All Forum Posts by: Josue Vargas

Welcome to BP, I would agree with @Rick Pozos about your profile. It only takes minutes to fill out your and let everyone else you are serious. Don't be discourage, keep learning and be more informed about what you want to do for REI.

Best of luck! 

Hello @Mike Castellow

What did that "structural engineer" do for you to call a "deficient information twice"?  I'm curious to know what are the issues with your property and what he did, so we can learn from your experiences.  I'm a Civil Engineer and while my expertise is in pavements, I deal a lot with structural issues as well.  Regards. 

A 100-yr storm is just that.  

The worst storm in a 100-yr record that flooded certain elevation.  When did that happen? Is it likely to happen again?  

I believe, and I repeat, I believe it doesn't matter for insurance companies, even if you put your house in a pedestal, your neighborhood will be flooded regardless.  some exceptions applies on rural developments (and upgrades to retention ponds, ect). 

I recommend you not to hire a contractor to look at the problem, but at a geotechnical engineer (or c company)...  Nothing against contractors, but the engineer will have a better understanding of what to be done properly, then you can call your contractor... 

Josue 

The only thing she could do to you is put your sender's address on a holding list.. even thought, this is more applicable for other promotional mails such as credit cards companies, "free-type" magazine, etc.  I doubt your mailing address will ever go banned from getting to its final destination.  You are doing a good job, people are getting these letters and reading it!

Best regards,

Josue Vargas, PE

Glad to help, don't be discourage for these cracks, sometimes they are just debonding from brick wall and slab/foundation, and they are way less expensive than repair a foundation issue, IF, and a big IF this is the case.  I highly recommend to seek advice from a professional, you need a structural or geotechnical engineer to take a look at it.  Also, if you know is not structural, it can be a bargain to get a better price on the property. 

The best you know about the property the better your can get the price down. 

The best of luck to you. 

Best regards,

Josue Vargas, PE

Hi @Andrew Gudmunson and welcome to BP!

You are in the right place to find lots of great advices and information. 

Regarding San Antonio/Austin area, check out good info about thecorridor.org.  It says that "Austin-San Antonio Corridor is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, currently home to just over 4 million people and expected to grow to 6-7 million people by 2030."  Of course, this is just expectations, but a lot of people are saying the same thing and we see every day people form other states moving here.  What I can see in San Antonio and Austin, and other areas between them, are growing and growing every single day.  Good luck!

Is this crack only on this side of the house?  It looks like this wide crack (from the picture looks like is a good inch on one side then less on the other plus a vertical crack that seems to follow a brick wall against concrete slab foundation.  

Is this house have a basement?  I'm pretty sure that the slab is not resting along on a brick wall and must have some sort of retaining wall or columns/beam system.  It might be just the separation from the brick wall and the concrete itself.  I suspect water is a problem like @Roy N. said.  

If there are some differential settlement (the house is sinking in a non uniform way), you should be able to see diagonal cracks on the bricks, specially from the corners of the openings (windows/doors).  Take in consideration that this settlement usually happens on the first 20-30 years from the date the house was built, depending on the type of soil... some exceptions applies (flooding or oversaturated soil, earthquakes, to name few).

Cost will largely varies depending on what actually the issue is and how severe is.  Also take in consideration that the house is almost 90 years old.  Usually concrete start loosing its integrity or strength around 50-60 years, but this shouldn't be an issue because this crack is not related to that.  You see a lot of small cracks, crumbling of concrete, exposed reinforcement (if any due to the age of the house), and a lot more cracks due to integrity issues.   

My recommendation is that you hire a Professional Structural Engineer to take a look.  If the structural engineer have some concerns about the crack, he may recommend you to hire a geotechnical engineer or a specialized contractor in foundation/slab repair.  

Hope this help and good luck.