basement concrete block cracks

[bcav]

My house is 10 months old and I've noticed cracks(vertical) in basement blocks since last May. Approx 60 blocks cracked(some cracking goes 4-5 courses in a 12 course wall) and there is some stair stepping in the mortar joints. I had the mason over and he repaired? 8 blocks by chipping out the face of the block and inserting a half block and piping mortar around the sides and top of block. I was told by a bricklayer friend that this was a cosmetic fix and told the mason so. He sent over a structural engineer and he said that the cracks were from shrinkage and was only on the inside of the blocks and not to worry(didn't offer to dig on the outside). I wasn't satisfied with his assessment and called my city's building dept. They sent out an inspector and he was shocked at the amount of cracking and the builders attitude about the situation. He sent the builder and the mason letters stating "it has been determined that in order to sufficiently repair and ensure the structural integrity of the walls it would be necessary to pressure grout the entire foundation with high strength grout. Gave them 14 days to repair it to boot. "Failure to correct said violation will result in revocation of certificate of registration under provision "c", faulty or defective workmanship". I don't know what "pressure grouting" entails but the inspector said, in essence, that my walls would be like a poured foundation wall(solid). Is this the proper fix for this problem? I haven't had any leaks(no heavy down pours or snowmelt around here this winter) and I do have a sump system(inside) installed. I'm worried that 5-10 years down the road I'm looking at major foundation repair. Should I hire a lawyer and have my own structural engineer inspect whats going on with the walls? Is the city inspector trying to placate me(I know these guys are on a first name basis with all the builders in this city) or is he looking out for me with his solution. My home warranty expires 4-1-06. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Wgoodrich]

It would be near to impossible to judge without seeing the home. However there are warning signs that you should look for. If you find your basement floor with a crack in it near that cracked basement wall it would depict a sinking footer that would require the entire side of the house to be removed with a new footer installed on undisturbed dirt. Many times this will happen when water flow under the footer is present or when a person dug the basement too deep then filled in then poured the footer. A crack in the floor and wall depicts a problem with the foot print of the home that will haunt you until the above is done.

If your block walls were built with the outside unbalanced fill causing too much pressure then it too will crack the walls in the same angled manner. Example their is a chart in the IRC that dictates the amount of rebar and mortar fill in the block wythes depending on the depth of the unbalanced fill, then adjusted for the height of the basement wall then adjusted for the known soil type. If you can provide the height of the basement wall, depth from finished grade to the bottom of the wall and the soil texture of the original soil then I can tell you if the IRC says you met the minimum building standards per the 2003 International Residential Building Code you can find in a library to confirm my answer.

If it was built not meeting the minimum building standards adopted as rules of law in your county you should proceed before you warranty is expired.

Can not tell if your inspector is skilled or not without knowing him. Sounds like he is on the right track for a fix but it would not be what would be called a proper repair if the wall was not built the meet the minimum building standards adopted in your area.

Hope this helps some

Wg

[Avanzi]

Hi Becav.

Previous reply is correct in saying that it would really have to be seen. If you can find a way to put some pics up that would be good.

60 cracks all in diff locations is a lot. Depends on how severe the cracks are. Are they hairline cracks or bigger? How wide in mm? Are they all that wide? Are they concentrated in one area? Is at the corner of the house? Is it all over? Hairline is usually cosmetic. You probably have cracking right through the block which is not hairline. Cracks like that occur as a relief of pressure ie parts of same wall are wanting to pull in different directions for different reasons depending on situation.

The fix they did is cosmetic.

It is common practice for contractors to minimise it. It's their work and they stand to lose. Their own structural engineer should not be making the call because there is a conflict of interest there ie. he's probably paid by the contractor and/or the engineer himself may have something to hide therefore would not be able to provide a professional unbiased opinion. It also very uncommon for a building inspector to stick thier neck out like that unless they are absolutly sure. Does he have a structural background, take some tests or other? The city would likely have to see drawings prepared and stamped by a professional engineer before that work is carried out.

Pressure grouting is a method of high pressure pumping of a very lean concrete mixture. Its a good choice when access is a problem. It will likely involve completely digging out the side of your house for access to then get access to the footing.

Most foundation problems can be investigated with soil tests that test for soil quality (ie. different soils have different weight bearing capacities, drainage capabilities) after the fact either by coring through your basement concrete slab or digging a test pit depending on ease of obtaining the sample and relevance of sample location.

Cracks on inside don't always translate into leaks. In most cases especially in new home, if your roof gutters are clean and in operating order, weeping tiles clear and draining any water away that trickles down your wall which may have waterproofing on it, the landscaping around your home drains away and not to your home, you will unlikely have water entering because its all being shed or transported away before it gets near your walls.

You have block foundation walls and not concrete? Do you have any cracks on outside bricks assuming you have exterior brick cladding?

What city, province, state, country you live in?

Avanzi