of carpentry tools with you, but I still recommend taking a few things with you:
Photo 1
In order to conduct a visual inspection of the house attic space and underground, you can take a flashlight or, as a last resort, a lighter with a built-in mini-flashlight. Not every old house has light in the underground, and even more so in the attic, but the underground and attic can tell more than 50% useful information O technical condition the main structural elements of the house - the roof and roof, the ceiling, foundation, walls (embedded logs). The owners may not have a flashlight (they may simply not offer it, such cases have happened in my practice), but what will you see in the twilight?
You can also take a screwdriver or an awl with you (in extreme cases, a nail L=150mm), these items are necessary to check the strength of wood - floor beams, floor joists, floorboards. How to check the strength of the wood structure using these objects will be described directly in the story about choosing a house and inspecting it.
Later in the article we will focus on what exactly you need to look for when choosing a home.
What to look for when inspecting a home?
Rice. 1
A – roof and roofing material
B – outer part of the chimney
B – cladding of gables and facade
G – upper part of the foundation (basement) or heap
D – blind area
E – porch and sidewalk (concrete, tiles, boards, etc.)
F – windows
Z – doors
The figure shows the main structural elements of the house, which you need to pay special attention to, but the inspection of the house begins even before approaching it; pay attention to the road surface on the street on which the house you have chosen is located.
Inspection of driveways to the house 
Photo 2
A paved road, such as an asphalt driveway, makes purchasing a home in the area more attractive. Since during the autumn-spring thaw, dirt roads usually turn into “mush”, which creates a certain discomfort and inconvenience of approaching the house during this seasonal period.
Now let's move on to inspecting the house.
Roof inspection
Without going close to the house, turn your attention to the roof, or rather to the ridge of the roof. The straightness of the roof ridge relative to the imaginary horizon line indicates correct device rafter system and that seasonal movements of the house do not have a negative impact on the roof, about the quality of the foundation and embedded logs of the house. Let's look at the causes of roof sagging and some ways to fix them. In photo 3, you see a house whose roof has a deflection at the marked point (B) relative to the horizon line (A).
Fig.2
Most often, in wooden houses of old construction, the rafter system has a base at the top point - a ridge beam (A), made of logs with a diameter of 100 to 125 mm. So one of the reasons for such a deflection of the roof is the ridge beam. Over time, the ridge beam (A) sags at the midpoint between the gable rafters (B), as can be seen in Figure 2.
Reasons for deflection of ridge beams:
1. Initially, a poorly dried log was chosen for the construction of the ridge beam, which had not yet reached strength and had an increased ability to deform. By laying such a log between the gable rafters without additional supports, the builders made a mistake already at the beginning of the construction of the roof and the deflection of the ridge beam was inevitable over time. Since a log that has not reached the nominal strength, which it acquires during drying, will bend under its own weight if the span of the ceiling is more than three meters, and in this case the additional load of the installed roof is placed on the log.
In case of deflection of the ridge beam, you will not need to spend additional money on repairing the roof; you need to level the ridge beam using a jack (B), carefully lifting it at the greatest point of deflection to the most even line and place an additional support (D) under the ridge beam. But it is possible to accurately determine that the deflection of the ridge beam is the cause of the described roof defect, as shown in photo 3, only from the attic. What if the rafter system does not have a ridge beam, but the roof still sags at the ridge?
2. The reason may be the following: the house is installed on a columnar foundation and the supporting pillars of the foundation have given uneven shrinkage; most of the supporting pillars of the foundation have sunk deeper in the part of the house above which the roof deflection occurred. This reason for the deflection of the roof is more serious than the deflection of the ridge beam and it will be necessary to level not only the roof, but also the house itself (Fig. 3).
Photo 4
This defect is especially common in log houses with five walls (photo 4), the walls of the house in the places of cutting (A), on columnar foundations give a large shrinkage relative to the front and back parts of the house or in the part of the house where the cutting is carried out load-bearing walls houses with a fifth wall.
Fig.3
A – new installed embedded log
B – place where walls were cut
B – deflection line of old embedded logs before repair
G – sagging foundation pillar
D – wooden spacers
In this case, you will have to raise the house, eliminating the deflection of the walls (B), installing it on new embedded logs (A). The height of the support posts (D) can be adjusted using wooden spacers (D). This measure will prevent subsidence of the walls of the house in places where the walls were cut (B).
These are the main reasons (1 and 2) for the deflection of the roof ridge, which indicates to us the quality of the base of the walls (mortgage logs) and the condition of the foundation, as well as the quality of the roof structure (ridge beams). But the roof has a deflection not only at the ridge; sometimes you can notice that the roof ridge is level relative to the horizon line, but the roof sags on one or both roof slopes. This indicates the deflection of the rafter legs, more accurately establish the real reason roof deflection is only possible if you go up to the attic of the house.
Let's take a break from looking around the outside of the house for a while and go up to the attic. What else can you see in the attic besides the structure of the roof trusses?
Attic inspection
When inspecting the attic of a house you need to inspect:
- roof truss system, sheathing, roof hydro-vapor barrier, roof condition from inside the attic
- insulation of the ceiling from the attic side, ceiling beams and, if possible, inspect the ceiling boards
- inspect the gable cladding from the attic side
Photo 5
When you go up into the attic, first of all carefully inspect the rafters. Pay attention to the straightness of the rafters; if the rafters bend, it means that a mistake was previously made when installing the roof and calculating the rafter legs. The rigidity of the rafter leg is not sufficient to withstand the weight of the roof and the pressure of the snow, which accumulates over the winter and puts the greatest pressure on the roof in the spring.
Photo 6
The fact that the rafters bend even more under the pressure of snow can be clearly seen if you look at the nails securing the roofing material. As you can see in the photo, the nails have a bend, but now they no longer firmly hold the slate sheets, but have free movement; if you move them with a little force, you will feel that the nail is moving up and down.
But this defect in the roof truss structure can be corrected, and you do not need to hire specialists and spend money on paying for their work.
How to correct sagging rafter legs:
To independently correct this defect and increase the load-bearing capacity of the rafter legs, you can do the following:
Photo 7
In the place where the rafter leg bends, you need to install an additional support and secure it to the rafter leg. But it is not always possible to install additional supports; if you see that this option is not suitable, and you cannot install supports under the rafters in the house you choose, then you can follow another way to solve this problem. You can install not a support, but a spacer (photo 8).
Photo 8
Of course, this will subsequently make it difficult to pass through the attic, but it will ensure 100% strength of the rafter legs. How to make a spacer:
Fig.4
Three steps:
- Using a jack, slowly press out the rafter leg at the deflection point (two jacks are required, since both rafter legs need to be leveled)
- Cuts on? thickness of the rafter leg for installing the spacer, can be done in advance on all rafters
- Install the spacer between the rafters in pre-made grooves and fasten the rafters and the spacer using nails or cap screws.
Photo 9
Also inspect the rafters for integrity so that there are no breaks or deep cracks. Pay attention to the roof sheathing and waterproofing. If the roofing material is of poor quality and the waterproofing substrate is poor, smudges remain on the sheathing boards from the water that passes through the leaky roofing material. The waterproofing underlay must cover the entire roof area. Incorrectly performed waterproofing is shown in photo 9 (A).
The waterproofing material should not have any ruptures (photo 9 B), since in case of leakage roofing material, with high-quality waterproofing, water will not enter the attic, but will flow down the waterproofing.
Photo 10
Check how the ceiling is insulated on the attic side. Regardless of what material the thermal insulation is made of, for example, as we see in photo 10, the thermal insulation is made from sawdust, or the thermal insulation is made using mineral wool insulation, there must be a layer of vapor barrier under the insulation. Check whether there is a vapor barrier in the house being inspected; to do this, carefully pull apart the insulation and you will see whether there is a vapor barrier or not. Usually in old houses, in which the ceiling has not been repaired for several decades, the vapor barrier is made of roofing felt, roofing felt or glassine.
If the weather is cold outside and the heating is on in the house, put your hand under the ceiling insulation layer, hold your hand under the insulation for 2-3 minutes, your hand should only feel the heat emanating from the ceiling panel. But if the ceiling vapor barrier is made of poor quality material, then you will feel a slight presence of condensation on your hand. If the heating is not yet turned on, then simply pull apart the insulation and check its condition at the point of contact with the ceiling panel.
Photo 11
At ceilings with high thermal conductivity, on the mineral wool insulation, in places of contact with the ceiling panel from the attic side, a woodiness forms, something like a thin crust, which is felt when you touch the insulation with your hand, if the insulation is not mineral wool, but sawdust, then over time the sawdust at the point of contact with the ceiling panel darkens.
Also inspect the ceiling beams and rafters for the presence of bugs, putrefactive formations or wood fungus. If a bug is present, you can easily determine this by the presence of wormholes on the surface of the wood. Sometimes in houses built over forty years ago, when a shallow cut is made in a ceiling beam or rafter, dust begins to fall out in the form of a light brown powder, which means the long-term presence of the bug in this house. Such rafters and ceiling beams require replacement, since the bug has practically destroyed the integrity of the wood by more than 40%, and this is the critical limit for damage to wood by harmful insects.
Having inspected the roof, ceiling and ceiling insulation from the attic side, let's return to inspecting the roof from the outside of the house; now we need to check the condition of the roof.
Roof inspection
As a rule, the roofs of old houses are covered with slate or roofing iron. If the roof is covered with slate, then you need to inspect the integrity of the slate sheets; to do this, ask the owners for a ladder and climb up to the roof. We begin a visual assessment of the condition of the roof.
Photo 12
You inspect the fastening of the slate, in photo 12 on the left you can see that, in principle, the fastening of the slate is carried out in compliance with the rules, the nails tightly press the water-repellent plate to the slate, and the nails are also driven through the upper wave. The slate is laid according to the rules with an overlap in one wave and an overlap of at least 10-15 cm in vertical laying. But something is still wrong.
Look carefully; to fasten the slate, not specially designed nails were used, but ordinary nails and plates cut from galvanized iron. But in this case, a piece of rubber is placed under the plate according to the size of the backing plate. Upon inspection, it is clear that there are no rubber bands, which means that there is a high probability that water is leaking along the nails, since there is no tight seal between the galvanized plate and the slate.
Pay attention to the ridge of the roof, it must be covered with waterproof material; in photo 15 on the right, you can see that the ridge is covered with sheet iron. Over time, under the influence of wind and seasonal deflection of the roof under the snow, the fastening of the ridge iron has weakened and now rain and snow will fall through these holes into the attic.
Photo 13
Be sure to inspect the integrity of the slate, especially the lower waves, since rain and melt water from snow flows along the lower waves. If there are cracks or holes from nails in the lower waves, then such a roof will leak, which means it requires immediate repair.
But what if, after buying a house, there is not enough money to repair the roof, refuse the purchase? No, don’t rush to make hasty conclusions and give up on this house because of a bad roof.
How to repair damaged slate:
Slate can be repaired and temporarily prevent water from leaking through cracks in slate sheets. For repairs you will need the following:
- bandage or gauze
- cement and asbestos
- metal brush
After that, moisten the area around the crack with the solution and lightly squeeze the bandage from the excess solution, apply the bandage tightly to the crack in the slate sheet, after two to three hours, after the bandage has partially dried, apply a layer of varnish or gray paint to it. Now the slate will not leak in this place, but such slate repairs will be effective for no more than two years, after which you will still have to do roof repairs.
As can be seen in photo 13 (left), moss appeared on the surface of the slate, without even checking the slate for strength, but simply by visually inspecting it, it becomes clear that such slate, with such abundant moss, has practically lost its quality characteristics, has become brittle and requires replacement.
Photo 14
If the roof is covered with roofing iron, and in the 60-70s, if the roof was covered with iron, then basically it was simple iron, not galvanized, and certainly not stainless steel. Inspect such a roof, especially the places where the sheets are connected to each other, to see if there are deep traces of corrosion, pay attention to how the paint has been preserved. In photo 14 you can see an example of how the paint on the surface of roofing iron is partially missing and the iron is corroded by rust. Such a roof will have to be completely cleaned of old paint and rust and repaint.
What else needs to be inspected on the roof? Of course, this is the condition of the chimney pipe and the presence of drainage systems.
Inspection of the external part of the chimney
Photo 15
When inspecting the roof, pay attention to the condition of the external chimney - stove pipes. If the pipe is made of brick, then brickwork must be intact, have no cracks, and the brick itself must be free of chips and visible delaminations. Of course, ideally, it is best to climb onto the roof of the house in order to assess the condition of the chimney pipe as close as possible, but this is only if you yourself want to carry out such an inspection and if the owner of the house does not object to such an inspection.
The chimney pipes must have a protective umbrella, as shown in photo 15 (right). This is necessary to ensure that precipitation does not get inside the chimney.
When inspecting the attic space, also pay attention to the condition of the chimney. U brick chimney There should be no cracks, the masonry must be of high quality. Pay attention to the distance of the wooden floors from the visible part of the chimney, since violation of the fireproof installation of the chimney can lead to tragic consequences in a wooden house, especially an old one.
Why inspect the chimney:
After purchasing an old wooden house, be sure to conduct a thorough inspection of the chimney, especially its passage through wooden floors, if there are cracks or the chimney is located close to the wooden elements of the ceiling and roof and there is no thermal insulation, be sure to carry out work to eliminate these deficiencies, otherwise there is a high probability of fire.
From personal experience I can say that in most cases old houses burn down due to faulty chimneys. An old log house burns in only about 25-30 minutes, and an old frame house burns out in 10-15 minutes. So you shouldn’t take risks, and be sure to double-check that the chimney is in good condition.
What else can you see on the chimney?
Photo 16
If there is a protective umbrella on the brick pipe, then pay attention to the presence of smudges on outside the bases of the umbrella are traces of one of the “enemies” of chimneys, traces of condensation. Condensation has a detrimental effect on the quality functionality of the chimney, and also contributes to the destruction of brick chimney pipes and brick chimney ducts.
If you remove the umbrella, you can see the following; in photo 16 (on the right) you can clearly see the consequences that condensation leads to; if you do not take measures to eliminate it, the brick simply collapses. This is what the smudges seen on the base of the umbrella can indicate, although at first glance it seems that there is nothing special, but as you can see, it is not. If you bought a house and there are such defects on the pipe, then be sure to take measures to eliminate them.
Drainage system
When inspecting the roof, pay attention to the presence of gutters on the roof and how the drainage system is made.
Photo 17
Although in many houses of old construction, you can only see the presence of gutters, but this is not bad. Since the roof serves as a water reservoir and it turns out that if there is no blind area near the house, then when, for example, it's raining water accumulates almost near the foundation. Plus the addition of rainwater flowing from the roof. Such an amount of water near the foundation does not pass without leaving a trace - water is an aggressive environment from which the foundation must be protected. So what happens? The presence of at least a simple drain, through which water flows outside the area around the foundation area, serves as a kind of additional waterproofing for the foundation and helps to avoid high humidity in the basement of the house.
In photo 17 (right) you can see a broken drain (in the yellow circle), broken slate. But the drain helps not only protect the foundation, but also the walls of the house. And if you add broken slate to the lack of drainage, then in this case the water that accumulates on the roof gets directly onto the walls of the house, which causes various kinds of putrefactive formations on the roof. wooden walls or house siding. So the presence of a drain, even the simplest one, as seen in photo 17 (left), will largely solve the problem of water getting from the roof onto the walls and under the foundation of the house.
Question:
Hello, dear Russian carpenters! My husband and I are planning to buy a wooden house in the village - we are no longer old enough to live in the city. At least from spring to autumn we will breathe clean air. We have no experience with such purchases, and we have little understanding of construction. It is not possible to buy a plot and build a new house on it, so we will buy a ready-made one, albeit an old one. What I would like to find out is whether you can help us with the assessment and selection of a good house, perhaps with the prospect of eliminating the shortcomings with your efforts? Several options have already been selected, we are waiting for your response.
Ekaterina Ivanovna, Moscow.
Answer:
Good day, Ekaterina Ivanovna.
I fully and completely approve of your initiative, they have planned a good job. A house in a village is a special home, it has its own philosophy and approach to life - you will like it. Regarding questions asked– we haven’t put such a service on stream yet, but judging by the number of requests, it’s high time.
Actually, the purchase wooden houses, especially older ones, is somewhat akin to buying a used car. In the latter case, buyers often resort to the help of experts and undergo paid diagnostics from official (and not only) dealers. So why not use the same approach to assess the condition of residential buildings? The only difference is that independent builders need to be involved as consultants (wooden houses will need carpenters, brick houses will need masons, etc.).
A normal option, especially since you can kill two birds with one stone - and choose a good house, and, if you find some removable shortcomings: firstly, bargain with the owner (your expert will announce the price for repairs), secondly, there is already a specialist to eliminate them.
Where to look and what to pay attention to in old wooden houses.
I'll try to detail the information a little. In general, if you use the services of a good builder to find possible problems with the building you are buying, you don’t need to know everything that is written below, but general idea have you must.
First of all, a general visual assessment of the building is necessary - for its possible distortions, subsidence, etc. Roughly speaking, we move some distance away from the house and evaluate it from all sides. If in doubt, check your eyes with bubble and water levels, it’s not difficult.
Assessment of the condition of the foundation.
Then we move on to checking the condition of the house’s foundation. This is the main one load-bearing element design, you cannot make mistakes here and turn a blind eye to violations of its integrity, geometry, etc. Facts of non-compliance with construction technology or incorrect calculations bearing capacity of the foundation of the house, lack of ventilation and waterproofing of foundations. Also look at the presence of a blind area around the house and the correctness of its arrangement. It would also be good to check the depth of the foundation in the ground (if the owner of the house allows it, simply dig a hole and look), it often happens that the visible part strip foundation– that’s basically all there is – then it’s just ground.
Walls of a wooden house.
This is very important, many times I have met strong-looking houses, but we begin to prepare the walls for cladding - and it turns out that the frame has simply rotted, and there is simply no need to attach beacons, sadness. For log houses, be sure to check the condition of the lower crowns, do not hesitate to insist on this. Often, rotten crowns are masked (they install high ebbs around the perimeter, line them with bricks), look carefully, repairing them will subsequently hit the pocket. It is also necessary to evaluate the locks and cuts - is there strong wood there, or is it already rotten. I also recommend carefully examining all the windows and doors in old log houses - from experience, they are usually replaced with the now popular plastic ones immediately after purchase. You dismantle the old window along with the casing - and the entire bottom and sides of the opening are rotten - there’s nothing to even attach to. The same approach applies when assessing the walls inside - under the windows, in the corners, do not overlook anything.
Underfloor, basement and floors.
In most cases, wooden houses have hatches in the floor that allow you to assess the condition of this space. We evaluate the condition of the lower crowns inside the house, the degree of wear of the floor subfloors, the presence or absence of signs of rot, and the humidity of the basement. Has the subfloor been made, is the floor insulated, and how correctly has it been done? What is the distance from the ground to the transfers, are there any traces of water leaks into the underground - everything is important. We look carefully from above - are the floors generally level or are there dips and distortions, you definitely need to walk and jump on them to see if there is a trampoline effect (may indicate problems with the transfers - rotted, or insufficient quantity or cross-section). If there is a second floor, we check in a similar way interfloor covering. Also pay attention to traces of local wall insulation (it often happens that there are such drafts in the house that they simply blow you off your feet - then they use polyurethane foam, rags - tuck them in these places, seal the seams, etc.).
Roof and roof inspection.
The roof of any house is the last line of defense against precipitation, ultraviolet radiation, wind loads, etc. If we abstract from the fact that we are considering the possibility of purchasing a specific instance of a wooden structure as a complex, then roofing work is rightfully considered the most complex and expensive when major renovation houses. Hence the conclusion - evaluate the roof and the general condition of the roof carefully and meticulously, otherwise, if necessary, repairs will hurt your pocket, it has been verified.
Actually, the assessment of the condition of the roofing is first carried out visually, from the ground. Then it would be a good idea to climb directly onto the roof (stairs will help) and evaluate the coating up close. Special attention We pay attention to problem areas - junctions of slopes with walls, fractures and mutual insertions of roof slopes, bypassing stoves and ventilation pipes, presence and condition of the drainage system, horizontality and general condition of the ridge, valleys, etc. If the roof is covered with black metal (seam roofing, popular twenty years ago, village houses was made from it and then painted), traces of recent painting should alert you - it is very likely that the metal is already very worn out, and the paint is an attempt to hide the defect.
Then, if possible, we move to the attic. We will be interested in the condition of the rafter system, ceiling beams, and sheathing. An inspection will show everything, the main thing is not to rush (bring a flashlight). We evaluate the material, its integrity and absence of damage by insects. We pay attention to the spacing of the rafters and sheathing, slopes and spreads, the overall correctness of the roof assembly, the presence or absence of waterproofing, possible traces of leaks. If you take a cord with you, you can easily check the deflection of the rafter legs. Also, all the shortcomings of the roofing are clearly visible from the inside. We look at the insulation of the ceiling and the organization of roof ventilation.
In addition to all of the above, do not forget to evaluate the communications of the house - water supply, heating, sewerage, electricity. In the end, armed with such information, you will be able to make a decision yourself - is it worth buying this particular house, or is it better to look for another option.
*information is posted for informational purposes; to thank us, share the link to the page with your friends. You can send material interesting to our readers. We will be happy to answer all your questions and suggestions, as well as hear criticism and suggestions at [email protected]You have the opportunity to build country house in the lap of nature. A little more and the dream will come true, but there is no time or desire to wait. Bye construction company will do the project while he starts work, this is not for you. Well, you have found a way out of this situation; you can buy a ready-made log house, which will significantly speed up construction and make your dream come true. As a supplement to the article, let us immediately draw your attention to the website http://moskva.sro-16.ru/, which offers to learn more about the admission of SROs in Moscow.
True, there are concerns that perhaps the log house does not fully correspond to everyone technical requirements and in the future problems may arise that require alterations and additional costs. How to check that everything is in order and there will be no problems. Of course, you can use the services of a specialist to be sure that everything is in order, or you can try to solve this problem yourself. So, let's try to figure out how we can determine the quality of the purchased log house ourselves.
We start checking with the appearance of the logs. Logs must be free of cracks, smooth and free of smudges. If there are small holes in the logs, then perhaps they are infected with bark beetle, so it is necessary to check each log; one log infected with bark beetle will infect the rest of the logs after some time. It is almost impossible to get rid of the bark beetle, so it is decided to refuse to buy such a log house, even if the price is very attractive.
Pay attention to another sign that this log house has low-quality wood - this is the blue color appearing on the logs. Such blueness is a sign of the beginning of rotting of the tree.
Another option for quality control is the so-called “log audition”. For this you will need an assistant. The method is as follows: you press your ear to the end of the log, and your assistant hits the other end with a metal object. Normal wood conducts sound perfectly and even a slight blow will be clearly heard. If you do not hear, then this means that the log is rotting from the inside.
When purchasing a log house in winter, it is possible to check the quality using ordinary iodine. Lubricate the cut of the log with a small amount of iodine and see the result; if, in the direction of the radial rays, the wood turns purple - the wood is in good condition. Painting the wood yellow indicates that the frame was made from wet wood. Such a log house will deteriorate quite quickly. You should refrain from purchasing such a log house.
Next, we carefully check the lower crowns. According to all the rules, all lower logs must be impregnated with an antiseptic, since during operation they come into contact with moisture, soil and external weather conditions. Carefully check the condition of the log house from the inside, make sure that there are no traces of mold in the corners, that window frames are not warped and hold tightly.
Another important sign of the condition of a log house may be its price. Please note the price good log house worth good money and if you are offered quite low price, this is another sign that you need to carefully check everything down to the smallest detail.
The desire to live or relax in nature is clear to every modern city dweller, but not everyone can afford construction modern cottage. Many people are ready to buy a used wooden house. The Russian climate is harsh and, depending on how long the house stood before it was sold, various changes, invisible at first glance, may occur in its design. Before making a transaction, you must visit the property for sale. These are not apartments in Montenegro from Adriatic Stroyinvest, which you need to get to by plane, so it’s better to go and look at the house several times.
Buyers of wooden houses should listen to the advice of real estate specialists. There are some subtleties for wooden buildings that many people are not even aware of. First you need to evaluate the house visually; the first impression is sometimes the most correct. The buyer usually immediately feels whether he likes the area where the house is located. Almost all future owners of wooden houses are interested in the proximity of a pond and forest, and the condition of the roads. If the house is not located in a modern cottage community, then a very important point is the presence of a well nearby. Buying a house in Russia is not at all the same as buying a villa in Montenegro.
If we assume that the buyer is satisfied with the location of the house and the infrastructure, then the next stage of familiarization with the object of purchase is an assessment of the condition of the house itself. First of all, the walls of the house must be inspected. If this log house, then it is necessary to carefully examine it for the presence of cracks in the logs. Houses made of timber are studied in a similar way. Large defects in logs or beams should alert the buyer; only experts will be able to give full advice on whether such a house is worth buying. Russian realtors are well aware of all the pitfalls hiding behind the beautiful facades of wooden houses. Just like houses in Montenegro from Alexey Smirnov, a manager for foreign real estate, it is better to purchase wooden houses in Russia accompanied by a professional.
If microcracks are found on logs or beams, experts may recommend purchasing such a house, since these defects are easily removable. On log walls there should be no fungus or mold. It is difficult to deal with such damage to wood. The corners of the house should not differ in color from the main surface of the walls, otherwise it can be determined that winter period the building freezes, and when it gets warmer, individual zones thaw and begin to rot. Inside the house, you should pay attention to the condition of the floor - the boards should not wobble. It is also necessary to check the joists on which the floor is attached. The nails with which the floor boards are nailed should not have a rusty coating; this phenomenon is evidence of high humidity.
If the house has a basement, then you can examine the foundation, take a closer look to see if there is concrete surface chips, cracks, whether moisture is collecting in the basement. There is an opinion that an underground garage in the Russian climate does more harm than good. If such convenience is provided in the house, then it must be inspected with special passion. Next you should pay attention to the ceiling. It must be smooth over the entire surface and have no bends or sagging.
The frames are checked with the windows open; you can verify the strength of the window block by shaking the window sashes. Next, you should examine the condition of the joints and junctions; there should be no draft in the house. In the attic area, you need to inspect the rafters and their fastenings, the roof ridge should not sag, the roof covering and insulation should not have flaws. If a wooden house is equipped with a wood stove or fireplace, then their functions should be checked. A house for the construction of which larch wood was used is considered the most reliable and strong.
