I’ve talked about this to buyers who were considering buying homes built on slabs for as long as I’ve been selling residential real estate in North Carolina. It goes something like this, “I just want to make you aware that a home built on a slab can be a problem should you ever encounter an issue with your plumbing pipes. Since the pipes are located under a big cement slab, the only way to deal with some problems would be to jackhammer up the slab to get to the pipes.” The look of fear on the faces of some buyers is all I need to see to know that this type of construction is not for them. Other buyers shrug and make it clear that they understand that homeownership comes with all kinds of adventures.
The next question from both kinds of buyers is generally “how often does that ever happen?” Until today I could honestly say when asked that in over 30 years as a real estate agent I had heard stories but never seen it myself.
All that changed recently with a Chapel Hill home located in a lovely wooded setting (read surrounded by beautiful oaks all looking for a drink, especially in the last few drought plagued years.) The main water line to the house had become completely root bound.
The solution: Jack hammer up the floor in the Kitchen to replace the root bound length of pipe. The trench will more than likely run the length of the kitchen before this day is done.
As a Realtor I always find this kind of thing fascinating. As a homeowner I would have to say it wouldn’t be my favorite day.
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SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential real estate professional in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina with over 60,000 hours of experience. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home sellers, home buyers and investors in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Northern Chatham County and is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas #1 independent realty company.
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