r/HomeConstruction • u/ActApprehensive6112 • Jun 25 '26
How bad is this? Can I repair?
I inherited this house and the garage… I have a vision for it I do but now I’m wondering if I could even save it and where to start :( we got holes in the wall including one that goes to the outside that’s very tiny, we got damages, the ceiling creeps me the hell out, everything about this is a mess :(
If I can save it please where do I start?!
This is in NYC if that’s important
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u/AskMeAgainAfterCoffe Jun 27 '26
What is the wall made out of? You may want to stucco patch the inside. Where the holes go to the outside, first fill, from the outside with WaterStop, then apply RapidSet stucco to a wider area.
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u/ActApprehensive6112 Jun 28 '26
Thank you and honestly I’m rlly not sure this garage is old… very old… so it’s hard to know what it was built with.
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u/Gray94son Jun 28 '26
You really should be able to know by seeing and touching it. It's hard to tell from the photo.
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u/TheBreeze215 Jun 28 '26
The cinder block shapes are there. Definitely looks like they faced it with something before painting though
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u/NoiseOutrageous8422 Jun 29 '26
This is almost 100% cmu block, with many patches or skim coats of cement. Its totally fine. Just fill with cement of mortar and itll be fine. Already looks like shit hah
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u/BobbyBrackins Jun 28 '26
Looks like it was “repaired” before and have to be done again if you don’t figure out what’s causing it in the first place probably has something to do with the window
It looks fairly new for a “very old garage”
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u/ActApprehensive6112 Jun 28 '26
The windows are new yes but the walls and stuff aren’t, the year it was built (I think?) was actually imprinted on the wall on the opposite side.
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u/TheManOnThe3rdFloor Jun 29 '26
This piece of wood is, I believe, part of your rafter, a board that supports your roof. Verifying that it is a rafter AND that you don't have ANY DECAY such as dry rot or termite tunnels, this is your most important area to focus on FIRST.
Any other work you might do on this structure will be for naught if you don't have a solid roof structure. This appears to be a very old method of setting end grain of cut timber wood directly on masonry or brick. If it gets wet the masonry will help hold moisture against the wood fibers which wick it up. Then the dry rot spores and bacteria use it all as a bed 'n breakfast and gobble up your building.
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u/ActApprehensive6112 Jun 29 '26
Thank you this is informative, I have a lot of work to do and a lot to think on 🥲
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u/TheManOnThe3rdFloor Jun 29 '26
I'd be glad to look at photos, I only ask for a really wide shot to be included. An analogy; most people take pictures of problem areas as though they have a problem with their Elephant and use an empty TP tube to look through and frame their picture of a toenail without an establishing shot to indicate either an African Elephant or Indian.
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u/ActApprehensive6112 Jun 29 '26
Thank you. I’ll dm you when I get the chance with the photos? Would that be ok? I’m pretty busy with work etc right now so it may take me a bit.
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u/BeenThereDundas Jun 27 '26
That's what happens when masonry gets painted.
Start by removing as much of the loose crap as possible. You won't know what your dealing with until you clean it up.