First Time Homebuyer In Charleston Gets A Crash Course With A $9,000 Crawl Space, $10,000 In New Floors And A 20 Year Old AC Headed For A $15,000 Replacement

Buying your first home feels like crossing a finish line. Then the inspection reports come back, the contractors start showing up, and you find out the real race is only beginning. A first time homebuyer in Charleston, who posts at @riley.steward, has laid out every repair bill so far, and the numbers are the kind that make you pause before you sign your own contract.

First time homebuyer repair video cover beside a wall-mounted air conditioner unit under a porch roof.

The homeowner, who goes by Riley, calls it quite the crash course in homeownership. In part three of a home renovation series, Riley walks through all the not so fun repairs and what each one cost. The very first thing Riley says is thank goodness for a great realtor and for getting the inspections done, because this was very costly.

@riley.steward

A Leak That Set Off a Chain Reaction

It started with an active plumbing leak under a sink. That had to be fixed, and Riley also had all of the copper pipes replaced with PVC. That job cost $3,000.

The leak did not stay small. Because of it, the crawl space became very wet. Riley lives in Charleston, where it is humid all the time, and says encapsulating a crawl space is something a lot of people in the area do. Encapsulation was done here, and the price was about $9,000. In plain terms, encapsulating a crawl space means sealing it off from the damp ground and outside air, usually with a heavy plastic liner on the floor and walls, to keep moisture under control.

When the Floor Pays the Price

Next came the floors. Riley points out that luxury vinyl plank flooring only lasts so long and was probably due for replacement anyway. But the wet crawl space certainly did not help the subfloor, and a lot of the subfloor had to be replaced. After replacing much of it, tearing out the old hardwoods and installing new flooring, the bill came to $10,000.

Add up the crawl space, the floors and the plumbing and you reach $22,000 for those three items alone. Much of that traces back to one leak.

The Inspection Riley Almost Skipped

One of the best stories in the post is about the septic tank inspection. Riley was potentially not going to get one, and is so glad one was done, because the entire drain field needed to be replaced. A drain field is the area where liquid from the septic tank is spread out and absorbed by the soil. Riley says the cost was not as expensive as feared.

There is one more wrinkle. A deck was built on top of the septic tank, which gives septic crews very poor access. Riley will need to rework the deck so the tank can be reached for inspections and pumping in the future. Riley jokes that it is a future Riley problem.

An Air Conditioner Living on Borrowed Time

Riley did not get a separate inspection for the heating and cooling system, but did have it serviced, which cost $250. Riley also learned that the unit is about 20 years old, and that units are supposed to last 15 to 20 years in that area. Riley expects it will need to be replaced soon, at about $15,000, but plans to keep it going as long as it can stand it.

The Windows That Turned Out Free

There was one piece of good news. Riley knew at least two windows needed replacing, so the company that installed them was called out. After a look, the company said all of the windows needed to be replaced. Because they are under warranty, Riley paid only a $25 warranty transfer fee and is getting all new windows for free. Riley calls it girl math.

The last repair before moving in, aside from painting, involves an electrician. Riley needs a couple of ceiling fans installed in the primary suite because it is not cooling very well back there, and a couple of lights and fans in the living and dining rooms reworked, since everything is on the same switch right now.

Lessons for the Next First Time Buyer

Riley’s biggest piece of advice is to make sure you do your inspections. Riley does admit that some inspections can be skipped, and skipped the heating and cooling inspection because the system was working fine. Riley also notes it would have been very hard to get the seller to come off any money over a maybe, as in maybe the system will need to be replaced.

The other big lesson is to have a really good agent to guide you. Riley says the real estate agent was absolutely fantastic throughout the entire process and that the appreciation is hard to put into words.

If you are shopping for a house right now, here are a few practical takeaways from this story.

Put the inspections in your budget from the start, and think twice before skipping one. Riley’s septic inspection turned up a drain field problem that would have been a nasty surprise later.
Pay attention to water. A small leak can lead to wet crawl spaces, damaged subfloors and ruined flooring, as it did here.
Ask how old the major systems are, including the heating and cooling unit, and find out how long they typically last where you live.
Check whether anything is built over something that needs access, such as a septic tank.
Look into warranties on windows and other big items before you pay for replacements.
Keep a cushion of cash set aside for repairs after closing. Riley’s list shows how fast they add up.

Riley’s post is part warning and part encouragement. Yes, the repairs were expensive, but a good inspection process and a trustworthy agent turned a pile of surprises into a list that can be tackled one item at a time. For anyone about to buy a first home, that may be the most valuable lesson of all.

Willow and Hearth