Rental Property Investor · Montrose, CA · Member since 2015 · 77 posts · 11 votes
Hi BPers!
I'm getting close to close on a property and there are cracks in the foundation that the inspector found. I'm asking the inspector for a more detailed analysis of these cracks so I can decide if the foundation will be a big expense in the lifespan of this property. I know my mom went through some trouble with our old childhood home that had a major foundation problem where the ground was eroding away and the house was slowly cracking. It's very expensive to lift a house.
Has anyone else had a similar issue? What would you say is a deal breaker from some cracks in the foundation? Again, I am asking my inspector for a more detailed analysis to see if it is minimal or extensive. Thanks all!
Are these the only areas with cracking? If so, then it doesn't seem like a very wide spread issue that would be a major problem but no one can say for sure without being there. The picture with the crack through the block is concerning but this could just be an isolated area.
If it was me I would just make sure there are gutters on the house and make sure to have proper drainage away from your foundations. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse then hire an engineer.
Are these the only areas with cracking? If so, then it doesn't seem like a very wide spread issue that would be a major problem but no one can say for sure without being there. The picture with the crack through the block is concerning but this could just be an isolated area.
If it was me I would just make sure there are gutters on the house and make sure to have proper drainage away from your foundations. Keep an eye on it and if it gets worse then hire an engineer.
Kevin,
I think these are the only areas that are cracked, but I'm going to have a reinspect done after the contractors do their fixes (the gutters flowing away from the foundation is one thing they are fixing). I'm also having another contractor go take a look at it now and give me an assessment on the damage. I contacted a structural engineer and he wants $350 to assess the damage. For peace of mind, I think it's a good idea to have him look.
You are in escrow.... this is the time you scurry around and verify that all the assumptions you made when entering into the purchase agreement are correct. Call some foundation reputable foundation guys, have them out and get their insights and quote as soon as you can.
It doesn't look like a big (i.e. expensive) deal at all, but the time to resolve that question is NOW.
Get going!
I totally agree! Thanks for the urgency in your message. I have been calling around today for a structural engineer. I will make a decision to spend the $350 soon!
@John Hodson From the pictures it looks like it could just be settling which almost every older home in Indianapolis has. Many are on clay soil which gets a lot of settling. A good foundation contractor can tell you what's going on. If you're concerned about foundation problems. you might want to more at homes build in the 50's and 60's on slab foundations.
Are you keeping the home as a long term rental or flipping it? What year was the house build? Were any of the walls pushed in anywhere or only the slight settling we see in the pictures? Are those pics all from the one corner?
Let me give you a bit of an education about cracks in foundations. When you have vertical cracks, as in this case, it is likely that the footer cracked and settled a bit. I doubt that you have water collecting in the corner with freezing, lifting and shifting block, like we can have in the colder climates. Whenever you see a long, horizontal cracks along the block on the inside of the foundation wall, it means the the pressure of the dirt is causing the cracks and the wall was not reinforced properly with durawire and/or rebars. That is a much more serious problem than the slight horizontal issue those pictures show. When you have a 60 plus year old home and one corner settled a half inch, remember there is still dirt under the footer where the settling happened and the chances of it settling further are minimal. Of course there are variables. If you are purchasing as a rental I would have no concern about it.
Johannes, to answer your first entry, it is a long-term rental. It was built in 1910. I'm not sure about the walls but the inspector didn't mention that in the report. I think the pics are in one area but I need to confirm.
Thanks for the education on cracks in foundations! The contractor is going to patch the crack with mortar. I also have talked with a structural engineer that can go out and take a look and assess for $350. I'm feeling better about the situation due to all of the good feedback on this thread.
disabled · Orange, TX · Member since 2015 · 65 posts · 2 votes
10y
John when I bought my house there is a crack in the foundation I had foundation people come out give me a price on it which they gave me and a lifetime warranty they did the foundation work and what it does it clears you for futures selling of the house when that comes up or turning the title over
Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2013 · 226 posts · 115 votes
10y
Honestly if this is an isolated area of the house you shouldn't have much concern; I've seen much worse. Drain the water away and keep an eye on it.
If this foundation/slab is on clay your biggest enemy is water. Keep it away from your house the best you can. If you get problems after you have done your best to keep the water away then it's either a deeper compressible soil layer or the house was built half *** (usually this is the case).
The engineer in me says "based on the pictures and information provided it appears that normal shifting and/or settlement of the foundation has occurred in the area of concern and further remediation/monitoring is required to reduce the potential of further subsidence" ect. ect... The contractor in me says "that's normal, I'll caulk that right up and it will look brand new"
Hopefully this paints a good picture of my thoughts but at the end of the day no one on here including me knows for sure if there is an issue or not without seeing the whole picture. Good Luck!
John when I bought my house there is a crack in the foundation I had foundation people come out give me a price on it which they gave me and a lifetime warranty they did the foundation work and what it does it clears you for futures selling of the house when that comes up or turning the title over
I think that the lifetime warranty is the way it should be. Yes, peace of mind for future exit strategy. Thanks.
Honestly if this is an isolated area of the house you shouldn't have much concern; I've seen much worse. Drain the water away and keep an eye on it.
If this foundation/slab is on clay your biggest enemy is water. Keep it away from your house the best you can. If you get problems after you have done your best to keep the water away then it's either a deeper compressible soil layer or the house was built half *** (usually this is the case).
The engineer in me says "based on the pictures and information provided it appears that normal shifting and/or settlement of the foundation has occurred in the area of concern and further remediation/monitoring is required to reduce the potential of further subsidence" ect. ect... The contractor in me says "that's normal, I'll caulk that right up and it will look brand new"
Hopefully this paints a good picture of my thoughts but at the end of the day no one on here including me knows for sure if there is an issue or not without seeing the whole picture. Good Luck!
Thanks Kevin! I should have an answer back today or tomorrow and I will share what the result is. Finger's crossed.