So im trying to understand whats normal and what to worry about. I'm looking at a house I really like but there is one worry. Its a cinder block foundation. It has cracked. They have repaired most of the cracks with the caulk stuff. My guess on why its cracking and the others aren't is. The parking slab is right next to the wall and all that weight parked their is probably hard on it. You can see where it has leaked a little but not bad and the crack could easily be repaired however. They put these steel beams on the wall to help support it I suppose. Its somewhat common , my realtor has seen it before. What do you guys think of this?
foundation questions.
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Originally Posted By: ram_man
So im trying to understand whats normal and what to worry about. I'm looking at a house I really like but there is one worry. Its a cinder block foundation. It has cracked. They have repaired most of the cracks with the caulk stuff. My guess on why its cracking and the others aren't is. The parking slab is right next to the wall and all that weight parked their is probably hard on it. You can see where it has leaked a little but not bad and the crack could easily be repaired however. They put these steel beams on the wall to help support it I suppose. Its somewhat common , my realtor has seen it before. What do you guys think of this?
There are a few ways of doing that. To do it properly you've got to pour the bottom into the floor concrete at solid block the top a few joists in
Its not the cars causing the cracks,its water.
Personally I would build a structural frost wall al the way around the building which eliminates the need for the block foundation.
Use a pressure treated bottom plate in case of moisture ant then nail both top plates to the top,then custom cut each stud to fit.
Waterproof the problem areas first,then frame the walls.
If done about 100 pwf wood foundations in my lifetime. They are 1/4 the cost of concrete and as far as I'm concerned they are better. Why you may ask, well I'll tell ya n
You can insulate and drywall the basement,eliminating the need of building frost walls around the perimeter.
Because PWF foundations have very strict guidelines as far as fill against the foundation drainage is far superior than just dumping gravel then dirt. We have to put 2' of grave,then 4' of sand,then the remaining couple or so feet is just standard died from digging the foundation hole.
You also get a superior finished product. In my lifetime I've never seen a concrete foundation perfectly square or level. So when I build the house my square sits either just a bit off the foundation or inside it requiring feather wedges custom cut to straighten it out. A wood foundation can be stucco'ed or sided right onto its surface,and parging is a snap. The floor end up perfectly flush on the foundation walls.
They are also much easier to do on walkout houses,where the basement walks out into the backyard.
When using concrete we have to cut studs of different lengths to keep the top level,or when using a wood foundation all the wall heights are the same,so the whole process is much easier.
Concrete foundations are just starting to catch on here because it saves an easy 50k on the total cost of building a home,in saved material and labour.
And if ever there was a water issue a wood foundation is far easier and cheaper to fix. We can built 4 storey with wood,so it only makes sense to use it however you need skilled men who will pay attention to the smallest detail to build them,whereas concrete guys just need to be strong enough to haul forms.
And if anyone is considering building a home with the foam blocks filled with concrete I'll tell you right now that you need a skilled contractor to do that.
The forms tend to float up when poured which causes the house to get taller. And if the installer doesn't use enough braces in the wall span you end up with serious bows in the wall,and looks horrible when finished.
I've built the interiors and put the roofs on countless foam block homes and not a single one was level on top,so we had to shim the cap plate up to the walls tallest point in order to put the roof together properly. And the houses weren't square,so we basically had to snap grid lines that were square and use them for reference points.
Ever tried to install a kitchen where the walls that intersected weren't square. You end up at the finished gables you have gaps of inches,and the finished gables aren't wide enough to cover the gap since the cabinet company only sends them an inch larger to compensate for inconsistencies.
So im trying to understand whats normal and what to worry about. I'm looking at a house I really like but there is one worry. Its a cinder block foundation. It has cracked. They have repaired most of the cracks with the caulk stuff. My guess on why its cracking and the others aren't is. The parking slab is right next to the wall and all that weight parked their is probably hard on it. You can see where it has leaked a little but not bad and the crack could easily be repaired however. They put these steel beams on the wall to help support it I suppose. Its somewhat common , my realtor has seen it before. What do you guys think of this?
There are a few ways of doing that. To do it properly you've got to pour the bottom into the floor concrete at solid block the top a few joists in
Its not the cars causing the cracks,its water.
Personally I would build a structural frost wall al the way around the building which eliminates the need for the block foundation.
Use a pressure treated bottom plate in case of moisture ant then nail both top plates to the top,then custom cut each stud to fit.
Waterproof the problem areas first,then frame the walls.
If done about 100 pwf wood foundations in my lifetime. They are 1/4 the cost of concrete and as far as I'm concerned they are better. Why you may ask, well I'll tell ya n
You can insulate and drywall the basement,eliminating the need of building frost walls around the perimeter.
Because PWF foundations have very strict guidelines as far as fill against the foundation drainage is far superior than just dumping gravel then dirt. We have to put 2' of grave,then 4' of sand,then the remaining couple or so feet is just standard died from digging the foundation hole.
You also get a superior finished product. In my lifetime I've never seen a concrete foundation perfectly square or level. So when I build the house my square sits either just a bit off the foundation or inside it requiring feather wedges custom cut to straighten it out. A wood foundation can be stucco'ed or sided right onto its surface,and parging is a snap. The floor end up perfectly flush on the foundation walls.
They are also much easier to do on walkout houses,where the basement walks out into the backyard.
When using concrete we have to cut studs of different lengths to keep the top level,or when using a wood foundation all the wall heights are the same,so the whole process is much easier.
Concrete foundations are just starting to catch on here because it saves an easy 50k on the total cost of building a home,in saved material and labour.
And if ever there was a water issue a wood foundation is far easier and cheaper to fix. We can built 4 storey with wood,so it only makes sense to use it however you need skilled men who will pay attention to the smallest detail to build them,whereas concrete guys just need to be strong enough to haul forms.
And if anyone is considering building a home with the foam blocks filled with concrete I'll tell you right now that you need a skilled contractor to do that.
The forms tend to float up when poured which causes the house to get taller. And if the installer doesn't use enough braces in the wall span you end up with serious bows in the wall,and looks horrible when finished.
I've built the interiors and put the roofs on countless foam block homes and not a single one was level on top,so we had to shim the cap plate up to the walls tallest point in order to put the roof together properly. And the houses weren't square,so we basically had to snap grid lines that were square and use them for reference points.
Ever tried to install a kitchen where the walls that intersected weren't square. You end up at the finished gables you have gaps of inches,and the finished gables aren't wide enough to cover the gap since the cabinet company only sends them an inch larger to compensate for inconsistencies.
When I was in highschool A teacher purchased a new to him and fairly new house. A couple of months later someone construction company digging a new foundation for putting a house next to his, got too close to his house with a bulldozer. His foundation was cracked so bad that the house was not safe to live in, and it was not fixable. The whole house had to be taken down.
So while many types of cracks in foundation can be fixed, there are also some that can not be fixed. You probably require someone who really knows that field to look over what is going on.
So while many types of cracks in foundation can be fixed, there are also some that can not be fixed. You probably require someone who really knows that field to look over what is going on.
If a house doesn't have good solid "bones" don't bother.
Are the cracks structural or cosmetic? Posting pictures of them might help. My first guess is they're structural, and I'd probably pass on the house. Keep in mind your Realtor's #1 job is to sell the house.
Which way does the crack run??
If it is up and down, then the house is simply unevenly loaded and putting that section in tensile forces. It is still has a sound foundation. I am not sure about the steel beam - how it is placed or helping. The parking slab should be poured separate with an adequate expansion joint.
The home inspection will catch it and provide a recommendation. You are getting a home inspection, right??
If it is up and down, then the house is simply unevenly loaded and putting that section in tensile forces. It is still has a sound foundation. I am not sure about the steel beam - how it is placed or helping. The parking slab should be poured separate with an adequate expansion joint.
The home inspection will catch it and provide a recommendation. You are getting a home inspection, right??
There are a number of issues in your post that raise red flags. Given your description of a cinder block foundation I'll assume this is an older home.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
So im trying to understand whats normal and what to worry about.
If you don't know for certain, an Internet discussion forum is not the place to fish for answers. Call a foundation specialist who knows what they're doing to give you a professional, independent assessment of the foundation.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Its a cinder block foundation. It has cracked. They have repaired most of the cracks with the caulk stuff.
That screams of someone trying to put a DIY patch on a serious problem.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
My guess on why its cracking and the others aren't is. The parking slab is right next to the wall and all that weight parked their is probably hard on it.
If a foundation is built correctly the weight of a vehicle on a parking slab next to it isn't a problem. The parking slab should distribute the weight. I'd be more concerned with the pitch of the parking slab- is it pitched away from the foundation like it should be?
Originally Posted By: ram_man
You can see where it has leaked a little but not bad and the crack could easily be repaired however. They put these steel beams on the wall to help support it I suppose.
As I said above, if the parking slab is pitched away from the house there should be little or no water pressure against the foundation next to it. If it's level or pitched toward the house then I'd expect to see water issues in the basement.
What type of steel beams have been installed? How have they been installed? Are they reducing the load on the exterior wall, which again raises more red flags?
Again, find an independent third party who knows foundations to give you an assessment of what's going on. If I were looking at the house, either as an investment property or my personal dwelling, I'd make certain I knew exactly what was going on with the foundation before even considering this house.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
So im trying to understand whats normal and what to worry about.
If you don't know for certain, an Internet discussion forum is not the place to fish for answers. Call a foundation specialist who knows what they're doing to give you a professional, independent assessment of the foundation.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Its a cinder block foundation. It has cracked. They have repaired most of the cracks with the caulk stuff.
That screams of someone trying to put a DIY patch on a serious problem.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
My guess on why its cracking and the others aren't is. The parking slab is right next to the wall and all that weight parked their is probably hard on it.
If a foundation is built correctly the weight of a vehicle on a parking slab next to it isn't a problem. The parking slab should distribute the weight. I'd be more concerned with the pitch of the parking slab- is it pitched away from the foundation like it should be?
Originally Posted By: ram_man
You can see where it has leaked a little but not bad and the crack could easily be repaired however. They put these steel beams on the wall to help support it I suppose.
As I said above, if the parking slab is pitched away from the house there should be little or no water pressure against the foundation next to it. If it's level or pitched toward the house then I'd expect to see water issues in the basement.
What type of steel beams have been installed? How have they been installed? Are they reducing the load on the exterior wall, which again raises more red flags?
Again, find an independent third party who knows foundations to give you an assessment of what's going on. If I were looking at the house, either as an investment property or my personal dwelling, I'd make certain I knew exactly what was going on with the foundation before even considering this house.
I would get someone in the business to have a look. I think there are a lot of things to be considered. While you probably also want a normal house inspection, this should be by someone who does foundations for a living.
In the northeast we mostly have basements (to hold our BITOG stash) and poured foundations. I am thinking in NY you must have a poured foundation.
In the northeast we mostly have basements (to hold our BITOG stash) and poured foundations. I am thinking in NY you must have a poured foundation.
Cinder block foundations are weak and leak-prone to begin with-if you have any cracks or weird repairs-PASS !!!
Originally Posted By: Falken
If a house doesn't have good solid "bones" don't bother.
Ditto. Unless it's a super bargain, find another house.
If a house doesn't have good solid "bones" don't bother.
Ditto. Unless it's a super bargain, find another house.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
What type of cracking are we talking? One where the actual blocks are cracked or just step-cracking, where the mortar joints are separated?
Step-cracking is super common and will happen to a block foundation at some point. It's usually harmless. IMO, block foundations have good points. Each individual block has been quality controlled when built, where you can have flaws in a poured wall. Blocks walls are SUPER strong when the voids have been filled with concrete. Ones left hollow, not as good.
Our second home was a 1950's block wall foundation. First and current are poured. Have cracks and some leakage in ALL of them!
Got a basement, you're going to get some water at some point.
Step-cracking is super common and will happen to a block foundation at some point. It's usually harmless. IMO, block foundations have good points. Each individual block has been quality controlled when built, where you can have flaws in a poured wall. Blocks walls are SUPER strong when the voids have been filled with concrete. Ones left hollow, not as good.
Our second home was a 1950's block wall foundation. First and current are poured. Have cracks and some leakage in ALL of them!
Got a basement, you're going to get some water at some point.
Got a basement, you're going to get some water at some point.[/quote]
This comment is absurd. Not a single wood basement home I've built has even a hint of moisture or leaks. Work done properly will always perform up to its design limitation.
As a home builder I have to warranty my homes for 10 years completion,and the Canadian New Home warranty holds 10000 of my mo way until that 10 years is up to finance any potential issues.
I've easily got 30 houses that the 10 years has come and gone and not a single claim against those houses for any reason whatsoever.
To assume a basement will inevitably get wet is absurd.
This comment is absurd. Not a single wood basement home I've built has even a hint of moisture or leaks. Work done properly will always perform up to its design limitation.
As a home builder I have to warranty my homes for 10 years completion,and the Canadian New Home warranty holds 10000 of my mo way until that 10 years is up to finance any potential issues.
I've easily got 30 houses that the 10 years has come and gone and not a single claim against those houses for any reason whatsoever.
To assume a basement will inevitably get wet is absurd.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
Well yeah, I would hope you wouldn't have any leaks in the first 10yrs. Give the home 20-40yrs. Something always gives, be it a plugged drain tile, drainage issues, etc.
*edit- It's not always a builder's issue anyway. People change landscaping, ignore faulty or misplaced downspouts, etc.
*edit- It's not always a builder's issue anyway. People change landscaping, ignore faulty or misplaced downspouts, etc.
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