Had home inspection done. Cracked stucco and bowing wall

[Ed Rogers]

Hello, We had a house inspection done Friday. For thew most part everything went well. So why I am here is not everything went well. The house inspector tells us an exterior wall is bowing outwards. Without invasive investigation he cannot tell us the cause nor can he tell us the remedy or it's approximate cost. Would anyone know why the wall is bowing outwards. I did take a flashlight and look in the area where you can see a nail. I see no wetness nor mold or anything that says water got in. I do see a thick clear plastic in there. You can see pics here. https://i.imgur.com/efmeGcb.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/jap6adw.jpg We don't know if we should have the seller address this or run. Any help is appreciated. The realtor has not asked for our opinion. We sent pics and said we need time to read the report and digest it all. Thanks Ed On edit, I see the pics are large so what you are viewing would be the left hand corner of the house between the two Blue aluminum siding. https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.4865595,-120.8039001,3a,15y,77.47h,92.69t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sJKEPskByZ90AdyN58nH22A!2e0!6s% 2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DJKEPskByZ90Ad yN58nH22A%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_ sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26y aw%3D80.96843%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312 !8i6656

[Jim Luttrall]

Hello, We had a house inspection done Friday. For thew most part everything went well. So why I am here is not everything went well. The house inspector tells us an exterior wall is bowing outwards. Without invasive investigation he cannot tell us the cause nor can he tell us the remedy or it's approximate cost. Would anyone know why the wall is bowing outwards. I did take a flashlight and look in the area where you can see a nail. I see no wetness nor mold or anything that says water got in. I do see a thick clear plastic in there. You can see pics here. https://i.imgur.com/efmeGcb.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/jap6adw.jpg We don't know if we should have the seller address this or run. Any help is appreciated. The realtor has not asked for our opinion. We sent pics and said we need time to read the report and digest it all. Thanks Ed On edit, I see the pics are large so what you are viewing would be the left hand corner of the house between the two Blue aluminum siding. https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.4865595,-120.8039001,3a,15y,77.47h,92.69t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sJKEPskByZ90AdyN58nH22A!2e0!6s% 2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DJKEPskByZ90Ad yN58nH22A%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_ sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26y aw%3D80.96843%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312 !8i6656

Your inspector was there and could not give you a cause nor cost. No way that people across the nation can do better by looking at two photos. Get the seller to have it fixed by an appropriately licensed professional or get a bid from the person you want to fix it.

[Gunnar Alquist]

Ed,

It's not a very large area, so if it is just buckled stucco, it is likely a relatively straightforward repair. However, there are other possibilities that could be more costly. Unfortunately, you won't really know the extent of necessary repairs until it gets opened-up. Like Jim already indicated, it's difficult for folks sitting in front of a computer to figure out what is going on.

[Dom D'Agostino]

As has been stated, only an onsite investigation by a qualified contractor can tell you what's going on. And they will likely need to open the wall (or remove the stucco & sheathing behind the stucco.)

It looks like every window on that front wall was replaced expect the last one on the left. Maybe they had/have a leak.

Does your region have a "Seller's Disclosure" system? Ask for historical data from the seller/owner. Could be a recent repair, and the wall was reassembled poorly.

I wouldn't buy it without some sort of answer from a trustworthy source. I'd put it back on the seller for an answer.

Dom.