Looking for some guidance, I Recently bought house, major cracks appearing above all doors. (home builders, contractors)

[foundationproblems]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Hairline. I don't know what you consider "big"; it would help if you posted a picture.

These types of cracks. Also, a couple long ones on some of the ceilings.

[BeanyMalone]

I had a similar crack running from a door. It was bigger than that. I couldn't open my side door from the garage to the yard. This happened over last winter when I stopped watering my foundation (50's pier and beam in west Richardson). Mistake. Both problems disappeared in the spring when the rains came. Yes, the crack disappeared. I used soaker hoses over the summer. Smaller cracks have appeared in the same places in the last several days when I quit watering thinking the rains had come back. Well, not enough apparently. I've had the house a little over a year now, and I'm still figuring out the rhythms.

Hire a structural engineer for your peace of mind. It will probably cost about $500. I got one as part of my inspection process, and it was money well spent. Once you hear what s/he says, you can figure out whether there is recourse against the seller. I'm guessing no, but at least you will be informed. And I bet it's not as bad as you think.

I am trying to figure out how to repair the cracks so there is some flexibility and stretch. If anyone knows ....

[foundationproblems]

Originally Posted by BeanyMalone

I had a similar crack running from a door. It was bigger than that. I couldn't open my side door from the garage to the yard. This happened over last winter when I stopped watering my foundation (50's pier and beam in west Richardson). Mistake. Both problems disappeared in the spring when the rains came. Yes, the crack disappeared. I used soaker hoses over the summer. Smaller cracks have appeared in the same places in the last several days when I quit watering thinking the rains had come back. Well, not enough apparently. I've had the house a little over a year now, and I'm still figuring out the rhythms.

Hire a structural engineer for your peace of mind. It will probably cost about $500. I got one as part of my inspection process, and it was money well spent. Once you hear what s/he says, you can figure out whether there is recourse against the seller. I'm guessing no, but at least you will be informed. And I bet it's not as bad as you think.

I am trying to figure out how to repair the cracks so there is some flexibility and stretch. If anyone knows ....

Thanks. I can't imagine our foundation is not getting a proper watering. In fact, we are using the same programmed watering schedule as the previous owner. To have all these cracks appearing out of nowhere within three or four months of buying this place is extremely disconcerting to say the least.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by BeanyMalone

Once you hear what s/he says, you can figure out whether there is recourse against the seller. I'm guessing no, but at least you will be informed. And I bet it's not as bad as you think.

Why would he have any recourse against the seller? The seller isn't qualified to diagnose foundation problems; that's for the buyer to do when he/she has inspections done. If the buyer doesn't have the foundation examined by an engineer and accepts the inspector's report, why the hell would the seller be liable?

Originally Posted by foundationproblems

Thanks. I can't imagine our foundation is not getting a proper watering. In fact, we are using the same programmed watering schedule as the previous owner. To have all these cracks appearing out of nowhere within three or four months of buying this place is extremely disconcerting to say the least.

Honestly I think you should save your money and watch the cracks for a while. I was advised to watch my cracks for an entire year so I could learn how the house moves through the seasons. I know exactly where every crack is, and I can tell you with 100% accuracy depending on the weather and time of year whether the crack will be visible, open, or closed. No new cracks have appeared in the time I've owned the house.

Cracks around doors and windows are kind of a fact of life in Texas if you own an old pier and beam. I've never seen a house on a P&B of that vintage that didn't have cracks.

[BeanyMalone]

Why would he have any recourse against the seller? ...

As I said, I'm guessing not, particularly when as here the seller actually disclosed foundation work had been done. I suspect the OP has proceeded at his/her own risk. But I don't know that. The OP raised the possibility of a lawyer. I have no idea of the complete context of the negotiations. If the OP is upset as his/her posts suggests, and it's pretty obvious s/he isn't taking any comfort from this thread, s/he should get an independent foundation expert, get the facts and then decided what s/he wants to do. As I also said, it's probably not as bad as s/he thinks.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Watering with sprinklers is not enough. You need soaker hoses, 2-3 ft out from the house, running 30 min at least once per week not on watering day. Maybe twice per week plus sprinkler day.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by BeanyMalone

As I said, I'm guessing not, particularly when as here the seller actually disclosed foundation work had been done. I suspect the OP has proceeded at his/her own risk. But I don't know that. The OP raised the possibility of a lawyer. I have no idea of the complete context of the negotiations. If the OP is upset as his/her posts suggests, and it's pretty obvious s/he isn't taking any comfort from this thread, s/he should get an independent foundation expert, get the facts and then decided what s/he wants to do. As I also said, it's probably not as bad as s/he thinks.

I know the previous owner of my house had foundation work done; she didn't disclose it but it was obvious to me the first time I set foot in that area of the house because of the way the floor felt underfoot. Not sloping, but there was less give where the new beams were. I stuck my head through the crawlspace and yup, sure enough...new beams and some shims. I had the house thoroughly inspected and there's no cause for concern in my case.

I suspect there's no cause for concern with the OP's house either. I guess I'm just befuddled and a little annoyed that someone even suggested legal action; people are way too quick to sue and way too slow to accept ownership of a problem. You have the opportunity to inspect a house...the seller even disclosed foundation work...it's done, over. Caveat emptor.

[cfsteak]

We've been in our house for 40 years and have never watered the p&b foundation(no gutters), yes we have cracks like the one pictured but like others here say they come and go with the seasons, also like the photo soon after painting and plaster/spackle they reappear shortly. I painted a room 2 months ago and used flexible caulk this time and can see it bulging out a little. Talk to your neighbors especially the ones that have been there awhile and you'll find out it's common where your are.

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by foundationproblems

Thanks. I can't imagine our foundation is not getting a proper watering. In fact, we are using the same programmed watering schedule as the previous owner. To have all these cracks appearing out of nowhere within three or four months of buying this place is extremely disconcerting to say the least.

I find it absolutely amazing that so many here just made the assumption that the problems you're experiencing, foundationproblems, are only due to improper watering since you bought your home, especially when every thread prior has been filled with advice on always getting the foundation checked out, especially before purchasing!

Granted, you've already purchased, but that does not mean the problems weren't there before you made your purchase, ones that could have well been hidden during your buying process (note, if you look at the photo, it's really looks like that there was another long crack above the door to the right of this new one that has been caulked and painted over).

While this could very well be a minor issue you're experiencing, and I do hope that it is, it doesn't sound minor to me... for we've lived in several houses in the DFW area for the past 30+ years without having any cracks in the houses we've lived in - ever - without the soaker hoses, too, just sprinkler systems - though we certainly saw way too many with them during our home searches!

What you seem to need now more than anything is how to move forward to insure (1) you didn't acquire major problems that were not revealed during your buying process, and/or (2) problems that have developed during the four short months since you made your purchase, right? In the end, it may make no difference at all whether before or after, but I'd say you definitely need to have it looked at at this point. To me, it'd be well worth the cost of a structural engineer to make that determination if need be, if for no other reason than peace of mind.

But first, though, there's an excellent professional resource right here on CD by the member name escanlan that you may want to contact by Direct Message (DM) on how you need to proceed. He has given many members in this Dallas Forum excellent advice on foundation questions/issues that they've had over the years.

To find escanlan's previous posts for review - 90 of them, btw, on just "foundation" in the Dallas Forum, here's how:

- Go to the top of the forum page and either click on Search this Forum or to the top of the page and click on Search
- Then click on Advanced Search
- Enter keyword(s) to perform search on what you are looking for - in this case, foundation
- Underneath that, insure the option is set to Search entire posts
- Go down to Search Options and change Sort Results by to Last Posting Date
- Below that under Show Results by, click on Posts
- Go over to top right of the page under Search by User Name and enter user name - in this case, escanlan
- Go down to Search in Forums section and be sure that the Dallas Forum is selected
- Click on Search Now

For certain, he could at least point you in the right direction, foundationproblems! Of course, you do realize that you may soon need to change your member name to foundationproblemfree, right?

Best of luck!
.

[foundationproblems]

Thanks BstYet2Be. I guess the next move is to engage a structural engineer. I would have done this before we purchased the house, but our inspector told us it was not necessary. Anyway, any idea how much severe foundation issues can cost to repair? Everything online points to $5,000 to $7,000 range, but I cannot find an actual source for these numbers. If this will simply cost me $5,000 to repair, I will be one happy person. I realize $5,000 is a lot of money, but cracks appearing seem to indicate much more than a $5,000 problem.