New Build has big crack in foundation. Should this house be avoided?

thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: ↑ could somewhere else crack too?

cloak wrote: ↑
Of course. As the house settles, more can form (or already there but you can't see them because of the insulation). Personally, I would want an engineering report before considering that house (I am sure someone would buy it without one but that becomes their headache, not yours) is on a hill, with a storm drain, and a sump pump... and will continue to settle for years to come unless they made a very solid base (the crack below the column does not give a lot of confidence in that. With that said, corners, especially under weight, are not known to the be strongest links).


How can they not have a floor plan?! It looks like that particular crack is only the landing in front of the house unless there is a room under the landing (the pump is maybe 2 feet? from the back wall in the picture you provided, but -eyeballing- maybe 8 feet from the crack in the landing?).

masarwar wrote: ↑unless i am wrong, there isnt a basement underneath there if its a front porch? i could be wrong. needs drawings to confirm.

sircheersa wrote: ↑ Just hire a home inspector.

thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: ↑ i emailed the builder for a floor plan. i didnt get one originally cause its not on the market yet since its not finished.

masarwar wrote: ↑ so this isnt the foundation. basically it is the front slab from the looks of it. i am assuming the crack on the front left? i am sure this will be fixed before possession.

Oneshot112 wrote: ↑It looks like that beam is putting pressure on that section of the concrete. The slab is indeed part of the porch and I've seen other builds with this type of crack under these exact circumstances with a beam holding up the weight - but it doesn't necessarily mean issues with the actual foundation of the house.

cartfan123 wrote: ↑ That is either unfinished and inaccessible space in the basement or the cold room. If unfinished space it’s really not an issue.

thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: ↑ is the saying goes if theirs one crack, their could be more that could develop?

thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: ↑ is the saying goes if theirs one crack, their could be more that could develop?

treva84 wrote: ↑
As mentioned, it's probably related to ground settling. The builder can plaster the crack, but to really solve the problem there may need to be some mud jacking going on under the garage slab portion to stop it from reoccurring.

Sure, a home warranty may cover it in the short to medium term, but what happens if you get a massive foundation crack after the warranty has expired? Not worth the headache IMO.

joepipe wrote: ↑ i would say that buying this house is a dice roll....like any other house but this one shows a bad problem already starting

really depends on the price too....later foundation repairs could be huge

masarwar wrote: ↑ so this isnt the foundation. basically it is the front slab from the looks of it. i am assuming the crack on the front left? i am sure this will be fixed before possession.

thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: ↑ Realtor announced it’s up for sale soon. Their pic shows the builder never bother to fix or patch the crack. The floor plans show the foundation wall is just for the porch and underneath the porch is dirt. Still kind of weary that water would get underneath the porch tho.

It’s a nice house otherwise. Just still eyeing it since their isn’t going to be anything new like that in a while as the next subdivision will have 40 foot lots which will be small detached homes. It’s risky with a crack like that?

cristianosham wrote: ↑ More like it will be hidden before possession.

thatsnazzyiphoneguy wrote: ↑ Realtor announced it’s up for sale soon. Their pic shows the builder never bother to fix or patch the crack. The floor plans show the foundation wall is just for the porch and underneath the porch is dirt. Still kind of weary that water would get underneath the porch tho.

It’s a nice house otherwise. Just still eyeing it since their isn’t going to be anything new like that in a while as the next subdivision will have 40 foot lots which will be small detached homes. It’s risky with a crack like that?

NotRobot wrote: ↑ I'd be more concerned about the porta potty on my front lawn.

NotRobot wrote: ↑ I'd be more concerned about the porta potty on my front lawn.

cristianosham wrote: ↑ More like it will be hidden before possession.

joepipe wrote: ↑ i just watched a holmes on homes old episode and it was exactly this problem , see if you can find it ..... they had to redo part of the porch etc ...

NotRobot wrote: ↑I'd be more concerned about the porta potty on my front lawn.

treva84 wrote: ↑ The pillar above the crack is holding up the roof. Even if it doesn't relate to the foundation (only concrete pad related) any settling / dropping of that part of the pad could impact the structural integrity of the roof.

Hard pass IMO.