Home and Auto Home improvement question.

Direckshun · 12-01-2010, 02:36 PM

Well, I don't know how serious this is as an issue or anything, so I want to throw it out there to other homeowners who might have had the same issue.

We had been noticing a bunch of cracks in our garage and kitchen, and even after we patched them they'd come back, sometimes even bigger.

Someone suggested that maybe our home's foundation was off, so we had a guy come by who inspects these things. He shows us a couple cracks in the foundation and concludes that a corner of our house is ever-so-slightly lower than all the other corners. And this sagging, however slight it might be, is creating cracks in our home.

Easy fix, he says. At least physically. He'd come by later if we want him to and jack up the corner and we wouldn't have to face this problem again.

My questions to anybody who's dealt with this before is:

1. We're still waiting on the estimate, but how much does this usually cost?

2. How severe of a problem would you consider this to be? Is this something that escalates quickly?

Thanks in advance.

JD10367 · 12-01-2010, 02:40 PM

InChiefsHeaven · 12-01-2010, 02:47 PM

It does sound like a foundation problem, hopefully your contractor knows what he's doing. Sadly I can't even say how much it would cost, but make sure this dude knows what he's doing because if the cracks are getting bigger in that short amount of time, it seems like it could be a pretty severe issue if it's not fixed correctly. Good luck man!

**Bugeater** · 12-01-2010, 02:53 PM

Expect the estimate to be at least several thousand dollars.

blaise · 12-01-2010, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Expect the estimate to be at least several thousand dollars.

Yeah, I think probably 3,000 and up. I would get at least 3 estimates though.

**mlyonsd** · 12-01-2010, 02:56 PM

How old is the house?

How far away from that corner are you finding cracks in the walls?

Direckshun · 12-01-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Expect the estimate to be at least several thousand dollars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blaise

Yeah, I think probably 3,000 and up. I would get at least 3 estimates though.

Ugh.

Direckshun · 12-01-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

How old is the house?

How far away from that corner are you finding cracks in the walls?

~ 10 years old.

All the cracks are in that corner of the house. Nothing too far from it.

**mlyonsd** · 12-01-2010, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

~ 10 years old.

All the cracks are in that corner of the house. Nothing too far from it.

Then I'd agree that's probably the problem. If the house were older I'd look at other things as well, but it sounds like this guy knows what he's doing.

As far as cost goes I have no idea.

But if it were me I'd consider it a big deal and a necessary fix.

How far from the corner do you see cracks in the foundation?

InChiefsHeaven · 12-01-2010, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

~ 10 years old.

All the cracks are in that corner of the house. Nothing too far from it.

Oh man, that does suck. Seems kinda new to be having those issues...you should maybe contact the builder to see about some kind of foundational warranty?

**Iowanian** · 12-01-2010, 03:05 PM

It's not uncommon for an older home to settle a little bit and cause cracks in plaster. The home I bought had a corner that had an issue. I'd be upset if it were a 10 year old home.

You can buy floor jacks at any of the big stores(home depot, lowes) and probably at most of the local hardware stores. I bought 4 last year and I think they were about $75 each.

If he jacks the house up too much, it will cause more cracking. If it were mine, I'd put a level on the floor above it, find the corner with the issue and do it myself.

I wouldn't put the jack on one floor joist....I'd put a 2x6 across 3 or so and center the jack on that near the edge. Get it tight and then give it a few turns. If needed, I might add another one back into the room a little also(assuming unfinished basement). Then every week or so, go down and give it a few turns until you're closer to level. Then fix the cracks and move on.

Direckshun · 12-01-2010, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

Oh man, that does suck. Seems kinda new to be having those issues...you should maybe contact the builder to see about some kind of foundational warranty?

Are foundational warranties common?

Tell me what you know about them in a nutshell.

Direckshun · 12-01-2010, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowanian

It's not uncommon for an older home to settle a little bit and cause cracks in plaster. The home I bought had a corner that had an issue. I'd be upset if it were a 10 year old home.

I don't know what to do with that anger, though. I could bitch somebody out, I guess, but I don't think I have any legal action available to me.

vailpass · 12-01-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blaise

Yeah, I think probably 3,000 and up. I would get at least 3 estimates though.

3 grand AT LEAST

Earthling · 12-01-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowanian

It's not uncommon for an older home to settle a little bit and cause cracks in plaster. The home I bought had a corner that had an issue. I'd be upset if it were a 10 year old home.

You can buy floor jacks at any of the big stores(home depot, lowes) and probably at most of the local hardware stores. I bought 4 last year and I think they were about $75 each.

If he jacks the house up too much, it will cause more cracking. If it were mine, I'd put a level on the floor above it, find the corner with the issue and do it myself.

I wouldn't put the jack on one floor joist....I'd put a 2x6 across 3 or so and center the jack on that near the edge. Get it tight and then give it a few turns. If needed, I might add another one back into the room a little also(assuming unfinished basement). Then every week or so, go down and give it a few turns until you're closer to level. Then fix the cracks and move on.

Exactly. You don't want to jack it up too much all at once. Good advice from Iowanian.

12-01-2010, 02:36 PM
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4363447	Home improvement question. Well, I don't know how serious this is as an issue or anything, so I want to throw it out there to other homeowners who might have had the same issue. We had been noticing a bunch of cracks in our garage and kitchen, and even after we patched them they'd come back, sometimes even bigger. Someone suggested that maybe our home's foundation was off, so we had a guy come by who inspects these things. He shows us a couple cracks in the foundation and concludes that a corner of our house is ever-so-slightly lower than all the other corners. And this sagging, however slight it might be, is creating cracks in our home. Easy fix, he says. At least physically. He'd come by later if we want him to and jack up the corner and we wouldn't have to face this problem again. My questions to anybody who's dealt with this before is: 1. We're still waiting on the estimate, but how much does this usually cost? 2. How severe of a problem would you consider this to be? Is this something that escalates quickly? Thanks in advance.
Posts: 59,270

12-01-2010, 02:40 PM	#2
JD10367 Cheaterlover* Join Date: May 2009 Location: RI Casino cash: $10010716
Posts: 12,916

12-01-2010, 02:47 PM	#3
InChiefsHeaven Rockin' yer FACE OFF! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Casino cash: $3864937	It does sound like a foundation problem, hopefully your contractor knows what he's doing. Sadly I can't even say how much it would cost, but make sure this dude knows what he's doing because if the cracks are getting bigger in that short amount of time, it seems like it could be a pretty severe issue if it's not fixed correctly. Good luck man! __________________ We have a million reasons for failure, but not one excuse... Die Donks, DIE!! Holy Crap fellas!!! We did it!!! THREE TIMES!!!
Posts: 25,732

12-01-2010, 02:53 PM	#4
Bugeater The Maintenance Guy Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Renovated Bugeater Estate Casino cash: $6252680	Expect the estimate to be at least several thousand dollars.
Posts: 70,443

12-01-2010, 02:56 PM	#6
mlyonsd Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Spink, SD Casino cash: $1663762	How old is the house? How far away from that corner are you finding cracks in the walls?
Posts: 38,868

12-01-2010, 03:05 PM	#11
Iowanian Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia Casino cash: $4758454	It's not uncommon for an older home to settle a little bit and cause cracks in plaster. The home I bought had a corner that had an issue. I'd be upset if it were a 10 year old home. You can buy floor jacks at any of the big stores(home depot, lowes) and probably at most of the local hardware stores. I bought 4 last year and I think they were about $75 each. If he jacks the house up too much, it will cause more cracking. If it were mine, I'd put a level on the floor above it, find the corner with the issue and do it myself. I wouldn't put the jack on one floor joist....I'd put a 2x6 across 3 or so and center the jack on that near the edge. Get it tight and then give it a few turns. If needed, I might add another one back into the room a little also(assuming unfinished basement). Then every week or so, go down and give it a few turns until you're closer to level. Then fix the cracks and move on.
Posts: 61,531