Any concrete people here?

[mad1]

I am having a new home built and while walking thru the basement I noticed a crack running vertically from the top of the wall to the bottom of the wall. What is the cause of this and is this a concern.

I also located two low spots, 2'X4' rectangles, about 1' apart that are approximately 1/2" lower that the remainder of the floor. The are starts about 1' from the wall and extends towards the center of the basement.I suspect the low spots are a poor job on the finishing of the concrete.

[draboo]

Take a look at your contract. There may be something in there about the settling and cracking of the foundation. I know its almost impossible to guarantee a 100% crack free concrete foundation. Earth moves,especially in the colder climates.

Now for a few questions:

When was the basement completed?

Are the walls solid poured concrete or cinder block?(block walls are more likely to crack than solid concrete)

Was any back fill brought in prior to the foundations construction?(If the fill wasnt compacted and tested for compaction,this may be a factor)

Were the foundation inspected by the proper "authorities" before hand?

And one final question..did the crack occur before or after the house was built? My guess would be after.

Take a few pics of the crack for documentation.

As far as those 2 foot by 4 foot rectangles goes,IMO it was from pieces of plywood that the finishers used to kneel on while finishing the concrete. Are these spots easily seen? If there is a real indentation in the concrete,and you are going with some sort of floor covering in the future,then they can be easily filled in.

Finishing concrete flat is an art. My son does it with ease,but I ve attempted it and I ll leave it for the people with the knack.

I do lots of footing and concrete wall forming for different larger companies doing work for paper mills,iron mines, right now I m at a gaming casino. There was not inspector 1 on this job. Absolutley nothing was inspected. Not one footing, not one wall,tho they did take compaciton tests and took concrete samples for tension testing. I m sure,considering where you live,the proper permits/inspections were carried out.

I hope this gives you a bit of insight.

[mad1]

draboo;

When was the basement completed?

About a month and a half.

Are the walls solid poured concrete or cinder block?(block walls are more likely to crack than solid concrete)

Poured concrete,9'.

Was any back fill brought in prior to the foundations construction?(If the fill wasnt compacted and tested for compaction,this may be a factor)

Not to my knowledge. Backfill probably came from the soil that was removed during excavation for the foundation.

Were the foundation inspected by the proper "authorities" before hand?

Not sure on the inspection for the foundation, all other parts of the home have been inspected during construction.

And one final question..did the crack occur before or after the house was built? My guess would be after.

After construction on the home was started. The crack was first noticed on Friday afternoon. The status of home construction is that the cabinets and countertops were delivered on Friday,walls are painted,ruff electrical has been inspected and plumbing is in place.

I am considering getting a local concrete contractor to inspect the basement. I have notified the builder of what I found in the basement concrete but they have not had anyone to look at this. I will have to find out if the concrete work was inspected.


What are the possible causes for the vertical crack in the foundation wall? I also noticed a crack in the floor, is this acceptable for work that is less than two months old?

[clancy]

Originally Posted by mad1

What are the possible causes for the vertical crack in the foundation wall? I also noticed a crack in the floor, is this acceptable for work that is less than two months old?

Poured concrete is prone to shrinkage cracks.
In the instance of the floor, control joints are usually placed so that the cracks will follow the control joint. So it is normal for the floor to have cracks but in your case they may not be cosmetically appealing since it sounds like they did not follow control joints.

On the walls, I always use blocks since they are pre shrunk and do not get shrinkage cracks. I am not aware of the control methods for poured walls.

[mad1]

Originally Posted by clancy

Poured concrete is prone to shrinkage cracks.
In the instance of the floor, control joints are usually placed so that the cracks will follow the control joint. So it is normal for the floor to have cracks but in your case they may not be cosmetically appealing since it sounds like they did not follow control joints.

On the walls, I always use blocks since they are pre shrunk and do not get shrinkage cracks. I am not aware of the control methods for poured walls.

The crack in the floor does not bother me,its just a cosmetic thing and is off to the far end of the basement by the furnace.

What concerns me is the vertical crack in the wall and the cause of this. Are there any future porblems that can arise from this crack in the wall.

The sunken spots points to a lack of quality in the finish job and is another costmetic issue. I can have it filled with a epoxy, to level the floor for finishing the basement, but that looks worse that just leaving it. I will not be finishing the basement for some time.This is not what I expected in a new home basement, I expected a better job.

I left a message for the building inspector for the city. I spoke with him prior to selecting a building and he stated there were no issues with this builder. The inspector gave me his cell and office number and said to call if I had any concerns.

I will be going to the home today to get more pictures and inspect the foundation in more detail.I have been photographing the home at varios stages during the construction, I must have more that 100 pictures.

I just realized that a new neighbor of my parents, this is where we are living during the construction, has a concrete business. I think I will attempt to talk to him later to see his opinion of the foundation.

[no1_vern]

Originally Posted by mad1

Not to my knowledge. Backfill probably came from the soil that was removed during excavation for the foundation.

Not sure on the inspection for the foundation, all other parts of the home have been inspected during construction.

After construction on the home was started. The crack was first noticed on Friday afternoon. The status of home construction is that the cabinets and countertops were delivered on Friday,walls are painted,ruff electrical has been inspected and plumbing is in place.

I am considering getting a local concrete contractor to inspect the basement. I have notified the builder of what I found in the basement concrete but they have not had anyone to look at this. I will have to find out if the concrete work was inspected.


What are the possible causes for the vertical crack in the foundation wall? I also noticed a crack in the floor, is this acceptable for work that is less than two months old?

NO. For the wall, cracking is a sign of stress on the pour. 2 months is WAY too early for cracking like that as far as I know. Get it inspected ASAP. Yesterday would have been better. NOTE: IF YOU DIDNT get it inspected, most likely it HASNT been inspected. Loose backfill MAY be the culprit but that doesnt change your situation it needs to be addressed ASAP. BTW: if you didnt get a permit for the construction(and therfor the required inspection) you may face an additional fine for not following the laws in your area.

IF you dont get it inspected, and the authorities come around, NO MATTER how far along your hous is, the Building Inspector can have THE ENTIRE HOUSE CONDEMNED and your out ALL of the money you have spent. Everything may have to be redone - at your cost.

Never never never pay a contractor for his work with out an independent inspection by the proper authorities!

[Beemer]

As far as the wall goes, if they back filled before the sub-floor was installed, the wall could get cracked. Running machinery on the back fill before the sub-floor is installed can create cracks in the foundation wall.

Cracks in the floor could be a result of the top of the concrete curing before the middle. This happens usually when poured on a hot sunny day. Properly done, a sprinkler should be setup after the final screeting to keep the concrete wet and cool so that the concrete cures uniformly throughout the thickness of the poured floor in the hot sun.

Re-bar uprights not properly spaced to be in the centre of the wall can create cracks as well if allowed to come close to the exterior of the poured wall if not tied in place.

Backtrack the time of events and you'll find the cause.

No control joints in a basement floor.

[clancy]

Originally Posted by Beemer

No control joints in a basement floor.

I always put control joints in my floors. Might just be a matter of personal preference. (and it keeps the customers off my back. )

[Pexster]

Can't resist -- saw Beemer's name as the last poster and thought "Is he going to offer to blow it up?"

[sweeper2]

my personal opinion... since i had a new house built in 2001 ...

have them come out with you and look and the problems... do not accept the house until it is "acceptable" to you.. we had a "final" walk through and we pointed out every problem, and they were to come back and have them repaired/ fixed.. etc...

is this a single House by itself or are you part of a "community" where several houses are being built...?