cracked beam advice

2 years ago

The termite company goes under my house yearly. we have a fairly tall space, probably about waist high for me at 5’9. 1680 square feet. They always tell me i need better ventilation -quoted me 3500. I allowed them to do a borate treatment for about 800. Last fall, they discovered two cracked beams. They could have been cracked a long time. They installed two wooden supports with piston type piers in the cracked area. I had to go under the house recently and one of the piston supports was lying on its side. I am posting pics of the crack before the support was added. I do see a crack in the pier.

. Were the cracks serious? The supports cost 2,000 and of course one has already fallen over. Location of the crack does not make sense to me, as it is right near a pier. This makes me think it has always been there. please advise.

Featured Answer

PRO

GN Builders L.L.C

2 years ago

It's hard to see anything from this picture. It looks like the pier has a crack at the bottom right corner so something settled at one point.

Can't see the exact crack location... Is the crack in the main beam that supports the floor joists or it's the the floor joist that is cracked?

In any case, it should be looked at more closely... because it could be nothing or it could be something.

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Comments (8)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
2 years ago
" Were the cracks serious?"

No. Your home is in absolutely no danger. These guys should stick to bug abatement as they know nothing about the structural components of buildings or their remediation or even if remediation is necessary which in your case is not.
Susan L
2 years ago
I had a similar question, and had a foundation repair company come out for an evaluation. It cost a couple hundred bucks and provided peace of mind.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
i also dont understand why the bug guys are holding themselves out as structural engineers... ask to see their license for such next time...

hire the proper expert for the job ....

ken
Kara M
Original Author
2 years ago
The crack in the wood is at the top orange arrow in the picture. house was built in 1996. supposedly that area now has extra support from the termite company.
cat_ky
2 years ago
I would have a reputable contractor check it all out. Like the others, I wouldnt believe too much what the bug guys have to say about any of it. That is not their trade or expertise. To put your mind at rest, call someone who actually knows about houses, and joists, etc.
Iri
2 years ago
I don't trust exterminators to correctly identify termites, let alone deal with this kind of stuff. I agree that you need a different type of contractor.
PRO
PPF.
2 years ago
Here is a altered image that shows the split better.