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Foundation cracks - above the grade wall

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  • May 27th, 2015 2:28 pm
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May 26th, 2015 9:58 am
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 9:58 am

Foundation cracks - above the grade wall

Is it common for foundation to crack due to shifting and other causes. House is 3 years old and has one hairline crack on above the grade.
I have seen this on another houses in my developments and was wondering is this is common?
20 replies
May 26th, 2015 10:20 am
exrcoupe
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Apr 26, 2003
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GTA

May 26th, 2015 10:20 am

Yes, if it's a new house. If the crack becomes bigger, or starts to leak, call Tarion for new home warranty issues.
May 26th, 2015 10:23 am
fdl
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Dec 5, 2009
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May 26th, 2015 10:23 am

Very common.

Could be settlement or simple shrinkage crack as concrete shrinks when it cures.

Tarion won't fix it unless it's leaking. It shouldn't leak if there is proper grading and water proofing around the house.
May 26th, 2015 10:30 am
teoconca
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Oct 16, 2008
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Vaughan

May 26th, 2015 10:30 am

Very common. I had crack at the edge of the basement window when my house was less 1 year old. My builder patched up with adhesive from the inside. Water does seeped thru if there is lots of water.
May 26th, 2015 10:55 am
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 10:55 am

so the builder didnt fix that leak even thought house was 1 year old?
May 26th, 2015 11:25 am
teoconca
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May 26th, 2015 11:25 am

I think 1 year for most things but foundation crack is 2 years. Check your fine print with the builder.
Stribor40 wrote: ↑so the builder didnt fix that leak even thought house was 1 year old?
May 26th, 2015 11:50 am
Primo1
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Feb 24, 2008
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Toronto

May 26th, 2015 11:50 am

Its not the crack thats under warranty, its water in building envelope. And thats 2 years.
May 26th, 2015 11:51 am
exrcoupe
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May 26th, 2015 11:51 am

If it doesn't leak, they won't do anything to fix it.

I have a crack that goes across the entire width of my basement foundation, but it never leaked and it happened within the first few years of moving in.
May 26th, 2015 12:26 pm
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
351 posts
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 12:26 pm

so the think i posted above in my pic is common?
what happens if same kind of crack happens on the inside?
my basement slob(floor) has cracks hairline like on few places
May 26th, 2015 12:36 pm
exrcoupe
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Apr 26, 2003
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May 26th, 2015 12:36 pm

Keep an eye on it to see if it leaks. New homes will settle and the foundation may develop cracks, but they may never result in any leakage. That's one of the reasons why they recommend not finishing the basement until several years after a new build.
May 26th, 2015 12:38 pm
mrweather
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Aug 29, 2011
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Mississauga

May 26th, 2015 12:38 pm

Concrete shrinks when it cures. When it shrinks it cracks. This is normal behaviour for the material. You'll see it in almost every poured foundation wall or concrete slab floor.

Now, if the crack migrates horizontally along the foundation wall that may be of concern because it suggests the foundation is shifting. Provided it doesn't grow in size over time it should be okay. Just keep an eye on it.

And also, just because you have a foundation crack doesn't mean water will come in. If proper waterproofing was done by the builder (yeah right), that layer will still function to keep water out regardless of any cracking of the foundation behind it.
May 26th, 2015 12:52 pm
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 12:52 pm

yeah i just finished my basement and i checked inside the basement before I finished for any water leaks and there weren't any. Then the other day when I was outside I noticed this crack
May 26th, 2015 12:57 pm
Archanfel
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Apr 11, 2008
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May 26th, 2015 12:57 pm

You might want to seal that crack though before it gets below grade.
May 26th, 2015 1:18 pm
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
351 posts
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 1:18 pm

its probably already below the grade. I doubt that crack stopped right where the grade begins
May 26th, 2015 1:50 pm
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 1:50 pm

does it matter if the crack bellow or above the grade
May 26th, 2015 2:36 pm
fdl
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Dec 5, 2009
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May 26th, 2015 2:36 pm

Stribor40 wrote: ↑does it matter if the crack bellow or above the grade
It likely travels below grade. Can you see it come through on the other side in the basement?
May 26th, 2015 3:18 pm
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
351 posts
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 3:18 pm

i didn't see any before i put my walls up but to be honest I didn't really look too hard...i never had any water in the basement so I figured I am ok. I mean I can get the drywall off of that side and check but I just wanted to see what other people think.
If its something that I must do I will take walls off and look at it. If its something that its not serious then I wont bother......I don't have much experience with this just curious what other people thing
May 26th, 2015 3:26 pm
Stribor40 [OP]
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Feb 10, 2015
351 posts
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Hamilton, ON

May 26th, 2015 3:26 pm

What if there is crack on another side? does it matter?
May 26th, 2015 11:30 pm
Frankie3s
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Jul 4, 2004
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May 26th, 2015 11:30 pm

Stribor40 wrote: ↑What if there is crack on another side? does it matter?
Right now it is only cosmetic. If it becomes a functional crack, where water is coming in, then the builder will repair it. More than likely using an Epoxy sealer method which is very common - a better repair would be to dig up and fix it from the outside but one can only hope. Usually there is a parge coat or slip coat put on top of the foundation walls to cover up these unsightly cracks with. You can even buy this from HomeDepot and apply it yourself.

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