Foundation repair questions

last year

An addition to our home has had some minor settling with slight separation of a vertical drywall seam and some cracks along the edge of the floor tiles. The addition was completed over twenty years ago and the settling does not appear to be progressing. The house is built on a slab. There is no basement or crawl space. There are no visible cracks on the exterior of the foundation. We have received an estimate of almost $40,000 to jack up the foundation and sink pylons into bedrock. The tile repair company said that that sounds like overkill, so we are seeking additional estimates. How do we determine what might be reasonable? Is there any way to determine if progression is likely?

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PRO

Joseph Corlett, LLC

last year

Keep an eye on it for another 20 years please.

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Comments (17)

Lyn Nielson
last year
20 years is quite awhile. Do you have water drainage issues, other building nearby?

have you changed anything with the structure? Heat and cooling steady?

I am wondering why you feel the need to jack up the foundation if you don't see exterior damage.

Sometimes interiors show defects from normal life, fix the drywall seams and reset the nails, patch and paint.
Design Fan (NE z7a)
last year
If you are concerned, have a structural engineer do an assessment.
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kandrewspa
last year
That does seem like overkill to me also. I would do as Lyn suggests - fix the visible issues and then it will be more apparent if things get worse.
flopsycat1
Original Author
last year
The reason we were concerned is that floor tiles were cracked around two outside walls, indicating settling. Can there be significant foundation issues without any visible cracks in the foundation? Appreciate your help !
Sigrid
last year
My 100 year old house with a thick, stone foundation has some cracks in the dry wall/plaster. Most of this is internal. It's normal for things to shrink and expand with heat/cold and dryness/humidity. You could pry up some tiles and see if there are cracks in the cement under them.
flopsycat1
Original Author
last year
@Lyn Nelson No drainage issues. Really nothing other than the cracked Saltillo tiles. Thank you!
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
Did the cracks in the walls and tile just show up, or did they appear in the first couple of years?
flopsycat1
Original Author
last year
They showed up many years ago. I don’t think there’s been any change recently.They guy who replaced the floor tiles suggested we have it looked at.
tlsq
last year
Why now, though? The settling occurred many years ago, no change since. That’s normal. Tile guy was just being overly cautious, in my opinion.
apple_pie_order
last year
Are you in an earthquake zone? Or an area that undergoes severe droughts?
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
If it’s been that way for awhile ignore it. Presumably he used uncoupling membrane under the tile like ditra you should have nothing to worry about. Spend the 40k going to Italy
flopsycat1
Original Author
last year
No to earthquakes, yes to severe drought.
rockybird
last year
last modified: last year
I had what looked like a crack in the foundation of a new addition. I could see it on the edge of the slab. I had a structural engineer look at it and he said it was nothing. If you are worried, I’d have a structural engineer look at it. It’s well worth a few hundred dollars.
flopsycat1
Original Author
last year
We are getting a second opinion. Thanks for all your help!
PRO
RappArchitecture
last year
I wouldn't take foundation advice from a tile installer.
flopsycat1
Original Author
last year
The tile installer did not give us advice other than to have it evaluated by a foundation expert. His concern was that tiles were cracked along the perimeter of the exterior walls, suggesting a possible foundation issue.