I reported this incorrectly as a parging issue. In fact, when I took the picture, it was to show the vertical crack and report is as Typical Minor Cracking. Client sent me a similar picture, saying “How did you miss this?” Rightfully, she is concerned.
No signs of moisture. I am going to do another inspection to ensure there are no further concerns and that the crack does not appear inside, which is currently covered by insulation and poly. Any recommendations or tips on how to proceed.
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Wow, that’s a pretty small crack… at least what can be seen near the bottom. The upper part doesn’t look much bigger but it’s hard to say with the parge coat covering it. I’d definitely be looking for other signs of a problem nearby - water, sloped floors inside, doors that don’t close, etc. From what I see there I’d say the best chance is it’s of no significance.
This whole foundation crack thing seems to have turned into an epidemic in our industry. I’ve trained my guys that EVERY crack gets a write-up of some type. Minor ones is just so people don’t think we missed it and to monitor (and these are the very minor ones). Next, gets a “soft” recommendation to have a contractor “seal to help prevent water/pest intrusion and to verify structural stability.” When they get bigger, of course, it’s the whole engineer, structural contractor, priest, rabbi, etc.
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Concrete cracks. It’s just what it does.
The interior foam will make it impossible to inspect the inside.
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Typical Vertical None structural foundation crack. Approamately 1/32nd -16th of an inch wide.
Recommend: Licensed foundation crack repair contractor repair the basement foundation crack.
Typically, exterior polyurethane injection is used. Repair cost. ><$150 per liner foot in my neck of the woods.
Hope that helps.
Sometimes those thin cracks are obscured due to water hoses, trash cans, vegetation.
Amend your report. Do so before the contract is fulfilled. No issues.
She is not rightfully concerned.
Missing something and not reporting on a de minimis crack are two different things.
That being said, if you never saw the crack then you did the right thing by going back. It is inevitable to miss something at some point.
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I totally agree.
The guy that trained me years ago called this “a hand holding session”. Basically, going back to walk someone through something to comfort them. Sometimes they have legitimate concerns. Usually, not. In any case, it goes a long ways in preventing people from escalating, acting on bad info from contractors and eventually coming after us financially.
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@mfellman I saw what you said about reporting on every crack.
I find this a bit fascinating but not disagreeable. I am sure it cuts back on call backs because an opinion was rendered. Good stuff.
I have a small issue with monitoring. Such as; monitor for what? How often should it be monitored? What should be done if the condition changes? I think those blanks should be filled in if you are going to recommend monitoring.
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Totally agree… monitoring is BS but I don’t know what else to say (and it’s an option in my state SOPs for some reason). I tell my guys the only time to use “monitor” is if you don’t even think it’s a problem but want to give them something. It’s mainly a way to let people know we saw it so don’t call us later and accuse us of being blind. It also works to document the crack at the time of the inspection so if it does turn into something later we can prove what it was like when we were there (although this has never happened).
Honestly, us documenting every instance of foundation cracking in some manner is relatively new. The structural contractors in my area are ruthless and always getting worse. There isn’t a house in town that doesn’t need 20K in work according to them. Because of that we’ve really had to increase our sensitivity and reporting.
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We do not have to report on every crack in our state. I often do not. However, I may make a comment depending on the situation.
The comment obviously varies. I may say, “Small concrete crack in the foundation was visible left side, no significant settlement observed”. And move on. Or, like you…make a recommendation if justified.
My state doesn’t require it… I’ve just made it a company policy as an attempt at keeping my phone from ringing with lawyers 
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I say somewhat the same thing as Brian but if there are many small cracks, instead of showing pictures of all, I will add “Similar cracks observed in multiple areas around the home’s foundation. All cracks should be monitored for growth and/or displacement. Consult with a qualified foundation contractor if cracks grow larger or displacement takes place.”
I take a CYA pic of every single crack, but I don’t want to fill my report with pictures of redundant common cracks.
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When I see this in any inspection, the first thing I do is look past the Parging if possible. Sometimes I even get down and pull grass away, enough to hopefully investigate as best I can.
In this case I see the Parging is cracked and further can see that the crack follows downward to the grade. I always report these cracks as, “Noted crack on …side, Suggest having a qualified foundation repair company further evaluate”. Further, always make sure to state that, “Any crack in a foundation can potentially allow for water to enter the home”.
One thing to consider if the Parging in cracked but no further crack below grade can be seen. Note in the report that the crack is viable, due to the inability to see beyond that of the visible crack it is always possible that such crack could be a precursor to a crack beneath grade.
I call it as I see it, and make sure to cover my butt.
I am also a general contractor and one of the services within my business is foundation repair. I just do not inspect what I work on or work on those I inspect. I am actually doing a foundation waterproof at the present time.
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All such cracks should be, ideally, waterproofed from the exterior. This, however, is rarely done until it turns into an issue (flooding, mold, etc…). Even if they don’t leak today, they can easily tomorrow. During heavy rain storms the crack, even hairline wide, may contribute to water intrusion. Often times the water will dry before anyone notices, especially inside crawl spaces where nobody checks. After a while, you will see stains and effloresces, however.
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“Small cracks in the concrete at the foundation walls were noted (see Photo). In our opinion this is not uncommon for the age and type of construction, combined with our expansive soils. However, we always recommend having any crack, gap or utility penetration caulked, sealed, tuckpointed, water-proofed and/or epoxied by a professional to be able to monitor for future movement or leaking. If either condition should ever occur, other repairs could be needed”.
“If this concerns you we recommend having a foundation contractor evaluate it for a 2nd opinion prior to leaving your due diligence period”.
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Just remember all hairline shrinkage cracks go through the wall or slab. When any future stress or settlement that occurs these shrinkage cracks are the weak link in the chain and will later open up into settlement cracks and stress cracks. The tricky part is a 50 foot basement wall can have have multiple hairline shrinkage cracks or have one larger shrinkage crack, which is the sum or all the smaller cracks. In general the total sum of the shrinkage crack widths should be the length of the wall in inches multiplied by 0.000780. The sum of all the cracks in a 50 foot wall should not be more than 50x12x0.000780 or 1/2 of an inch. Depending on the concrete mix design, how it was poured, how it was cured and the openings in the wall will have an impact on the total accumulated crack widths and the location of the cracks.
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I try to take a picture of every crack I see whether it is in a concrete slab, brick veneer (especially brick) or concrete block foundation. It is only necessary to report that the condition exists. Figuring out why or how to fix it is beyond the standards of practice and likely will waste your time… and you could be wrong about why it happened. Depending on the severity you could just write “crack noted at pictured location” or “…monitor for future expansion” or “Recommend a foundation specialist…” and sometimes I’ll list out possible causes of a cracks and let them decide.
I had never heard this formula. Can you give a source?
I have informally done something similar over the years. Some years ago, I was looking at a forty foot wall with a tiny (slightly more than hairline) crack every 3 feet. I called it out as excessive cracking because when I added up the tiny gaps, I had a number around 1/2 inch. A structural engineer agreed and recommended repairs.
Lon, ACI209.2R-08 was my reference. Based on this document there are seven items that affect the amount of shrinkage in concrete: How it was cured, the relative humidity during curing, the volume to surface ratio of the concrete, the slump, percent of fine aggregate, cement ratio, and percent of entrained air. The graphic below shows the basic formula I referenced multiplied by a correction factor based on those seven items. If you don’t know any of these seven items, then just use the 0.000780 in/in I listed previously.
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That is great. Thanks,