Expert Advice on Home Improvement TV Host of Emmy®-Nominated Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather ChannelConcrete and Masonry, Repairs and Installation Published 10/23/2006 by Danny Lipford
A major structural problem with your home is probably every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Structural problems left unattended decrease your homes value and only worsen over time. So if you are seeing signs of foundation problems around your home like cracks in your drywall, or if you have doors that do not open or close properly you probably need to have an evaluation done.
If your home is exhibiting symptoms of foundation problems like cracks in walls, sticking and swinging doors, or uneven floors it may need foundation repair. Experienced professionals can give you an accurate analysis of your home and design a foundation repair solution.
If you are financing the sale yourself, this poses no problem. Loaning institutions generally will not close a loan without repairs being done or scheduled. However, beware as some state laws impose severe penalties for fraudulently concealing a structural problem from a buyer.
Quite the contrary. If the foundation of your home is repaired by a reputable contractor it is considered stronger after the repairs are performed. Therefore, appraisal values will be the same, as if the problem had never developed. If you are planning on selling your home after the foundation repair work is performed the warranty from the contractor and their reputation are more important than ever.
Finally, here are some important factors to consider before taking this daunting foundation problem on.
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April 26th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
I moved into a brand new home. It’s less than a year old and in its basement the load bearing walls some have a hairline crack. The walls consist of walled sections. The concrete walled sections that the load-bearing steel beam the upper level of the house rest on the cracks are more pronounce which extend from the top where the steel beam rest and protrude downward approximately the length of the wall. Is the normal with settling of the house or something that need to be evaluated by a professional?
June 12th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
MY HOUSE I JUST PURCHASED IS ABOUT 50 YEARS OLD. THE FLOOR JOIST ARE 2X6″ BEAMS 24″ ON CENTER. MOST OF THE CROSS BEAMS HAVE DROPPED, AND MY FLOORS BOUNCE WHEN I WALK AROUND THE HOUSE. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
I’m with you. I did the same thing and have the same problem x four beams. Forget about piers, not the problem. Research humidity problems, improper venting and moisture problems causing dryrot. Beams crumble then collapse, caused by moisture, mostly drain problems from your own plumbing. Get an old time pier and beam man, familiar with chain wall construction. Sorry, not only will beams have to go, but wet problem must also be fixed. Good Luck keep in touch. alex721@sbcglobal.net
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:57 am
Thanks for the info.
I just realized that there is a zig-zag crack in the bricks in front of my home. Also the pantry door does not close. How do i begin the process of looking at the foundation. Do i invite an engineer first to look at it or should i just contact a foundation repair expert.
Please advise.
Allen Says:June 28th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Wilfred, how wide are the cracks? Are there cracks on the inside walls? Any cracks at the pantry door? It may not be structural at all. Could be simply some natural settlement. Let me know the answers to those questions.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I notice some nail pops around my home, also above one of the bed room doors there is a vertical hair line.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
3 corners in a bedroom that are exterior walls are showing the following:
1- drywall tape bubbles
2- vertical cracks appearing from floor to ceiling
The one corner in the room that is an interior corner shows no signs of damage at all. I am thinking this is foundation problems, but the cracks are straight, the doors close, there are no diagonal cracks around the windows or doors. What do you think?
Paula
Ben Erickson Says:August 1st, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Paula,
Minor flaws in sheetrock are common, especially if the house was attached with nails rather than screws as is now the custom. Nail pops and slight cracks at joints above doors and windows from seasonal movement of the wood framing are two of the most often noticed defects, and should be repaired before you repaint. Larger problems, such as you described, could be the result of improper sheetrock installation, excessive moisture in the wall, or settling of the foundation. A moisture meter can be used to see if the wall in question varies significantly from other areas of the house. If it does, check your roof and siding and repair any leaks.
August 14th, 2007 at 11:46 am
I live in a house that is built off the ground and is over 100 years. There is about 15 brick pillars under the house and some are crumbling. I know that I need foundation work. Where can I find a good company to do this that doesn’t cost 2 arms and 2 legs
?
October 25th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
i own a piece of land and the ground is soft ground were i build my home i have foundation problem and loking for someone to fix it but i have more ground and want to built some appartments is there a way i can built on the land those appartments so i wouldnt have any problem later
October 27th, 2007 at 8:38 am
I have cracks in my basement wall no water is coming in. There is white powder at the base of the cinder block. Ive had three contracters in and have had 3 different ways to fix the problem. Im not sure which one I should do. 1. is dig out side and tar and put new drainage in. 2. dig inside putting new drain in floor to sump pump.3. insde dig and put pillers in floor to rise house on one corner this is the most costly. Help
November 5th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Stacy, any professional company is going to cost you alot of money but you want to make sure to check references, even if they say they have been in business for years, make sure they have done the type of work you are looking to have done. Get several estimates, check all the references, and when you decide on a contractor make sure he is licensed and insured. Make sure the estimate is in writing and he gives you a copy of his certificate of insurance. Any reputable contractor will have no problem giving you these things for that type of work. Debbie, I don’t understand your question? You want to build apartments on the same land that you’ve built your house on, but your having problems with the house? Are you asking what can be done to the land so that you wont have problems with the building of apartments? If so, again, a contractor is the one to contact. You will have to have permits and such and a good contractor would know what would have to be done in your case.
November 5th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Kim do you currently have a sump pump installed? Does water collect in the basement ever? From the little info you’ve given me I would opt for number one, it depends why the water is coming in tho. Make sure to again check all the references for THIS type of work, get a written estimate and certificates of ins. Make sure he doesn’t make the problem worse by directing the water to an area where it hits your neighbors property and gives them problems or reroutes to a different part of your foundation. I have this same issue going on myself and when it floods it is not fun especially if your lower level is finished ( mine was..its now being remodelled) I can’t stress enough the importance of checking references for THIS TYPE of work, no matter how long this person has been working in the business..just because he is a contractor and is good at building things doesnt mean he is an expert at all things. So cover yourself.
November 5th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I have a 50+ year old house with concrete slab foundation. My problems are diagonal cracks (window areas)in the cinder block walls. They are showing up in the inside walls and attic area. I have exterior siding. How do you suppose I address these cracks?
January 8th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I live in a home that is 12 years old. The builder is one of the local high-volume builders. When I ripped out the carpet to put down hard wood, I noticed that there was a raised spot on the floor that the builder did not grind down. As it turns out, there is a pvc pipe that wasn’t cut down enough (maybe they were going to put an outlet?) and the concrete is piled up to the height of the pipe. Over time, that has led to a small crack in the concrete that extends to the porch outside. Otherwise, I have had no problems with the house. On the face of it, is this a major problem?
January 8th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Foundation.. I would consider it a major problem. If the foundation is not correct it can not support the rest of the house. I would fix it while it was minor ..just my opinion after going through it with a house we bought at auction and wish we had inspected better:) It may not be expensive now..theres no way to know unless a pro looks but I DO know its better taken care of sooner than later. And if you are aware of the problem and sell the house without telling the buyer you will be held liable. You dont want that hassle. Just my opinion.
February 1st, 2008 at 11:13 am
Hi.
We bought our home year and half ago. No major problems noted in the inspection. Since that time we noticed major creaking of the floors on all 3 levels that has progressively gotten worse. Now you can’t step anywhere without loud creaks/groans. Also we have noticed horizontal cracks, especially around door frames and doors are not shutting properly. It seems to be getting worse. House is 25 years old. Who to call? We are nervous that someone will come and diagnose a major problem just to get the contract to fix it. Do we get multiple estimates? Thanks.
February 10th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I have about a 10 inch line above my window
in my bedroom and each time I fill it in or
cork it about 3-6months it comes back. HELP:
March 1st, 2008 at 3:55 am
Our house is about 100 or so years old, and was re-stumped by its previous owner about 15 years ago, and is heritage listed.
We have cracks throughout our ceiling, which are replicated in the same spot upstairs, and directly beneath these cracks are even larger gaps between the floorboards. Our dining room is elevated in its centre and slops in a downwards direction towards the kick boards, and the wood paneling on the wall no longer sits probably against the existing plaster board.
Some of our floorboards actually bend when they are stood on, and barley any of our windows or doors open or close without having to really push them.
The tiles in our kitchen and bathroom have began to lift off the walls, due to the new cement sheeting cracking, and our kitchen bench no longer sits correctly and seems to be leaning. We have also experienced some major leaks, caused by the actual tiles moving on the roof, and have had large amounts of water going down the walls directly under the house.
We have received two quotes, and have been told that we need to rip up the majority of the floorboards in the back part of the house, due to the joists needing to be replaced and that it will cost around $20,000. Is this quote too much, and do we actually need to rip up our floorboards?
March 18th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
My husband and i are about to buy a house that is 4 years old. We had the inspection done yesterday and the guy found that it has already had foundation work done recently. He says it may have had something to do with the way the windows were put in but we would have to get a structural engineer to look at it. Since it has had work do you think we should get it looked at again or just not buy it at all? We do not know if we want to take the risk of something happening down the road. What do we do?
April 13th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
I have a house with foundation problems like cracks in the walls doors wont lock things like that. My question is i want to put a nice tile in my kitchen will this crack the tiles if the house shifts or even could i use like the snap together laminate flooring or should i be safe and go with the lanolium right now i have the stick on type they are just not very apealing please help?
April 24th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Can flooring smell bad like ceramic tile if there maybe too much moisture in slab?
May 7th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
My house is around 13 years old, 2 story, brick and hardiplank. It appears that I have some separtion in the brick where it was put together on the outside and also noticed hairline cracks from the inside of my gargage running about halfway into my kitchen. What can I do about this and does it sound like it will be an expensive job?
June 12th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I am looking into buy buying a foreclosure. It is a nice brick home in a nice community, the problem is that it has major foundation issues. There is a crack about two feet at the corner of a bedroom in the cement floor. The brick fireplace has a crack that actually broke through the brick instead of following the morter(?) lines. Also, about a foot off the bottom of the house on the outside brick is a crack that runs from the patio door to the end of the house! Because it is a foreclosure and has been on the market a long time, not to mention the extensibe problems with the foundation, I was wondering if I my offer could refect those things. Mainly I’m wondering if the foundation damage would allow me to ask $70,000 off the asking price due to labor and cost to fix the damages? ( I would not be buying a house with problems if it wasnt such a nice house in the best neighborhood….big return later)…Advice please!!!
Ben Erickson Says:June 13th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Samantha,
Without a doubt, your offer should be substantially reduced due to the foundation damage, but make sure your offer is contingent on an inspection, and have an inspector or engineer examine the problems throughly before going ahead. It would also be a good idea to get several estimates on repairing the damage before signing off on the house. Structural foundation problems can be very costly to repair, and might not even be fixable.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I bought my house about 2 years ago. I went into the unfinshed part of the basement about 3 months ago and there are cracks all along the wall. In one place of the wall I can see the sunlight outside. Water was getting in part of the basement but not from the cracks. Before we baught the house and a company came out and put a draining system to the current drain. No water gets in but I want to build a deck. I had a guy tell me to have someone come out and look at it. How do I know that the contractor does not make it sound worse than it is? All of the cracks are on the seam of the blocks except for one. I was told that if the block is cracked in the middle it is because of stress and I should be worried about it. What do I do?
August 12th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
My utility room used to be a garage. At some point it was closed in. The floor of the utility room is the original slab from the old garage. The floor is not even and where the concrete slab intersects the wall (there are no baseboards), water permeates through that part of the wall when it rains. I had a general contractor assess and he thinks a chain wall needs to be added and the foundation built up. But I don’t understand what a chain wall is. Could you explain?