By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
My daughter is buying her first home, and her home inspector reported some cracks (1/4-inch-wide) in the foundation. How serious could this problem be, and should she cancel the purchase if the sellers are not willing to take care of it? - Michael
Dear Michael,
The standard home inspector recommendation for significant foundation cracks is "further evaluation by a licensed structural engineer" to determine the cause, extent, and prognosis of the problem. In some cases, such as very old homes, 1/4-inch foundation cracks may be regarded as normal and not a cause for concern. In most instances, however, especially where there are accompanying symptoms, such as misaligned doors and windows or cracks in walls, further evaluation is warranted.
Consult your home inspector as to whether an engineering evaluation is recommended, and consider the experiential level of your inspector in determining the reliability of that opinion.
If a structural engineer decides that foundation repairs or upgrades are warranted, the question of proceeding with or canceling the purchase contract can then be considered, and requests for remedial work can then be presented to the sellers.
Copyright 2006 Barry Stone. Distributed by Inman News.
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