sepefrio Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 A buddy of mine that I do some internet gaming with has a question, possible problem and may need an HI. Quote - My house has flooded due to a new road they build which is restricting the flow of rain fall to the flood plains, so my house gets flooded at about 9 inches of rain. as a flash flood. so I feel like I'm screwed. He wants to sell and get out. I've spoken to him a bit and suggested he talk to a local HI maybe. He may or may not be able to get the city to do something if the actual source can be discovered. Or there could be another reason so he won;t have to move. I'm missing a lot of information here and instead of going into everything 2nd hand, I'd rather him talk to a local HI. He said he also wants a Realtor and asked for a reference there too. Names? Thanks!
gtblum Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 I lived on the Southwest side of Houston from 80 to 83. One of the things I'll never forget is, how fast it would flood out. Houston has a bayou system that for the most part, works well but, when it decides to rain "horses and cows", it's time to get out the canoe. I remember watching some guys run a boat down the middle of the street in front of my apartment complex one morning after a storm. By that afternoon, it was back to normal. Sounds like that poor guy may be right. He might be screwed.
Jim Morrison Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 Hey John, Don Lawson used to be my man in Houston. He did a fine job inspecting the home my sister bought a few years ago. I just looked at his website: www.best2inspect.com and it looks like he's moved on. Sorry, but I don't know another inspector in the area. Jimmy
Richard Moore Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 Quote - My house has flooded due to a new road they build which is restricting the flow of rain fall to the flood plains, so my house gets flooded at about 9 inches of rain. as a flash flood. so I feel like I'm screwed. My first question is...who are "they"? Is it a private (development) road or a public one (city, county,etc). If he can document that his house didn't flood before the construction and does since, I'd say he has a very good case to get something done about it. I hate getting lawyers involved in anything, but if he doesn't get some action and satisfaction from the roadbuilder, I would guess he has a good case, including for any past damages. As a simple HI I doubt I would have the skillset to fully determine or adequately document the cause of intermittent flooding and I would probably shy away from a request to do so. Instead, I would suggest a qualified drainage/geo-technical/civil engineer or someone similar. Someone who, if it came to a court case, could provide a decent answer to the question "What are your qualifications to determine flood patterns?".
sepefrio Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Posted June 9, 2009 Richard, I agree with you, yet remember, I don't have the full story. I think the only way one will get the full story is to actually talk to him at length and visit the site. Again I agree the most likely answer is well above our level, but my thought is two fold. An HI is more likely to at least know it's above his head and tell him where/who to contact. Also, if the house itself has been flooded (he said 3 times in the last 6 months), there is most likely some issues with the house itself as well and a pre-listing inspection might do him some good. BTW, from my understanding, "they" = the city.
Nolan Kienitz Posted June 24, 2009 Report Posted June 24, 2009 Hey John, Don Lawson used to be my man in Houston. He did a fine job inspecting the home my sister bought a few years ago. I just looked at his website: www.best2inspect.com and it looks like he's moved on. Sorry, but I don't know another inspector in the area. Jimmy Jimmy, Don Lawson was close contact of mine when I was also inspecting the Houston market. He had been trying to sell his business & website and finally did so and moved the family back to Oklahoma. He had been wanting to move back home for some time. One of the last times I chatted with him (quite some time ago) he was in the process of dealing with an upset client & lawsuit. Dunno the outcome. I've sent him a letter to his Oklahoma address many months ago with no reply.
Nolan Kienitz Posted June 24, 2009 Report Posted June 24, 2009 ... I'm missing a lot of information here and instead of going into everything 2nd hand, I'd rather him talk to a local HI. He said he also wants a Realtor and asked for a reference there too. Names? Thanks! ... John, Try Paul Roebuck. He's been inspecting the Houston market for many years. Paul Roebuck (paulroebuck@texaspec.com)
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