Question
QUESTION: A home that we are strongly considering putting an offer on holds some
concerns for me in regards to the backyard. The yard is very uneven and
soggy (we've had a lot of rain, but not in a couple of days - our current house
was damp, but not soggy). The amount of sogginess concerns me, but the
concern/question I have for you is that there is a big hole in the yard. It is
about 2 ft by 3 ft. I asked the real estate agent about it, and she said it just
sinks in and the owner has had to fill it in 3 times in the 6 years he has lived
there. What is this and is it a sign of something worse going on with this
lawn? I'm hoping it is just a small nuisance that I will have to deal with. Just to
give you a little more info on the area (Connecticut), the backyard of the
house is above a small river.
Thank you for your help!

ANSWER: Boy, I'm glad you asked me about this.

A friend of mine is a builder who bought a house last Summer here on Long Island, on the South Shore, in a development built in the 1960s on a manmade canal.

The house was beautiful.  Huge deck opening up onto the water, with private docks up and down the canal.  Substantial amount of property, nice and deep.  A swing set left by the previous owners; a recently renovated kitchen with no expense spared -- 2 of everything since the previous owners kept a Kosher kitchen, i.e. 2 refrigerators, 2 sinks, 2 dishwashers, expensive marble counters, big garage.  Then he told me he was going to raze the house.

Huh?

That house is beautiful, I said.  Are you nuts?

We took a walk around the property.  The crack in the cement patio, I had noticed, but I've seen those before.  Cement cracks all the time.  The crack in the foundation, a little more ominous.  Then he pointed to the tilted stairway up to the deck.  All these symptoms, and more.  No sinkholes, true, but that doesn't mean they weren't there.  The similarity between this place and yours: This house was built on pure landfill.  The land will shift and shift forever.  The house was built 'by a guy who didn't know what he was going', said my friend the builder.  He and his partner would buy this house, live there, rebuild, maybe sell it when one of them gets married.  But the house was doomed no matter what.  All the houses on that block, in fact, are doomed.

'A small river' is not the same as a canal surrounded by structures built on landfill.  Perhaps you meant a canal.  Something is eroding the support underground in that area, without a doubt.  Is Soil migrating elsewhere?  Who knows?

See this link for an organization that works with Florida homeowners who are dealing with this problem, which due to the geological profile is not so unusual down there:

http://www.sinkhole.org/signs.htm

and please note in particular under the heading 'Common signs of sinkhole activity' Item No. 9: 'Observation of an actual cavity beginning to open.'

See also the 'Cover-collapse sinkholes' description:

http://www.sinkhole.org/facts4.htm

Now, it is entirely possible that this is NOT a problem.  Up there in your state, one big sinkhole in the middle of the exit ramp required the closing of Exit 86 on I-95 for emergency repair back in 2001.  There are sinkholes in Connecticut, and there are other causes of yard cave-ins.  If this is a sinkhole, you don't want to buy the problem without a plan.  Geological sinkholes as I understand it -- I am not an expert in THIS, and I think you would be better getting a second opinion from an AllExperts Engineer -- are USUALLY circles.  An oval, which I think is closer to what you describe, can be a different problem that you may be able to address or maybe not.

Bottom line, then, is that no matter how good the deal, no matter how much you love this house, no matter how beautiful it looks, you are absolutely right to be concerned.  Until you have a real expert who can tell you with absolutely certainty that this problem is solved, I would hold off and wait.

One last word on this:  I once watched a local police officer talk to a divorced father who was about to pick up his young daughter for the weekend visit.  The ex-wife had called the police out of concern that the alcohol on this man's breath might, or might not, be a sign he was drunk.  She wanted an expert's opinion, and she thought the police would know.

So the cop asked the man how much he'd had to drink after work, before he came to pick up his little girl.  '1 Beer,' said the man.

The policeman listened.  And he replied, 'Well, when I ask someone how much they've had to drink, and they tell me I had 2 drinks, I can usually assume they had 4.  If someone tells me they had 1, I know they had 2.  I pretty much double whatever they tell me.'

Then he tested the father, who had not yet driven off with his daughter, but who was confident he was perfectly sober, totally legally within the limits of alcohol.

And the cop stood there in their kitchen and told the man: Close your eyes and put your arms straight out to the side.  Now touch your nose without opening your eyes.

The man missed.

He was shocked.  The cop smirked.  'Only one?'

The real estate agent said the yard sinks in and the owner has filled it 3 times in 6 years.

Only three?

Thanks for writing.  Please keep in touch.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your reply. That really helps and re-affirms my need to be cautious here. I do have a couple follow-ups here.
That is a very good point you made with the drunk father, I am now even more worried about this lawn. I did not see any problems with the foundation, but I'll need to see this house for the third time to check for that.
Also, it is a river that goes around the property. Definately not a canal. I wanted to get your opinion on the sogginess of the lawn. It has been an extremely wet winter, lots of rain here in our area. Still, as wet as it has been, my lawn is not soggy like this home's lawn. I'm thinking that since a river below surrounds the property it will always be on the wet side. I'm right to assume this? While the lawn was wet, the basement was incredibly dry - perfect actually, one of the nicest basements I've ever seen.
Finally, who would be the best person to bring in to look at the hole?
Thank you again, you've been very helpful


Answer
There are structural engineers in this region who I would trust for good in person advice, but I suspect you have some excellent people in your area.  Just make sure you get someone with a lot of experience and plenty of credentials.  I wish I could be more specific, but Connecticut is not known for its shortage of educated professionals -- I'm certain you will find someone, and easily, who you will feel very comfortable with.  Simply for peace of mind, I would do that, but you need it at this point to make an informed and responsible investment decision.

Soggy Lawns are a symptom of many Turgrass ailments.  Grubs, for instance.  I would take a spade to the property and dig down to see if this is related to moisture or something else like thatch.  There are no other symptoms -- brown spots (yes, I know, it is Winter, but dead Grass looks different from dormant Grass), bare spots, mud?

Bear in mind, it is likely these people have done a lot of cosmetic work in preparing for resale.  It's a jungle out there.  In this economy, especially.

Let me know about any other symptoms you notice when you go out there again.  Your biggest problem is not your Lawn however.  Any Grass problems can be solved easily.  A structural problem, a geological nightmare, these are things no one needs to acquire.  Not even for free.  Good luck, I'll be watching for your progress report.