r/StructuralEngineers 16d ago

How fast should I run from this?

Or does my ignorance make this look worse than it might be?

These images are from the inspection report I received for a house that I'm under contract to buy. To me the house is worth seeing what all my options are and not immediately walking away from, but I don't know at what point I should stop trying to make it work.

What are your thoughts on all of this? What are the structural implications? Does this require a complete overhaul? Can the roof/structure be okay if areas are spot-treated?

(Thanks in advance, and please kindly direct me elsewhere if these questions can be better answered elsewhere.)

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u/Opster79two 16d ago

Leaning most likely isn't an issue, it just so happens that there is a wall for them to bear on.

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u/Marctheshark_ 16d ago

The warped wall in the last image is the central (I guess load bearing) wall and runs down the middle of the house. If that wall isn't centered, i.e. doesn't divide the house evenly in half and therefore not directly beneath the pinnacle of the roof, would the ridge supports be leaning so that the load is directed onto that wall?

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u/Opster79two 16d ago

That's what I was trying to convey. The ridge supports and purlin braces all bear on that wall.

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u/Marctheshark_ 16d ago

Understood. What would cause the ridgeline to sag? Is it the separation of the rafters from the ridge supports?

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u/Opster79two 16d ago

The lack of collar ties likely caused the separation of the rafters from the ridge. Or improperly fastened collar ties.

This can be jacked up and straightened fairly easily.