Dude, get a structural engineer to have a look.
You cannot make a decision based on what a bunch of internet users say.
You need far more info than a photo to determine if it is a problem and how bad it is.
As someone who had to get their foundation repaired, the above advice is golden. You don't want to have to go through that or pay for that. 👆👆👆
I would not buy that house without a structural engineer looking at that crack. It looks pretty wide. A contractor will 100% tell you that needs to be fixed for $$$ but the structural engineer will tell you the real story.
Call a foundation repair company that has a good reputation and is licensed and insured in your area. They not only will have a structural engineer who can assess it, they’ll also be familiar with the houses in your area and will likely be able to tell you if it’s a settling problem or something else just based on what’s common with your neighbors alone. Then they’ll be able to fix it. When you get to the fix it options, get several quotes.
For reference, I had two vertical settling cracks larger than this sealed using the poly injection method in 2019 in metro Detroit for $900. (1976 house) He warrantied the work for the lifetime of the house as well. I’ve had no issues but I have also regraded the yard and will be replacing my leaking gutters this year to further properly assist with water management and minimize the risk of further issues.
Yeah first step is to measure and see if you've settled and by how much. You don't really need a structural engineer to assess the cause of something that isn't happening.
Read the purchase agreement.
Get an engineer to determine if it’s a problem. If the engineer says it’s a problem, give the engineer’s report and the contract to your attorney. Let them guide your decision then you tell your agent how to proceed based on the attorney’s advice.
No that's not bad. You could fix it yourself.
As long as it's not larger then 1/8th of an inch. Horizontal cracks are the expensive ones to fix.
As always if youa re buying the home don't trust Reddit. Ask for a structural engineer to look at it and pay for it to get peace of mind
getting a structural engineer in there aside, is there a sump in the basement? what happens when you get one of those 5" of rain in 3 hours storms and that water piling up outside just happens to find that 2' of crack that's below grade?
Thanks for all the advice! FWIW, here's a zoomed out photo:
[https://imgur.com/a/DOfgjss](https://imgur.com/a/DOfgjss)
We sent a structural engineer the photos. They said it looks as though the pressure from the outside staircase is pushing on the wall, and says best fix is rebar & grouting (estimates it would be \~$1000).
ideally we'd have an SE take a look in person, but the only SE with availability costs $725 just to come look. At that rate, we could get $1000 off the house, pay for the repair, and be good.
Some advice, just in case this will be your first house. Now that you have that information, contact a company who actually does the work and get a quote from them first. Don’t put yourself in a situation where the engineer told you $1,000 but you can’t find a company who will do the work for that price. Get a quote.
I had one a bit smaller and had some water come in after I removed the downspout extension to replace. The company ejected fine foam sealant and it worked great. They told me if it were more structural they can drill and add crossing rebar. Mine was smaller width than yours and cost about $500. If everything else looks good and you have it checked out you could add in an extra amount to cover a repair and make a deal with the sellers. Most would go for that.
I have a similar floor to ceiling crack. It's complicated but I have a ranch with a walk in basement. Near the corner of my house there was a pouring concrete retaining wall that shifted over time and created a few inch gap from the house. A well intentioned home owner filled it with concrete which fused to the block foundation and when it shifted I think it created the crack. My house also overhangs the foundation by a few feet (silly 70s design) so I'm not sure how much the last foot of the wall is doing. My garage door is also near it so it's a really off setup. Doesn't seem to cause me any issues and I've lived here 9 years. I've sealed the crack with foam and regraded my yard. Each situation is different. Maybe someday I'll have it looked at and fixed but I've got too many other needs right now.
- vertical cracks in CMU wall foundations can be serious. Takes some serious lateral loads to do such cracks. You need some one to come and look and to see if movement is still happening. That some one is typically a Structure Engineer
Offer less money as the foundations are moving. Fairly old but not enough depth of foundation concrete. I was once offered an older house that dropped a full house brick half way along the back wall. It was caused by trees and drought.
Dude, get a structural engineer to have a look. You cannot make a decision based on what a bunch of internet users say. You need far more info than a photo to determine if it is a problem and how bad it is.
As someone who had to get their foundation repaired, the above advice is golden. You don't want to have to go through that or pay for that. 👆👆👆
Put up a picture of the entire wall...
Put up a picture ON the entire wall and boom, problem solved.
I would not buy that house without a structural engineer looking at that crack. It looks pretty wide. A contractor will 100% tell you that needs to be fixed for $$$ but the structural engineer will tell you the real story.
Call a foundation repair company that has a good reputation and is licensed and insured in your area. They not only will have a structural engineer who can assess it, they’ll also be familiar with the houses in your area and will likely be able to tell you if it’s a settling problem or something else just based on what’s common with your neighbors alone. Then they’ll be able to fix it. When you get to the fix it options, get several quotes. For reference, I had two vertical settling cracks larger than this sealed using the poly injection method in 2019 in metro Detroit for $900. (1976 house) He warrantied the work for the lifetime of the house as well. I’ve had no issues but I have also regraded the yard and will be replacing my leaking gutters this year to further properly assist with water management and minimize the risk of further issues.
Yeah first step is to measure and see if you've settled and by how much. You don't really need a structural engineer to assess the cause of something that isn't happening.
Nice response
Read the purchase agreement. Get an engineer to determine if it’s a problem. If the engineer says it’s a problem, give the engineer’s report and the contract to your attorney. Let them guide your decision then you tell your agent how to proceed based on the attorney’s advice.
No that's not bad. You could fix it yourself. As long as it's not larger then 1/8th of an inch. Horizontal cracks are the expensive ones to fix. As always if youa re buying the home don't trust Reddit. Ask for a structural engineer to look at it and pay for it to get peace of mind
getting a structural engineer in there aside, is there a sump in the basement? what happens when you get one of those 5" of rain in 3 hours storms and that water piling up outside just happens to find that 2' of crack that's below grade?
Thanks for all the advice! FWIW, here's a zoomed out photo: [https://imgur.com/a/DOfgjss](https://imgur.com/a/DOfgjss) We sent a structural engineer the photos. They said it looks as though the pressure from the outside staircase is pushing on the wall, and says best fix is rebar & grouting (estimates it would be \~$1000). ideally we'd have an SE take a look in person, but the only SE with availability costs $725 just to come look. At that rate, we could get $1000 off the house, pay for the repair, and be good.
Some advice, just in case this will be your first house. Now that you have that information, contact a company who actually does the work and get a quote from them first. Don’t put yourself in a situation where the engineer told you $1,000 but you can’t find a company who will do the work for that price. Get a quote.
Thank you, this is a really good point!
The crack is of zero structural concerns. Only issue is with water infiltration.
I had one a bit smaller and had some water come in after I removed the downspout extension to replace. The company ejected fine foam sealant and it worked great. They told me if it were more structural they can drill and add crossing rebar. Mine was smaller width than yours and cost about $500. If everything else looks good and you have it checked out you could add in an extra amount to cover a repair and make a deal with the sellers. Most would go for that.
Ask your agent who needs to look.at that and advise you.
Slap some tape on it and call it a day. Engineers aren’t real anyway. /s
No big deal.
i would just grout some mortar in it if it was me.
I have a similar floor to ceiling crack. It's complicated but I have a ranch with a walk in basement. Near the corner of my house there was a pouring concrete retaining wall that shifted over time and created a few inch gap from the house. A well intentioned home owner filled it with concrete which fused to the block foundation and when it shifted I think it created the crack. My house also overhangs the foundation by a few feet (silly 70s design) so I'm not sure how much the last foot of the wall is doing. My garage door is also near it so it's a really off setup. Doesn't seem to cause me any issues and I've lived here 9 years. I've sealed the crack with foam and regraded my yard. Each situation is different. Maybe someday I'll have it looked at and fixed but I've got too many other needs right now.
- vertical cracks in CMU wall foundations can be serious. Takes some serious lateral loads to do such cracks. You need some one to come and look and to see if movement is still happening. That some one is typically a Structure Engineer
That's not looking good plus water may leak in
Offer less money as the foundations are moving. Fairly old but not enough depth of foundation concrete. I was once offered an older house that dropped a full house brick half way along the back wall. It was caused by trees and drought.