Scrib

I have a crack on the inside of my foundation, from floor to ceiling, hairline-type. It sits below the garage and porch, so it's not exposed to rain, elements, etc.

Is this something that needs to be addressed, or are these types of "cracks" normal. It's not leaking.

Only concern is obviously if it does leak, or if we were to sell our home if the house gets inspected, if that is something they would "flag".

doopstr

I saw an episode of Ask This Old House a few weeks ago where they dealt with cracks in the basement. They basically just patched it up and called it a day. The crack this guy had was rather large (could see daylight through it). First they cleaned it out and chiseled away some weak material, shot some kind of foam in there, and then patched it with some concrete mix.

So if buyer makes a stink it's probably not to expensive to address.

svtmike

My foundation has had a couple of those. You can get an epoxy kit to fill the crack to ensure it doesn't leak or weep. It's not hard to do yourself -- I did a couple. Since I went semi-finished with my basement, I ground the surface epoxy down after it cured and just painted over it. Can't even tell there was a repair made.

I'm pretty sure I bought my kits as special order through the contractor's desk at my local Lowes.

Moog-Type-S

Most hair-line cracks are nothing to worry about.

fsttyms1

Agree, if its just a small hairline its not something i would worry about. If you see it pulling apart or getting bigger then call in a professional.

dallison

How old is the house? If it's brand new i would keep an eye on it. If it's 5+ years old i wouldn't really worry much about it. Most of the settling should have occurred if older than 5 years.

Scrib

7 years this June.

dallison

I wouldn't worry, like others have said, it can be patched/filled in and call it a day. If that is the worst crack you have, you are fine and lucky.

I have seen worse on brand new homes.

rza49311

iTrader: (1)

what type of material are we talking about?

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Exactly. Is this a concrete block foundation or poured concrete?

Scrib

Poured

Dan

http://www.houselogic.com/articles/w...ation-repairs/

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Does it looks like water has penetrated the crack? Mold, white residue?
If you're concerned call a foundation company and see if they can give you a free estimate.

Read this too: http://www.livingwithmyhome.com/201-...on-cracks.aspx

Scrib

No... Nothing visually alarming.

And since it sits under the garage, I would have a hard time believing it would ever leak.

Worst case, if we end up moving and the buyer wants it fixed, I'll spend the $200 to get it plugged.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like it's just shrinkage


George: Did she do it on purpose?
Jerry: It was my fault, I told her the wrong door.
George: I was supposed to see her. She wasn't supposed to see me.
Jerry: So what?
George: Well ordinarily I wouldn't mind. But...
Jerry: But...
George: Well I just got back from swimming in the pool. And the water was
cold...
Jerry: Oh... You mean... shrinkage.
George: Yes. Significant shrinkage!
Jerry: So you feel you were short changed.
George: Yes! I mean, if she thinks that's me she's under a complete
misapprehension. That was not me, Jerry. That was not me.

Fibonacci

Just do it now.

A smart pre-emptive thing you can do prior to listing your home is having it professionally inspected and addressing all the repairs (however nit picky they may be) so that your buyers won't have an excuse to walk away.