quote:

We just found it on line today. If it looks like it will pan out I may fly out next weekend to look at it.

Fingers crossed for you!!

quote:

Oh. Laundry is in basement. Ugh.

whoops. Is that a deal-breaker?

I like everything except those $%^&#$ jetskis. Will they let you shoot them with a howitzer when they buzz past the beach?

The only overhead sewage lines I have seen was a long run in a basement where I lived near Moab. Maybe there was not enough slope. Only liquid was allowed, otherwise it would become blocked.

quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
whoops. Is that a deal-breaker?

Probably not. Houses with open basements are pretty easy to modify. I can probably put a second laundry set in the garage for three-season use if it becomes an issue.

We don't expect to spend many winters there anyway.

I think you're right about the poured foundation; I didn't look closely at that other photo of the basement before I asked the question.

Looks like drain tile and laundry empty into the sump pit. I also see PVC for A/C condensate over by the HVAC and am assuming there is a drain there that might tie into the drain tile. Then it would also empty into the sump.

So question is, does the sump discharge go into the sewer system (as it does in our 1960s house), or does it discharge outside (as more modern construction does)?

I was trying to see where waste pipes are in the basement. I'm not sure, but in the second picture, I think I might be seeing the sewer pipe go out the basement wall, maybe five feet up from the floor. That would be an overhead sewer. But it's really hard to see, so I'm just guessing.

I think there's no backup sump pump.

I don't see any obvious mold on the floor joists; they look really clean.

we need moar pics of the basement!

quote:

[edit] Oh. Laundry is in basement. Ugh.

Any place on the first floor you could tuck those little 24" wide Bosch units? You have to do laundry more often, but don't have to go up and down the stairs. edit: maybe under the stairs?

I love the basement by the way. So clean, and look at those ducks.

Our basement OTOH....


/basementenvy

The outside views are very selective, so I'm guessing the outside is probably not its strong point, as there are no pics of it.

What does the landscaping look like?

It's also a corner lot, so lots of snow to shovel (if there are sidewalks) and lawn to mow.

Look at pic #2, through the window to the right of the fireplace. Is that the neighbor's deck?

I like it! Looks clean, spacious, and bright.

Never seen basement walls like that and will be curious to know what they are made from. It does look like there may be some dampness in the walls (bottom 2 "rows" in one of the photos looks a little darker - maybe just a shadow?) but I don't see anything that indicates serious water issues and honestly, you'd be hard pressed to find a basement in Ohio that doesn't have a little bit of dampness.

Kitchen layout seems a little odd - dishwasher is kind of far from the sink -- seems odd that they didn't flip the dishwasher with the bank of drawers that is next to the sink. Not sure I like how the sink is visible from the main room but I don't think that will be as noticeable once there's some furniture in there to distract your eye from the giant faucet. Most concerning is that the one photo in the virutal tour makes the stove and fridge look like a tight fit in that corner - make sure the oven door doesn't hit the fridge handles or vice versa (take it from someone who did NOT check for that before buying her current house.)

quote:

Any place on the first floor you could tuck those little 24" wide Bosch units? You have to do laundry more often, but don't have to go up and down the stairs. edit: maybe under the stairs?

My guess is the basement stairs are under the stairs.

There's more outside pics in the VR tour. Not much landscaping to speak of, but nothing horrifying either.

Street views available on Google maps. Very helpful. Neighbor's two story house juts way forward. I'm guessing the only view of the lake (mentioned in the description) is through the window to the right of the fireplace, and you're looking through the deck on the back of the neighbor's house.

quote:

Originally posted by Lisa:

quote:

Any place on the first floor you could tuck those little 24" wide Bosch units? You have to do laundry more often, but don't have to go up and down the stairs. edit: maybe under the stairs?

My guess is the basement stairs are under the stairs.

There's more outside pics in the VR tour. Not much landscaping to speak of, but nothing horrifying either.

I'm certain you're right.

I was thinking about our house in Door County....which didn't have a basement.

One more

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:

quote:

Originally posted by Lisa:

quote:

Any place on the first floor you could tuck those little 24" wide Bosch units? You have to do laundry more often, but don't have to go up and down the stairs. edit: maybe under the stairs?

My guess is the basement stairs are under the stairs.

There's more outside pics in the VR tour. Not much landscaping to speak of, but nothing horrifying either.

I'm certain you're right.

I was thinking about our house in Door County....which didn't have a basement.

One more

I wonder if there's some kind of mudroom between the garage and the house or if Steve could build one. That is generally where that "era" house has the laundry machines around here. You go through the fire door from the garage into a tiny room with a washer/dryer/laundry sink and then through a regular door into the kitchen a service hallway off the kitchen. Wish there were photos of the garage! And is there a powder room on the first floor?

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
So question is, does the sump discharge go into the sewer system (as it does in our 1960s house), or does it discharge outside (as more modern construction does)?

Assuming the sump serves the drain tile system, the fact it also serves the laundry sink tells me that it's on a "combination" sewer system. Both sewage and storm water go in to the same pipe and on to the treatment plant.

I understand this sort of system is common in the Great Lakes region, even as it is strictly forbidden here. The problem is that rain water can overwhelm the sewage treatment plant and the overflow goes directly in to the lake.

There is at least one municipality in the area that has run a separate storm sewer and is requiring residents to split their sewer pipes in to sewer and storm drain and reconnect appropriately. This does not sound inexpensive and I'll be making sure Sheffield Lake is not one of the towns requiring this.

quote:

I think there's no backup sump pump.

I don't think so either. Seems like it would be cheap enough to install one, no?

quote:

Any place on the first floor you could tuck those little 24" wide Bosch units?

Maybe, but there is no obvious place. Worst case is I build a little bump out on the outside to use as a laundry room. Laundry in the garage is very common here and if the garage is big enough I could probably carve out enough room for a stacking set there, perhaps with a door to the inside of the house.

The combination storm/sewage is a possibility (that's what we have). And you're right, it overwhelms the system during storms.

But they could be discharging the gray water from the laundry and the drain tile water directly outside. I don't think it's common anymore but I'm pretty sure it was being done at one time.

Our town tried to get people to decouple their systems and discharge the gray water and drain tile water out to the yard instead of into the combined system. People squawked like crazy and the town backed off. That was like 30 years ago.

So now we have people downstream in the older part of town who don't have overhead sewers whose basements flood with backed up sewage routinely during big storms. Town is spending a fortune to address the problems. They called in an engineering firm that did an analysis of what was going on and developed a multi-step plan for the entire town. There are multiple problems, so there are different solutions for different parts of town. Some people are installing heavy duty valves in the line from the house to the municipal sewer that close off during major rain events. Others installed overhead sewers (town was helping individual homeowners with costs).

We are high and dry.

Yes, backup sump pump is not a big deal. If I can do it, and I have, I'm pretty sure it's within your skill set....

Definitely check out Street View in Google Maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...927123!4d-82.1004755

edit: And the satellite view. Good way to check out your neighbors' yards.

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...927123!4d-82.1004755

If you zoom out you can see Lake Road better, including Dock's Tavern just down the US-6/Lake Rd. They have takeout!

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...927123!4d-82.1004755

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
I've never seen that site before. Thanks!

realtor.com seems to be incorporating a link to it for at least some homes. I've noticed it popping up recently; it was on the house you posted.

Like I said, not sure how much I'd rely on it. Our house is rated a 3, and adjoining neighbors are rated a 1 and a 2. We're the highest house on our (admittedly very flat) street and none of us have never flooded, not even close.

Not sure how they come up with their ratings.

Flooding is weird though. Our house has never had flooding, but several neighbours have flooded more than once since we moved here. We are all on level ground. I have a storm drain out front as well as a drain in my backyard. Not sure if that’s true of other homes.

I love the house! Close enough to the lake to enjoy but not so close to have to worry about it. And beach access is awesome. That price is a steal, too!