Would this be a concern or are they normal settling cracks? Home is about 10 years old. Doors windows were fine. I was going to write it up as; “There are small and/or moderate cracks visible. We observed no related conditions suggesting the need for immediate repairs. We recommend these cracks be monitored. If ongoing movement is observed, further review would then be recommended”. Does that cover me?
Those cracks have moisture seepage type staining. I would elevate this issue.
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I agree with Brian!
Anytime I see any stains it goes in the report as a defect, but then again so does a cracked foundation wall, not that that crack appears to effect the structural integrity of the wall and those types of cracks are common, the wall was not designed to have those cracks in it and IMO should be written up as such.
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Good point. I am having a little difficulty with scale in the photos. If that is 1/4" mesh, then those cracks are pretty wide. So yeah…cracks and moisture is an issue.
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No, it doesn’t. The walls show obvious signs of previous water intrusion.
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What do I think? Really, no issue structurally and only some minor water entry.
What do I write?
Fractures that are larger in size than typical shrinkage or “hairline” cracks were found in the foundation at the xxx. Cracks of this size could indicate unstable soil under the foundation, excessive settlement/movement of the foundation or other structural concerns. A less serious concern with cracks is the potential for water and pest intrusion. Further contractor evaluation is recommended to evaluate for structural stability of the house and for sealing/repair of the cracked foundation.
I have several “levels” of write-up for cracks and this is one of the more soft ones. Any crack over normal size gets this. With “normal size” being defined as a crack a dime or screwdriver tip can fit into. Those look to barely meet that bar. Soil here in Maui is very solid and cracks are rare (so are foundations but that’s a whole other story 
) Back in Oregon the soil sucks and settlement is common… as are predatory foundation contractors wanting to do 20K worth of work on every house on the street.
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Any hole, window, door or step down in a foundation wall will cause stress concentrations due to shrinkage. Once cracked it becomes a weak link in a chain and will open up if settlement occurs at a later date.
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Thanks. I recommended the crawlspace be evaluated by a licensed structural engineer.
Thanks. I spoke with and sent more pictures to a family member that is a GC in Alaska. He didn’t see any structural issues but said the cracks need to be filled with epoxy to prevent future issues. His advice was to recommend an engineer evaluate the area and move on with my life.
I read an article from Inspector Pro that recommends that the phrasing have this issue monitored is not a good idea. By saying that we put the issue on the buyer and how do we as inspectors know how much the buyer knows on what to look for when monitoring a situation. The article goes into a lot more detail than I am conveying here. It is sound advice though if you can find the article.
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I steer far away from the term monitor. Monitor for what? How often? And what does the owner do if conditions change? At the minimum, I answer those questions if I use the term monitor.
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Great point. Thank you.