Water Damaged Condo - Buy it?

[JaxxBKK]

I'll follow up if I get with many more details, but first the deal breaker.

 

I'm sorry I don't have photos as I had deleted them when they turned down our ridiculously low offer. They came back today and essentially agreed to it.

 

My wife has a video and some pictures but none of them truly show the nature of the damage. We need to go back into the unit and get some good pictures**

 

We are currently living in this building, two floors below as a matter of fact

 

Property sold as is...

 

We have the opportunity to buy a condo in a building about 15 years old, central BKK, great location. Basic building, two tiny lifts, a tiny pool of absolutely no consequence and no fitness. Parking is tight but we don't own a car and never will.

 

Our intention is to fix the place up and live in it basically until we both pass.

 

The main issue is that is has water damage.

 

The admin at the condo has informed us the bldg is responsible to repair the exterior of the building if need be.

 

1. One bedroom shows signs of water damage. The admin stated this was repaired (apparently from outside). It would be good to know the cause as it might be related to the next point.

 

2. The main area that has water damage is the cement surrounding front area adjacent the open balcony.

A. Top of slider appears to have water that has somehow made it down from the balcony above. Directly above is an open balcony. There might be drainage issues, tile cracked?? If this is structural design issue even if repaired presumably the problem could return correct?  My expectation is that the entire sliding door will need to be removed cement chipped out of both the top and the bottom to expose all the damage and then fully repaired.

 

3. The bottom has perhaps a similar problem. The condo has basically been sitting abandoned for years. They have allowed the drain to clog it has filled the balcony with standing water. This has damaged the bottom part of the wall in which the door sits upon. This looks like it has been repaired before in fact it has. That is a warning to me.

 

While  the damage is recurring it's very possible that it's occurred because of neglect. If someone was living in the condo they would have unplugged the drain or had someone deal with a particular issue. Or it can be structural...

 

3. The final water issue is far less serious. There is water that appears to be dripping down from the roof and running down the building. This has ruined the seal on the windows on that side. This looks like the water just needs to be redirected up on the roof and moved away from the building. I'm uncertain weather the window which is in very good condition otherwise can have the seal around it repaired.

 

>> My question is should we buy this condo and renovate? It's a great opportunity as it's an absolute bargain.

 

>> What might it cost to have an engineer come out and have a look at this situation and evaluate this for us? Would anyone know of a person they could recommend? There was a guy through here perhaps from the insurance company doing earthquake evaluation. It's possible we might be able to get hold of them. Your thoughts there?

 

Finally, could anyone ballpark an estimate for the sliding window upper and lower to be repaired and done correctly? that would mean taking out the sliding window, blasting out the cement repairing top and bottom and maybe even a brand new sliding door because why not?

 

If the one area in bedroom that has shown prior damage is dry is it worth busting out the wall and inspecting it or just let sleeping dogs lie? It's dry while the other area is wet so I can presume if the same kind of situation occurred that the area has been repaired and is holding.

 

As a side note we would also like to bust out that damaged area anyway and put in a window as the wall is not load bearing. Any thoughts about that?

 

Super finally, the admin seemed amenable to us putting up an awning to keep out sun and rain.

 

We really want it.

 

Please only sensible replies either pro or con. I've been in Asia for 35 years, living in Thailand for better part of 20, married for 15. I know all of the negative implications about owning condos and this might be a perfect example - but it's also a once once in a lifetime buy at under 33k per sqm. Free tax, transfer, yellow book+ 1 year condo fees.

 

🙏🙏🙏🙏

 

[jas007]

40 minutes ago, JaxxBKK said:

I'll follow up if I get with many more details, but first the deal breaker.

 

I'm sorry I don't have photos as I had deleted them when they turned down our ridiculously low offer. They came back today and essentially agreed to it.

 

My wife has a video and some pictures but none of them truly show the nature of the damage. We need to go back into the unit and get some good pictures**

 

We are currently living in this building, two floors below as a matter of fact

 

Property sold as is...

 

We have the opportunity to buy a condo in a building about 15 years old, central BKK, great location. Basic building, two tiny lifts, a tiny pool of absolutely no consequence and no fitness. Parking is tight but we don't own a car and never will.

 

Our intention is to fix the place up and live in it basically until we both pass.

 

The main issue is that is has water damage.

 

The admin at the condo has informed us the bldg is responsible to repair the exterior of the building if need be.

 

1. One bedroom shows signs of water damage. The admin stated this was repaired (apparently from outside). It would be good to know the cause as it might be related to the next point.

 

2. The main area that has water damage is the cement surrounding front area adjacent the open balcony.

A. Top of slider appears to have water that has somehow made it down from the balcony above. Directly above is an open balcony. There might be drainage issues, tile cracked?? If this is structural design issue even if repaired presumably the problem could return correct?  My expectation is that the entire sliding door will need to be removed cement chipped out of both the top and the bottom to expose all the damage and then fully repaired.

 

3. The bottom has perhaps a similar problem. The condo has basically been sitting abandoned for years. They have allowed the drain to clog it has filled the balcony with standing water. This has damaged the bottom part of the wall in which the door sits upon. This looks like it has been repaired before in fact it has. That is a warning to me.

 

While  the damage is recurring it's very possible that it's occurred because of neglect. If someone was living in the condo they would have unplugged the drain or had someone deal with a particular issue. Or it can be structural...

 

3. The final water issue is far less serious. There is water that appears to be dripping down from the roof and running down the building. This has ruined the seal on the windows on that side. This looks like the water just needs to be redirected up on the roof and moved away from the building. I'm uncertain weather the window which is in very good condition otherwise can have the seal around it repaired.

 

>> My question is should we buy this condo and renovate? It's a great opportunity as it's an absolute bargain.

 

>> What might it cost to have an engineer come out and have a look at this situation and evaluate this for us? Would anyone know of a person they could recommend? There was a guy through here perhaps from the insurance company doing earthquake evaluation. It's possible we might be able to get hold of them. Your thoughts there?

 

Finally, could anyone ballpark an estimate for the sliding window upper and lower to be repaired and done correctly? that would mean taking out the sliding window, blasting out the cement repairing top and bottom and maybe even a brand new sliding door because why not?

 

If the one area in bedroom that has shown prior damage is dry is it worth busting out the wall and inspecting it or just let sleeping dogs lie? It's dry while the other area is wet so I can presume if the same kind of situation occurred that the area has been repaired and is holding.

 

As a side note we would also like to bust out that damaged area anyway and put in a window as the wall is not load bearing. Any thoughts about that?

 

Super finally, the admin seemed amenable to us putting up an awning to keep out sun and rain.

 

We really want it.

 

Please only sensible replies either pro or con. I've been in Asia for 35 years, living in Thailand for better part of 20, married for 15. I know all of the negative implications about owning condos and this might be a perfect example - but it's also a once once in a lifetime buy at under 33k per sqm. Free tax, transfer, yellow book+ 1 year condo fees.

 

🙏🙏🙏🙏

 

Wow.  Off the top of my head, I'd say that unless you're getting this place for almost nothing, pass on it.  And even then, I'd pass on it.    

 

Water leaks can come from just about anywhere. And you can spend the rest of your life trying to fix something that can't easily be fixed. 

 

 

[Magictoad]

pass? Does that mean die? How old are you? When do you expect to "pass". How many years? Can you do it up yourselves? Without breaking any laws?

Why did you destroy all the pics and videos etc 

[Cameroni]

54 minutes ago, JaxxBKK said:

I'll follow up if I get with many more details, but first the deal breaker.

 

I'm sorry I don't have photos as I had deleted them when they turned down our ridiculously low offer. They came back today and essentially agreed to it.

 

My wife has a video and some pictures but none of them truly show the nature of the damage. We need to go back into the unit and get some good pictures**

 

We are currently living in this building, two floors below as a matter of fact

 

Property sold as is...

 

We have the opportunity to buy a condo in a building about 15 years old, central BKK, great location. Basic building, two tiny lifts, a tiny pool of absolutely no consequence and no fitness. Parking is tight but we don't own a car and never will.

 

Our intention is to fix the place up and live in it basically until we both pass.

 

The main issue is that is has water damage.

 

The admin at the condo has informed us the bldg is responsible to repair the exterior of the building if need be.

 

1. One bedroom shows signs of water damage. The admin stated this was repaired (apparently from outside). It would be good to know the cause as it might be related to the next point.

 

2. The main area that has water damage is the cement surrounding front area adjacent the open balcony.

A. Top of slider appears to have water that has somehow made it down from the balcony above. Directly above is an open balcony. There might be drainage issues, tile cracked?? If this is structural design issue even if repaired presumably the problem could return correct?  My expectation is that the entire sliding door will need to be removed cement chipped out of both the top and the bottom to expose all the damage and then fully repaired.

 

3. The bottom has perhaps a similar problem. The condo has basically been sitting abandoned for years. They have allowed the drain to clog it has filled the balcony with standing water. This has damaged the bottom part of the wall in which the door sits upon. This looks like it has been repaired before in fact it has. That is a warning to me.

 

While  the damage is recurring it's very possible that it's occurred because of neglect. If someone was living in the condo they would have unplugged the drain or had someone deal with a particular issue. Or it can be structural...

 

3. The final water issue is far less serious. There is water that appears to be dripping down from the roof and running down the building. This has ruined the seal on the windows on that side. This looks like the water just needs to be redirected up on the roof and moved away from the building. I'm uncertain weather the window which is in very good condition otherwise can have the seal around it repaired.

 

>> My question is should we buy this condo and renovate? It's a great opportunity as it's an absolute bargain.

 

>> What might it cost to have an engineer come out and have a look at this situation and evaluate this for us? Would anyone know of a person they could recommend? There was a guy through here perhaps from the insurance company doing earthquake evaluation. It's possible we might be able to get hold of them. Your thoughts there?

 

Finally, could anyone ballpark an estimate for the sliding window upper and lower to be repaired and done correctly? that would mean taking out the sliding window, blasting out the cement repairing top and bottom and maybe even a brand new sliding door because why not?

 

If the one area in bedroom that has shown prior damage is dry is it worth busting out the wall and inspecting it or just let sleeping dogs lie? It's dry while the other area is wet so I can presume if the same kind of situation occurred that the area has been repaired and is holding.

 

As a side note we would also like to bust out that damaged area anyway and put in a window as the wall is not load bearing. Any thoughts about that?

 

Super finally, the admin seemed amenable to us putting up an awning to keep out sun and rain.

 

We really want it.

 

Please only sensible replies either pro or con. I've been in Asia for 35 years, living in Thailand for better part of 20, married for 15. I know all of the negative implications about owning condos and this might be a perfect example - but it's also a once once in a lifetime buy at under 33k per sqm. Free tax, transfer, yellow book+ 1 year condo fees.

 

🙏🙏🙏🙏

 

 

I owned a house in Grand Cayman when hurrican Ivan hit. There was extensive water damage. Pretty much the whole house was in water up to 60 cm.  Thank God I had insurance, so I could renovate the house. It took well over a year. But the repairs could be done. I was able to sell the house for a profit.

 

So if you are really determined and have the capital to renovate, you can deal with water damage. It's not going to be pleasant obviously. But then you'll have workers for that.

 

Since you plan to sel lthe place, I'd say go for it.

[JaxxBKK]

Thanks all.

 

1 hour ago, jas007 said:

Wow.  Off the top of my head, I'd say that unless you're getting this place for almost nothing, pass on it.  And even then, I'd pass on it.    

 

Water leaks can come from just about anywhere. And you can spend the rest of your life trying to fix something that can't easily be fixed.

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

Error

 

 

It's 33k sqm, nothing on dd property is that cheap even old slummy buildings. Large-ish two bedrooms. Low rise, two lifts, small building, super quiet, massive balcony, central BKK, near MRT, lots of food. Safe. We really like the area.

 

Are you experienced in construction, building and concrete or like myself simply understand the inherent problems of water damage and giving thumbs down?

 

If the price is agreed to the first thing I'm doing is getting some sort of engineer to have a look at the issue. Anything on the exterior I will insist that the condo have repaired before I pay for the unit.

 

1 hour ago, Magictoad said:

pass? Does that mean die? How old are you? When do you expect to "pass". How many years? Can you do it up yourselves? Without breaking any laws?

Why did you destroy all the pics and videos etc 

 

Yes, die. I'm a healthy 64 and wife 47. The place is perfect for our needs.

 

I can't, won't do the work  (maybe the flooring). Needs custom built in cabinets, shelves. Thailand labor cheap.

 

As I said before - I deleted the pictures because they didn't accept the offer. Why would I bother to keep the pictures if the deal was never going to happen? It's no big deal we just get the admin to open the place back up again this weekend 🙄

 

 

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

 

I owned a house in Grand Cayman when hurrican Ivan hit. There was extensive water damage. Pretty much the whole house was in water up to 60 cm.  Thank God I had insurance, so I could renovate the house. It took well over a year. But the repairs could be done. I was able to sell the house for a profit.

 

So if you are really determined and have the capital to renovate, you can deal with water damage. It's not going to be pleasant obviously. But then you'll have workers for that.

 

Since you plan to sel lthe place, I'd say go for it.

 

Yes, have the money to renovate, but I don't want to throw good money after bad. Don't want to worry about leaks, damage rest of my life. I'd like an engineer and I just builder to evaluate it. I trust a farang tradesman but not a general Thai builder to evaluate the leak issue. By thinking was there are seemingly boatloads of engineers scurrying about Bangkok to evaluate earthquake damage. Someone like that.

 

2M @ 67sqm some wasted space from load bearing beams.  Nice balcony area, not wide but long, views. I think this condo size excludes balcony. It's not top floor but has penthouse vibe.

 

The apparent damage by sight:

* 1.5m above sliding door and ceiling (balcony above)

* 2+m running along the bottom of sliding door and possibly under the floor.

 

I'm hoping someone might provide positive feedback and estimate.

 

I understand the upper leak might be serious as it involves the roof/balcony. Exterior... Condo needs to fix and pay.

 

The bottom very well could be only from neglect. The drain outside is plugged and water standing on balcony. The condo empty for years. Property group bought on spec, can't sell it, gave up, got lost in shuffle I presume.

 

[Cameroni]

5 minutes ago, JaxxBKK said:

Thanks all.

 

 

It's 33k sqm, nothing on dd property is that cheap even old slummy buildings. Large-ish two bedrooms. Low rise, two lifts, small building, super quiet, massive balcony, central BKK, near MRT, lots of food. Safe. We really like the area.

 

Are you experienced in construction, building and concrete or like myself simply understand the inherent problems of water damage and giving thumbs down?

 

If the price is agreed to the first thing I'm doing is getting some sort of engineer to have a look at the issue. Anything on the exterior I will insist that the condo have repaired before I pay for the unit.

 

 

Yes, die. I'm a healthy 64 and wife 47. The place is perfect for our needs.

 

I can't, won't do the work  (maybe the flooring). Needs custom built in cabinets, shelves. Thailand labor cheap.

 

As I said before - I deleted the pictures because they didn't accept the offer. Why would I bother to keep the pictures if the deal was never going to happen? It's no big deal we just get the admin to open the place back up again this weekend 🙄

 

 

 

Yes, have the money to renovate, but I don't want to throw good money after bad. Don't want to worry about leaks, damage rest of my life. I'd like an engineer and I just builder to evaluate it. I trust a farang tradesman but not a general Thai builder to evaluate the leak issue. By thinking was there are seemingly boatloads of engineers scurrying about Bangkok to evaluate earthquake damage. Someone like that.

 

2M @ 67sqm some wasted space from load bearing beams.  Nice balcony area, not wide but long, views. I think this condo size excludes balcony. It's not top floor but has penthouse vibe.

 

The apparent damage by sight:

* 1.5m above sliding door and ceiling (balcony above)

* 2+m running along the bottom of sliding door and possibly under the floor.

 

I'm hoping someone might provide positive feedback and estimate.

 

I understand the leak might be serious upside.

 

The bottom very well could be only from neglect. The drain outside is plugged and water standing on balcony. The condo empty for years. Property group bought on spec, can't sell it, gave up, got lost in shuffle I presume.

 

 

Oh I misread, I thought you were buying to sell.

 

If you want to live there, I wouldn't do that.

[jas007]

6 minutes ago, JaxxBKK said:

Are you experienced in construction, building and concrete or like myself simply understand the inherent problems of water damage and giving thumbs down?

 

One of my best friends built high dollar custom homes. And he's had water problems in his own home that he can't seem to rectify.  When I was a kid, I used to live tight next door.  Similar problems, once in a while. Water can seemingly seep in from anywhere, and it's hard to track down where it's coming from. 

 

My last house had roof issues, and the cost of a new roof was around $125,000. And even at that, I might still have problems.  

[JaxxBKK]

The size is 67sqm including balcony*

 

Price sqm is 29.850b not 33k

[Patong2021]

Mold and fungi: it thrives in damp warm places.  You won't know about it until you strip the unit down, and by then it may be impossible to really remediate. Once mold and fungi  establish themselves it is a time consuming and expensive process to get rid of it, especially if the water source is not eliminated.

 

Structural damage: A building exposed to long term water damage will most likely suffer structural damage.  Concrete degrades over time too. This is why some jurisdictions require  a periodic building integrity  inspection. Thailand does not have these inspections.

 

Consider the fact that the water damage was known by the building managers and condo association and it  appears they did nothing. That's a red flag. If they ignored this problem what other issues did they ignore? For all you know, deferred maintenance could  be creating a future  repair assessment.  The building manager  should have a log of the location and description of the defects and their causes, which can contribute to the development of dangerous structural  conditions (infiltrations, rust, efflorescence, scaling, cracks, etc.) as well as all other problems.  There should be a record that holds the description of the work remedial actions called for as well as the schedule recommended for performing these, if applicable.  If this is not  available, that is another red flag that says, maintenance has not been done.

 

[JaxxBKK]

4 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Mold and fungi: it thrives in damp warm places.  You won't know about it until you strip the unit down, and by then it may be impossible to really remediate. Once mold and fungi  establish themselves it is a time consuming and expensive process to get rid of it, especially if the water source is not eliminated.

 

Structural damage: A building exposed to long term water damage will most likely suffer structural damage.  Concrete degrades over time too. This is why some jurisdictions require  a periodic building integrity  inspection. Thailand does not have these inspections.

 

Consider the fact that the water damage was known by the building managers and condo association and it  appears they did nothing. That's a red flag. If they ignored this problem what other issues did they ignore? For all you know, deferred maintenance could  be creating a future  repair assessment.  The building manager  should have a log of the location and description of the defects and their causes, which can contribute to the development of dangerous structural  conditions (infiltrations, rust, efflorescence, scaling, cracks, etc.) as well as all other problems.  There should be a record that holds the description of the work remedial actions called for as well as the schedule recommended for performing these, if applicable.  If this is not  available, that is another red flag that says, maintenance has not been done.

 

 

Well stated. Thank you very much. Appreciated.

[piston broke]

33m2 for the rest of your life ? Gawd - It's hardly livin' the dream" ...

[JaxxBKK]

1 minute ago, piston broke said:

33m2 for the rest of your life ? Gawd - It's hardly livin' the dream" ...

 

I realize my posts here long but people just can't read.

 

I stated twice the the size was 67sqm.  The actual unit probably 57sqm and real usable 52.5. guessing

[Wake Up1]

Hire Inspect Home out of Pattaya for 7500 baht. They will inspect the condo (3-4 hours with report) and let you know if serious or not and advise you of all the issues.  

[Beerzy65]

19 hours ago, JaxxBKK said:

I'll follow up if I get with many more details, but first the deal breaker.

 

I'm sorry I don't have photos as I had deleted them when they turned down our ridiculously low offer. They came back today and essentially agreed to it.

 

My wife has a video and some pictures but none of them truly show the nature of the damage. We need to go back into the unit and get some good pictures**

 

We are currently living in this building, two floors below as a matter of fact

 

Property sold as is...

 

We have the opportunity to buy a condo in a building about 15 years old, central BKK, great location. Basic building, two tiny lifts, a tiny pool of absolutely no consequence and no fitness. Parking is tight but we don't own a car and never will.

 

Our intention is to fix the place up and live in it basically until we both pass.

 

The main issue is that is has water damage.

 

The admin at the condo has informed us the bldg is responsible to repair the exterior of the building if need be.

 

1. One bedroom shows signs of water damage. The admin stated this was repaired (apparently from outside). It would be good to know the cause as it might be related to the next point.

 

2. The main area that has water damage is the cement surrounding front area adjacent the open balcony.

A. Top of slider appears to have water that has somehow made it down from the balcony above. Directly above is an open balcony. There might be drainage issues, tile cracked?? If this is structural design issue even if repaired presumably the problem could return correct?  My expectation is that the entire sliding door will need to be removed cement chipped out of both the top and the bottom to expose all the damage and then fully repaired.

 

3. The bottom has perhaps a similar problem. The condo has basically been sitting abandoned for years. They have allowed the drain to clog it has filled the balcony with standing water. This has damaged the bottom part of the wall in which the door sits upon. This looks like it has been repaired before in fact it has. That is a warning to me.

 

While  the damage is recurring it's very possible that it's occurred because of neglect. If someone was living in the condo they would have unplugged the drain or had someone deal with a particular issue. Or it can be structural...

 

3. The final water issue is far less serious. There is water that appears to be dripping down from the roof and running down the building. This has ruined the seal on the windows on that side. This looks like the water just needs to be redirected up on the roof and moved away from the building. I'm uncertain weather the window which is in very good condition otherwise can have the seal around it repaired.

 

>> My question is should we buy this condo and renovate? It's a great opportunity as it's an absolute bargain.

 

>> What might it cost to have an engineer come out and have a look at this situation and evaluate this for us? Would anyone know of a person they could recommend? There was a guy through here perhaps from the insurance company doing earthquake evaluation. It's possible we might be able to get hold of them. Your thoughts there?

 

Finally, could anyone ballpark an estimate for the sliding window upper and lower to be repaired and done correctly? that would mean taking out the sliding window, blasting out the cement repairing top and bottom and maybe even a brand new sliding door because why not?

 

If the one area in bedroom that has shown prior damage is dry is it worth busting out the wall and inspecting it or just let sleeping dogs lie? It's dry while the other area is wet so I can presume if the same kind of situation occurred that the area has been repaired and is holding.

 

As a side note we would also like to bust out that damaged area anyway and put in a window as the wall is not load bearing. Any thoughts about that?

 

Super finally, the admin seemed amenable to us putting up an awning to keep out sun and rain.

 

We really want it.

 

Please only sensible replies either pro or con. I've been in Asia for 35 years, living in Thailand for better part of 20, married for 15. I know all of the negative implications about owning condos and this might be a perfect example - but it's also a once once in a lifetime buy at under 33k per sqm. Free tax, transfer, yellow book+ 1 year condo fees.

 

🙏🙏🙏🙏

 

Its really up to you. If you put an offer in you need to add the clause fix water damage and also add that they must fix water damage for the next 5 years

[jippytum]

seems like the damage is caused by lack of condo maintenance. However as you already reside in the building you are best placed to decide. 

Renovation costs may be offset by the rock bottom price. 

[newbee2022]

19 hours ago, jas007 said:

And you can spend the rest of your life trying to fix something that can't easily be fixed. 

 

Could be the next hobby if feeling bored.