Stair Step Crack in Brick Crawl Space/ Inspection

[lexsky]

My home was for sale last year , and I had a inspection which showed a stair step crack in my foundation in the brick crawl space. I had a structural engineer come and look also. I also had brick repointed which of course is noticible inside and out of crawl space. My home is under contract now and I have another home inspection Monday. My nerves are on edge to what they will say. Here is pics and what structural report said. What do you think?

sorry about flash

the engineer says its 1/8 crack

and that it appears to be a settlement crack, but to contact foundation specialist

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[SNations]

the engineer says its 1/8 crack and that it appears to be a settlement crack, but to contact foundation specialist

So the engineer measured the crack (how long did he have to go to school to learn how to use a ruler?) and told you to contact somebody who actually knows what he's doing? You should ask for your money back.

[Marc]

Much depends on what else was found on the house. Separate findings sometimes end up being related, coming together to result in a single more significant write-up.

That's a sizable crack in your photo but if that wall were a very wide one and no other cracks were present, I might very well not make a big deal of it nor 'recommend further eval by a qualified engineer'. Portland cement based concrete is very unforgiving of movement and even reinforced foundations, long ones, can flex enough to crack brick veneer and still not be considered structurally failed. Marrying brick veneer to a poured concrete foundation is not as simple as some contractors would think. Some individual designs might need expansion joints or a strengthened foundation or a combination of the two depending on several factors.

If more cracks are present then I might make a recommendation to ask a foundation specialist to stabilize the foundation to prevent further damage to the brick cladding.

Marc

[Jim Katen]

No one will be able to tell you anything intelligent about the crack from those pictures. It's like posting a picture of a single tire tread and asking what it means about the car.

No one can interpret the crack without context.

Just relax and wait to see what happens with the other inspector. There's nothing you can do about it anyway.

I agree that the engineer you hired was a moron.

[Eric B]

I see foundation cracks virtually everyday and seldom see one that gets me ramped up. The only problem I really see with cracks is how many home inspectors respond to them. Too often they come in as a caped crusader trying to be a hero and save their client from economic ruin or they want to eliminate any potential liability and pawn the condition off on someone else - like your smart as a whip engineer.

[Jerry Simon]

The only problem I really see with cracks is how many home inspectors respond to them. Too often they come in as a caped crusader trying to be a hero and save their client from economic ruin or they want to eliminate any potential liability and pawn the condition off on someone else - like your smart as a whip engineer.

Interesting how you have access to all those other home inspectors' reports. . .