We purchased our first home together in 2010. I identified this home some +_ 10 years earlier coming back from babysitting. In 2013 with heavy rains we noticed our home starting to crack. We decided to start saving for much needed renovations and so started the journey of drawing up plans, etc. The architect advised getting an engineer to assess the structure before doing anything. Excitement soon turned to disbelief! What came back in terms of the report was horrifying. Our beautiful home was deemed unsafe to live in, and needed to be demolished! We were advised to move out immediately!! Since then we have moved out of bedrooms [only a 2 bedroom home] into the open plan kitchen, lounge – which was the so called safest part of the whole house back then… Since then the home is visibly sinking and cracking in half.
The insurance company will not cover as it was “not an act of God” but a bad build. The bank won’t accept responsibility despite approving the loan on an engineers report & still demanding we pay for insurance to cover the bond value. The engineer that wrote the report fist for the bank loan is no longer. The first owner builder is also a no go. If we took it legal, it would mean we are in for a minimum of R500 000 legal fees while trying to prove someone is liable… The risk is too great as per a judge advice.
This home has been our sanctuary, we have celebrated and mourned in this home. This home has supported us through many challenges/triumphs. We got married in our lounge. My husband celebrated family re-connections with his 2 brothers after more than 18 yrs apart.
This home carried us through a near business collapse and rebuild and then my husband surviving stage 3 bladder & prostate cancer. Our kids survived 6 snake attacks [Huskies] and so much more. This home is our haven. We have nothing left, all our personal assets and funding has gone into our business and this home.
We have no choice but to demolish it while paying off the existing bond and then still trying to find the cash to rebuild.
As the home is on a slope, the new foundations are costly not to mention the cost to demolish the existing home… If I can raise the money to settle the bond we have a fighting chance of starting over but the time is running out!
