HELP! remove cabinets prior to house leveling?

[cjvande]

I don't know if this is the correct area to post this question, but any help is greatly appreciated. I am considering purchasing a house that has recently been remodeled, with new tile flooring and new cabinets and counters in the kitchen. The home is on pier and beam foundation, but was not leveled prior to remodeling, and I plan to relevel the house prior to moving in. There are no major foundation issues, but the house is an older Houston home and has seemingly normal sag. I understand that the sheetrock is likely to crack etc, but my concern is the kitchen cabinets. They were installed plum on an unlevel house. If I don't remove the cabinets during leveling, how likely are they to adjust? will the counter crack? Should I have the cabinets removed before leveling and then reinstalled afterward? How dificult of a process is this? I am still in the negotiating process. When I get to the point of having the house inspected, can the foundation repair company answer these questions? Again, any help is greatly appreciated.

thanks ,

Chris

[IBM5081]

MANY years ago, in Bellaire just outside the 610 West Loop, I had a small (1800 sq. ft.) slab foundation house corrected with concrete piers. The adjustments were on the west and north sides of the house, as well as in the attached garage. The kitchen and cabinets were in the center of the south wall. We did not remove nor repair any of those cabinets, though the drywall in the living room did crack slightly. We did sell that house soon after the foundation was repaired, so I don't know if anything else was done by the next owner.

How much correction do you anticipate for the walls attached to the cabinets? It might affect the fit and closing of the cabinet doors if the faces were racked a bit.

What is the evidence of the "seemingly normal sag"? Doors dragging or binding on the frames? If the purchase is contingent on the cost of levelling the house, sign an earnest-money agreement with a clause limiting the amount of money to level the house, then get 3 estimates. If the estimates come in too high, use that to get a refund of the earnest money.

[awesomedell]

I think there's a definite possiblity that you'll have problems with cabinets, and also with that new tile floor. Have you had a home inspector take a look at the house yet? Personally my gut would tell me to take a pass on this one, but that's just me. First rule when you look at buying a house to me, is it sitting on a solid and level foundation? If all is in order there, most other items can be dealt with, but if it's not, too many unknowns come into the equation, personally I'd keep looking & don't fall in love with this place. My .02¢ :coffee:

[cjvande]

Thanks for your responses.....I have not yet had an inspector look at it, but will possibly this weekend, so much of this is premature. If the damage/repair is more than I am willing to accept, I will opt out. I went and looked at the house again today and the area of the house that needs repair is on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen and looks like it could be shimmed, depending on the cause and extent of the damage. The damage consists of a slightly sloping floor towards the outside wall that I only notice when walking backwards, and one door jamb that looks slightly off-kilter. I checked the jambs with a level and the bubble was at most, about half outside the line. It does not appear to be a major problem, but I will reserve that judgement until after the engineer and termite inspection

I have looked at about 20 houses so far, all older style bungalow homes, and they all have some degree of noticeable settling. To me, it seems that it will be an issue with just about any of the houses I am looking at.