Hey everyone, I just bought my house less than a year ago, and I've been spending quite a bit of time in the garage. While working on some projects and painting, I noticed a crack in the stem wall foundation that I hadn't seen before. It's roughly 4 feet long, varying from a hairline to about 1/16 inch wide, with the widest point measuring approximately 3/16 inch. The height of the crack is about 10 inches and the wall itself is around 8 inches thick. On the outside, there's also a small hairline crack about 24 inches long. Given that the opposite side of the wall is a walkway leading to my front door, I'm pretty anxious about this since we've had a lot of snow lately, and I suspect there may be drainage issues involved. I've reached out to a couple of structural engineering firms, but since it's late on a Friday, I'm not expecting quick responses. How serious is this situation, and what repairs might I be facing in terms of costs?
1 Answer
Hey, let's not panic just yet! The first image makes it look like it's not a big deal. The second one seems a bit more concerning, though. It could be due to water seeping in and freezing, which causes expansion. My advice? Keep an eye on it for now and make sure you manage water flow to avoid any problems
Thanks for the reassurance! I think what’s got me uneasy is that part of my bedroom is above the garage. There's a concrete walkway on the outside, so I'm not sure how water would get in. I suspect the freeze-thaw cycle might be affecting it. Here's another shot for context. https://imgur.com/a/rgHyPex