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Old 09-28-2013, 01:37 PM
 
10 posts, read 20,784 times
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We bought the house in May. It is a 1950s ranch style in a nice part of town. We had the house inspected. The inspection stated that there was "adequate support for the structure," "no signs of significant deficiencies in the foundation, " and no apparent stress indicators." Almost immediately upon moving in, we notice doors not opening and closing properly. Fast forward to to today, a huge crack over a bathroom door. After discovering this crack, we notices these cracks are developing everywhere in the house. There are also other issues we notices that appear related to the foundation. The seller disclosed a foundation issue to the master closet only. They had the issue repaired by a foundation repair company. Again, it was master bedroom closet only. These newly discovered issues seem extremely major and I'm not sure where to begin on getting this resolved. Foundation repair company? structural engineer? Lawyer? I am bummed out.
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Old 09-28-2013, 04:01 PM
 
294 posts, read 233,148 times
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Did you water the foundation throughout the summer months? If not that is probably most of the problem right there. I had cracks in places that I normally don't as well. If you don't have a soaker hose around the foundation then add one. Also see if the cracks close up a bit with the start of fall rains.
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Old 09-28-2013, 04:11 PM
 
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas
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This is a problem in Texas in drought conditions. Not uncommon.
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Old 09-28-2013, 04:14 PM
 
Location: Mostly in my head
19,855 posts, read 65,829,411 times
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Start with soaker hoses then go to structural engineer if necessary. They aren't trying to sell you anything.
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Old 09-28-2013, 05:11 PM
 
10 posts, read 20,784 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmissourimule View Post
This is a problem in Texas in drought conditions. Not uncommon.
Thank you for the response? It's not uncommon for fairly large cracks to appear in the sheetrock seemingly overnight? I feel like the house could crumble around me. I am very perplexed by this whole situation. I had the sprinklers going at what I thought was a good level all summer long. The sprinklers appear to water along the foundation. This whole deal is crazy. I am scheduling a structural engineer. In the meantime, everywhere I look I swear I am seeing more cracks...
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Old 09-28-2013, 05:37 PM
 
294 posts, read 233,148 times
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You can hire a structural engineer. You can get bids from foundation companies and pay anywhere from 10k to 25k or you can buy a soaker hose next summer and lay it around the foundation and turn it on at least once a week for 15 to 20 minutes. Yard sprinklers will not put enough water next to the foundation that is required. There still may be some cracks but I am guessing if your house was built in the 50s it is better built than a lot of places being built today regarding the foundation. If you repair the cracks get someone who really knows how to tape and bed. Just going over the crack with mud or tape in a lot of cases will not work. You need to cut out a small section and put in new sheetrock and then tape and bed and it will be stronger for next years summer heat.
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Old 09-28-2013, 06:49 PM
 
Location: DFW
40,951 posts, read 49,189,517 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dfwuno View Post
Did you water the foundation throughout the summer months? If not that is probably most of the problem right there.
Absolutely. Most blame usually falls on the homeowner who does not adequately maintain a good watering program.
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Old 09-28-2013, 07:28 PM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,285,459 times
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My house is a 50s pier and beam...four years after buying it, I can practically set my watch to the cracks appearing and disappearing. The first year I stressed about it, now I don't. If I was on a slab, I might worry about these cracks.
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Old 09-28-2013, 07:39 PM
 
10 posts, read 20,784 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDGeek View Post
My house is a 50s pier and beam...four years after buying it, I can practically set my watch to the cracks appearing and disappearing. The first year I stressed about it, now I don't. If I was on a slab, I might worry about these cracks.
Just out of curiosity BigDGeek, what size cracks are you dealing with? These seem too big to appear and then disappear. However, I could be wrong. Thanks.
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Old 09-28-2013, 07:59 PM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,285,459 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foundationproblems View Post
Just out of curiosity BigDGeek, what size cracks are you dealing with? These seem too big to appear and then disappear. However, I could be wrong. Thanks.
Hairline. I don't know what you consider "big"; it would help if you posted a picture.
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