October 1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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There are additional problems caused by the lack of an adequate basement. The house sits on top of a small underground stream. This means a drain must be left open in the partial "Michigan" basement to keep it from flooding, and the water from covering the hot water heater. The open drain causes two problems. First, because of the low level of the house and the open drain, the sewer system backs up into the basement during heavy rains. The Water Department is unable to remedy this problem. Second, the house is heated by an antiquated in -floor space heater that was deemed unsafe during an inspection last year. Because of its age the space heater needs to be replaced with a new heating system with duct work. The current water problems caused by the stream and the sewer preclude purchasing and installing a modern heating plant that would have to sit on the basement floor. Moving the home to the next door lot will make the project feasible in two ways: It will move the home away from the underground stream, and it will save on the costs of putting a basement under the structure. H cost of approximately $25,000 - $30,000 is anticipated to save the structure. This would include moving the house, building the foundation, doing the necessary renouation and carpentry work to fix the existing problems, and purchasing a new heating system. With the current mortgage, this will mean a cost exceeding the appraised value of the property. The owner is prepared to cover these renovation costs. The costs involved in building the basement and keeping the home in its current location would be prohibitively expensive.