Wall anchor system

[David C. Macy]

I did an inspection on a ranch style home built in 1959. Garage-slab, Basement and a Crawl.

House was inspected on a presale inspection about 6 months ago.

In the basement 2 walls have the wall anchor system. The wall from basement to garage had a large vertical crack, the back basement wall between the garage and crawl had shearing at the lower course of block. These walls had no system installed.

The entire basement at the floor and lower course of block had the tell tale sign of moisture intrusion. Floor had heavy cracking with moisture stains. 40-50% moisture observed with meter. Exterior drainage original, large trees in close proximity of house and another tell tale sign was one of the downspouts was diverted away from below ground drainage.

I think the older lady was taken advantage off by the wall anchor system. This does nothing for moisture. This house needs exterior excavation.

I recommended a SE to review current system, all the additional cracking, moisture issues and have the below ground drainage scoped.

In addition the crawlspace was a mess. The insulation, ductwork, electrical and plumbing all in need of repair or replacement. I was not able to get into the crawl due to access obstructed by numerous flex ducts and electrical hazards.

I have a lot of photos but these do not tell the whole story.

[Richard A. Hetzel]

Another case of applying a solution before diagnosing the problem. They are endless, and yes, the "old lady" was yet another of thousands of victims of these jackals.