NoVA - foundation crack - I am panicking!! Help!

[Anonymous]

We are having some work done around the house, removing mulch around the perimeter to replace for rocks and look what they just found!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z9b12r27743whcb/foundationcrack2.jpg?dl=0

I am in so stressed right now! Who do we call? We bought this house in Nov. 2014, moved in Jan. We had a inspection done with what we thought was a great inspector, highly recommend by our realtor. Now this! There are no cracks inside the house that he saw at the time or that I can see now…

[Anonymous]

Apex Waterproofing is who did mine.

But yours doesn't look bad. Calm down.

[Anonymous]

Inspectors don't have crystal balls. Good luck trying to pin it on him.

Calm down and call a foundation repair co. Yes it's going to cost you some money. But your house probably won't fall on your head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Inspectors don't have crystal balls. Good luck trying to pin it on him.

Calm down and call a foundation repair co. Yes it's going to cost you some money. But your house probably won't fall on your head.

OP here. Did I say I am going legally after him ("pin" on him)? We were/are new home buyers and we relied on him. If he had dug just a bit of the mulch he would have seen it. Anyway, nor here nor there….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inspectors don't have crystal balls. Good luck trying to pin it on him.

Calm down and call a foundation repair co. Yes it's going to cost you some money. But your house probably won't fall on your head.

OP here. Did I say I am going legally after him ("pin" on him)? We were/are new home buyers and we relied on him. If he had dug just a bit of the mulch he would have seen it. Anyway, nor here nor there….

LOL. OP, you just pinned it on him.

[Anonymous]

http://www.louisassociatesllc.com/About.php

www.tdicg.com

(Scott Adams)

Home owner here in NoVA. I can personally recommend Mr. Yan for evaluation of this problem. He is a structural engineer, licensed in DC, MD and VA. Scott Adams owns TDI Construction, works with Mr. Yan, and is capable of helping you.

[Anonymous]

http://www.tdicg.com/home

[Anonymous]

16:50 here.
I might recommend going back outside and looking up. Look for horizontal or vertical brick cracks on first, second floors. A small vertical crack is not uncommon in older brick homes. Horizontal exterior brick cracks are more problematic.

Also, go inside your home to where this foundation wall is and check it from the inside if you can. Look to see if the wall seems to be standing straight or is bowing in. Check that wall perpendicular to the wall with the brick crack.

Bricks are amazingly able to support via the way they are laid next to one another. Your concern is genuine, and I'd be upset if this was missed by the inspector. Now you can reach out to both the latter as well as an engineer and GC. I was pretty freaked out too but it all worked out.

[Anonymous]

I would teardown the house and rebuild

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:50 here.
I might recommend going back outside and looking up. Look for horizontal or vertical brick cracks on first, second floors. A small vertical crack is not uncommon in older brick homes. Horizontal exterior brick cracks are more problematic.

Also, go inside your home to where this foundation wall is and check it from the inside if you can. Look to see if the wall seems to be standing straight or is bowing in. Check that wall perpendicular to the wall with the brick crack.

Bricks are amazingly able to support via the way they are laid next to one another. Your concern is genuine, and I'd be upset if this was missed by the inspector. Now you can reach out to both the latter as well as an engineer and GC. I was pretty freaked out too but it all worked out.

Thanks so much for this. (OP here). I was so freaked out and I posted this as I had just found out. I have an anxious personality and this sent me really over the edge - I kept thinking 40 to 70k repair costs, etc.

Anyway, now I am more calm. I think this was tree root damage as right in front of this crack there is a bald round patch of dirt where a tree used to be. It was taken away by previous owners and I thinking that was the reason. I hope this is the cause of the crack, and not something worse.

Inside the house there are no visible cracks.

We have an engineer coming out today still.

Hoping for the best...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:50 here.
I might recommend going back outside and looking up. Look for horizontal or vertical brick cracks on first, second floors. A small vertical crack is not uncommon in older brick homes. Horizontal exterior brick cracks are more problematic.

Also, go inside your home to where this foundation wall is and check it from the inside if you can. Look to see if the wall seems to be standing straight or is bowing in. Check that wall perpendicular to the wall with the brick crack.

Bricks are amazingly able to support via the way they are laid next to one another. Your concern is genuine, and I'd be upset if this was missed by the inspector. Now you can reach out to both the latter as well as an engineer and GC. I was pretty freaked out too but it all worked out.

Thanks so much for this. (OP here). I was so freaked out and I posted this as I had just found out. I have an anxious personality and this sent me really over the edge - I kept thinking 40 to 70k repair costs, etc.

Anyway, now I am more calm. I think this was tree root damage as right in front of this crack there is a bald round patch of dirt where a tree used to be. It was taken away by previous owners and I thinking that was the reason. I hope this is the cause of the crack, and not something worse.

Inside the house there are no visible cracks.

We have an engineer coming out today still.

Hoping for the best...

NO way! I had waterproofing done inside and crack repair from Apex Waterproofing. $2500. Which I thought was a lot of money...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inspectors don't have crystal balls. Good luck trying to pin it on him.

Calm down and call a foundation repair co. Yes it's going to cost you some money. But your house probably won't fall on your head.

OP here. Did I say I am going legally after him ("pin" on him)? We were/are new home buyers and we relied on him. If he had dug just a bit of the mulch he would have seen it. Anyway, nor here nor there….

Yes, if he happened to dig out the mulch in just the right place. Which means you're saying you expected him to excavate your lot in order to find cracks around the foundation, because there's no way to know where a crack might turn up. That is not a reasonable expectation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:50 here.
I might recommend going back outside and looking up. Look for horizontal or vertical brick cracks on first, second floors. A small vertical crack is not uncommon in older brick homes. Horizontal exterior brick cracks are more problematic.

Also, go inside your home to where this foundation wall is and check it from the inside if you can. Look to see if the wall seems to be standing straight or is bowing in. Check that wall perpendicular to the wall with the brick crack.

Bricks are amazingly able to support via the way they are laid next to one another. Your concern is genuine, and I'd be upset if this was missed by the inspector. Now you can reach out to both the latter as well as an engineer and GC. I was pretty freaked out too but it all worked out.

Thanks so much for this. (OP here). I was so freaked out and I posted this as I had just found out. I have an anxious personality and this sent me really over the edge - I kept thinking 40 to 70k repair costs, etc.

Anyway, now I am more calm. I think this was tree root damage as right in front of this crack there is a bald round patch of dirt where a tree used to be. It was taken away by previous owners and I thinking that was the reason. I hope this is the cause of the crack, and not something worse.

Inside the house there are no visible cracks.

We have an engineer coming out today still.

Hoping for the best...

NO way! I had waterproofing done inside and crack repair from Apex Waterproofing. $2500. Which I thought was a lot of money...

Well that's nice you paid Apex Waterproofing that $2500 for an inside fix. Most of us know the best waterproofing job is done exteriorly though. And yes, it is expensive to do it right, unless you're a capable DIY'er.