🏚️ No Inspection. No Support Posts. No Problem? (Actually... Big Problem)

🕵️‍♂️The Inspection Insider

The Inside Scoop for Buyers, Sellers, and Realtors

This Week's Inspector Spotlight: What’s Holding Up This Cabin Will Shock You!

That Sinking Feeling

You know that sinking feeling when your gut tells you something isn’t quite right?
Well… this cabin floor didn’t just give a bad feeling—it gave an actual bounce.

Ron and Susan—both retired teachers—had spent years dreaming about owning a quiet cabin on the lake. Not some luxury escape, just a cozy spot where the grandkids could roast marshmallows, skip rocks, and maybe catch their first fish off the dock.

They found it: a 1970s A-frame tucked along a peaceful shoreline, full of rustic charm. The owner had kept it in the family for decades and was finally ready to pass it on. It was a private sale—no agents, no inspections, just good old-fashioned handshakes.

“It felt like fate,” Ron told me. “We didn’t want to risk losing it over paperwork.”

They moved in by early summer. But within two weekends, things didn’t feel quite so solid.

At first it was subtle

A kitchen drawer that kept sliding open. A door that wouldn’t latch. The fridge looked… crooked. Then the grandkids noticed the living room floor had a soft bounce to it—like a trampoline made of old wood.

That’s when they called me.

Walking through the main floor, I could already feel the slope. I suspected something was going on under the cabin, and when I crawled into the shallow crawlspace, things got strange fast.

Yes, there were beams—sort of. Someone had clearly attempted to add new support beams, but they were undersized for the span and were missing a critical detail: support posts. Instead of being held up properly, the beams were sitting precariously on a mishmash of car jack stands and a bottle jack still under load.

Let me repeat that:
A jack meant for lifting a truck was holding up their cabin.

No footings. No support posts. Wrong size beams and in the wrong spot! Just improvised props that had no business being used as structural supports for a home.

The Major Event
I backed out, brushed the dirt off, and broke the news.

"Ron, did the seller mention doing any foundation or structural work recently?"

He frowned. “No. Said it was sturdy as ever.”

Then I explained what I found—small beams sitting on jack stands, no posts, no footings, and a bottle jack still doing the heavy lifting. When I showed him the photos his expression went from confusion to disbelief to something that looked a lot like regret.

Then Susan came out and asked the million-dollar question:
“Is that dangerous?”

Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: It was a structural failure waiting to happen. Those jacks were never meant to hold a building long-term.

The jack and jack stands were likely added as a “temporary fix” when the previous owner noticed sagging. But instead of doing it right—new footings, proper posts, engineered beams—they jerry-rigged it and called it done.

Lesson Learned
Thankfully, Ron and Susan acted quickly. They brought in a structural engineer the following week, who confirmed what I had told them: the current setup wasn’t even close to safe or to code.

Here’s what had to happen:

• New engineered support beams were specified for the cabin’s span and load

• Proper support posts were installed beneath each beam

• Concrete footings were poured to provide stable, permanent support

• The entire cabin was re-leveled during the repair process

All in, it cost them just over $20,000. (they didn’t want to tell me exactly how much) And that’s before factoring in repairs to the warped flooring, stuck doors, and foundation cracking caused by the shifting structure.

It was a tough (and expensive) pill to swallow, but one they were grateful didn’t come after someone got hurt.

Repairing Structural Damages in Crawl Spaces 👇🏼

🛠️ Pro Tip of the Week

Don’t skip the inspection on a seasonal property!

When you buy a seasonal property—especially one built decades ago—you’re not just buying the charm. You’re also buying every hidden shortcut, patch job, and DIY disaster that came before you.

A proper inspection would have revealed the undersized beams, lack of structural posts, and the fact that the entire living room was sitting on automotive gear.

If it looks like something that belongs in a garage?
It has no business holding up your home away from home.

You’ve Read the Stories. Now Stay One Step Ahead.

After years of inspecting homes and uncovering deal-breaking surprises, I’ve created a powerful set of checklists to help sellers get ahead of the inspection:

✅ What to fix before listing
✅ What buyers and inspectors will be looking for
✅ How to avoid last-minute renegotiations
✅ What to check before closing day

It’s called The Smart Seller’s Home Inspection Toolkit, and it’s built to help you sell with confidence—and fewer surprises.

You’ve seen how deals fall apart.
This helps yours go through smoothly.

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🔎 Coming Next Week…

Up in the attic, I expected insulation and maybe a squirrel or two…
What I found instead was a incredible catwalk that ran the entire length of the house—built like something out of an old spy movie. You won’t believe why it was there.

Ron Henderson, CMI
Certified Master Inspector

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Questions? Comments? Drop me a line at: [email protected]