Potential foundation issue but not actually an issue?

[Anonymous]

We bought our 75 yr old house 6 years ago and the inspection came back fine. It was our first house and we had no clue what to look for, and used our realtor's inspector. A few months after moving in, we realized that the unfinished basement, which is concrete block with a parge coating, had a long skinny horizontal hairline crack in one of the walls (no way to know if the crack goes below the parge surface). The crack had probably always been there; we were not looking for anything like that closely.

When we discovered the crack, we hired a structural engineer to look at it. We were dumb and hired one who worked for a foundation company (licensed engineer, not just a salesperson). His professional opinion was that technically we should fix it with steel beams to the tune of $15k due to a 3/8" bow plus the crack, but he told us that it was so minor that if it were him he would monitor the crack and only address if it got bigger years down the road. This left us confused, so we hired another independent structural engineer who advised that the bowing was acceptable and the crack was not concerning.

The crack has not changed at all in the years since. We are thinking about selling and don't know what to do. We live in a buyer beware state so we don't have to disclose anything, and frankly I'm not sure what to disclose as both engineers made it sound like a nothing-burger (we only got a written report from the independent one who said there was no issue whatsoever). We could also shell out the $15k (probably more now), but that seems dumb as both engineers told us not to worry about it. On the other hand, I would hate to go to market, under contract, and then have a potential buyer hire the same engineer that quoted $15k and have that screw up the sale. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a written report from the second engineer? How did you keep track of any (lack of) changes?

You can offer such evidence to any particular buyer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a written report from the second engineer? How did you keep track of any (lack of) changes?

You can offer such evidence to any particular buyer.

We have a written report from the independent engineer. The one who worked for the foundation company gave us a quote for repair but no written report. When we discovered the issue we took a lot of photos and also marked the crack on the wall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a written report from the second engineer? How did you keep track of any (lack of) changes?

You can offer such evidence to any particular buyer.

We have a written report from the independent engineer. The one who worked for the foundation company gave us a quote for repair but no written report. When we discovered the issue we took a lot of photos and also marked the crack on the wall.

If you can show the report and no movement since, you should be able to show the buyer it's a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

It's is great if you have historical records of the crack since you moved in plus photos and a letter from an independent structural engineer! If I were a buyer, and I saw the crack, I would definitely inquire about it. Since buyers especially in this market are a little more careful about the condition of the house and the money they are spending,perhaps also consider getting an updated opinion. It will also probably come back as a nothing-burger, but better to be prepared. Further, a well-qualified home inspector to not only review the crack, but also evaluate the overall condition of your home before it hits the market and do everything you can to accentuate the positives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's is great if you have historical records of the crack since you moved in plus photos and a letter from an independent structural engineer! If I were a buyer, and I saw the crack, I would definitely inquire about it. Since buyers especially in this market are a little more careful about the condition of the house and the money they are spending,perhaps also consider getting an updated opinion. It will also probably come back as a nothing-burger, but better to be prepared. Further, a well-qualified home inspector to not only review the crack, but also evaluate the overall condition of your home before it hits the market and do everything you can to accentuate the positives.

Home inspector is useless in this case. They know the least about foundation repair and are only observers. His report, if he even spots it will say something to the tune of, I see a crack, recommend you call a licensed foundation repair company or structural engineer.

You've already done all you can. 3/8" bow can be stopped from getting worse with carbon fiber straps for a bit less than steel i-beams he recommended but let the buyer decide how they want to proceed. When their inspector finds the crack, show them the engineer's report. If they want to call out a foundation repair company at that point, let them and you may need to put money in escrow for the repair, but ask about carbon fiber straps. Steel beams or wall plate tie-backs are not usually the go-to for a wall that's only bowing in 3/8"

[Anonymous]

Put a storage shelf in front of the crack. That's what the sellers did at my house

[Anonymous]

If in Virginia, virtually all sellers disclaim rather than disclose in the standard form.

[Anonymous]

I would get it fixed with an epoxy injection - should cost you a few hundred dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's is great if you have historical records of the crack since you moved in plus photos and a letter from an independent structural engineer! If I were a buyer, and I saw the crack, I would definitely inquire about it. Since buyers especially in this market are a little more careful about the condition of the house and the money they are spending,perhaps also consider getting an updated opinion. It will also probably come back as a nothing-burger, but better to be prepared. Further, a well-qualified home inspector to not only review the crack, but also evaluate the overall condition of your home before it hits the market and do everything you can to accentuate the positives.

Home inspector is useless in this case. They know the least about foundation repair and are only observers. His report, if he even spots it will say something to the tune of, I see a crack, recommend you call a licensed foundation repair company or structural engineer.

You've already done all you can. 3/8" bow can be stopped from getting worse with carbon fiber straps for a bit less than steel i-beams he recommended but let the buyer decide how they want to proceed. When their inspector finds the crack, show them the engineer's report. If they want to call out a foundation repair company at that point, let them and you may need to put money in escrow for the repair, but ask about carbon fiber straps. Steel beams or wall plate tie-backs are not usually the go-to for a wall that's only bowing in 3/8"

OP here, pleased to see this thread resurrected! The steel beams were recommended because the parge job was so crappy and uneven - they basically said that because of the variation in the coating carbon fiber straps were not a possibility even though they would typically be used for minor bowing like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get it fixed with an epoxy injection - should cost you a few hundred dollars.

Yes, and probably painting the foundation.
Foundation problems usually shows up in an even door and windows.

[Anonymous]

You'll sell the house and never hear anything about it. If you think the crack is unsightly, the parge coats can be repaired and painted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get it fixed with an epoxy injection - should cost you a few hundred dollars.

We have a crack and the structural engineer that we hired advised us not to do this.