Cracking in basement wall foundation
emortle
5 years ago
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klem1
5 years agoIzzy Mn
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Wall Cracking = Foundation Problems? Help! - very long
Comments (4)sdello, yes we are on landfill and in 1990 post-tension slab was the thing to do in this area. What does that mean that the slab should be supported on grade beams? Do you mean they should dig up around the foundation (now that would be an expensive job as it is pretty much cement all the way around the house) and put some sort of pilings into the soil? We are not the original owners, but are the first people to live there. The original owners bought on spec to make a profit. The first year the builder would calk things, but then they moved on to their next development and then went out of business under that name. I would say that for the most part all these cracks have been there at least 10 of the 15 years in varying degrees. I used to caulk the ones I could reach, but never touched the cracks where the walls meet the ceiling. Funny thing, until I started wearing my glasses at home, I never even noticed them, but with my glasses everything came into focus. :-\ Some of the patches they originally did have held up the last 12 years or so. Some just kept spreading. I think made a mistake installing plantation sutters on all the windows before the settling stopped or at least slowed down as both sides of the house have sticking problems with the shutters. That was putting pressure on the opening. From the very beginning there was not a straight wall in the entire house and wall sections from top to bottom weren't even the same measurement, meaning left to right. We pretty much have patio surrounding 3 sides of the house, no contact with dirt, and then one section of the front is the driveway/garage, next to that is a planterbox area and then next to that is the frontdoor. I'd say the only sections that are exposed to dirt would be a section of the living room that is about 6'. I'd say it has probably been at a slow rate, but just never paid a whole lot of attention to it until I realized the amount of money we were spending for remodeling two bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room, also carpeting and whole interior painting. We have never painted the interior for the whole 15 years. Just minor touchups where I caulked or where there was a little wear and tear. The windows all operate, though both sides of the house, a couple windows are definitely out of square. Of course, they were like that when we moved in at 1 year old. I had the builder redo the one window, but didn't check it right away, but found that he didn't really do a great job replacing it level anyway. I'd say the areas where I patched myself, and didn't do the job right, just adding caulking and painting over it, some held up ok, others just kept reappearing after a few months or year. This was supposed to be our "forever home", so we are really upset that there might be a problem. We are hoping that this is just part of the pain of living on landfill and that there is no major problem. Can't afford to do repairs and remodel and the kitchens and bathrooms......See MoreFoundation Cracks in New Foundation Normal?
Comments (5)Hairline cracks in a newly poured concrete foundation walls are normal and are caused due to concrete shrinkage during curing stages. Hairline cracks 1/16" wide vertical cracks. Some vertical cracks 1/8" or wider could be a sign of distress and they might have to be evaluated....See MoreCracking in foundation wall
Comments (1)Impossible to hazard a guess without pictures.......See Morehorizontal cracks on foundation wall
Comments (3)There are some settling cracks that are normal. The cracks that people worry about tend to be a little wider and bigger. If you're very concerned or if you see many more pop up, contact a structural engineer or inspector; they can give you more information. But I don't think the one in the picture should be an issue right now....See MoreDavidR
5 years agoparty_music50
5 years agoGN Builders L.L.C
5 years agoparty_music50
5 years agosdello
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoparty_music50
5 years ago
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