I live in a home under 2 years old. We have some stress cracks in the house. Still covered under the builder warranty and they have patched up cracks. We also have a 10 year foundation warranty. What i want to know is how common are these cracks? Some people i talk to say yeah we have them this is TX. Others say they didnt get them with a new home. Supposedly this id due to the crazy soil here and the house settling.
2007-03-01 09:59:27 · 3 answers · asked by Swan 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
Im sorry im in the Dallas area.
2007-03-01 12:09:13 · update #1
This is very common in Texas because of soil conditions and usually not a concern. However it is something to keep an eye on to ensure you will not encounter foundation problems down the road. If you have concerns you might consider hiring a independent inspector or structural engineer to take a look. Hope this helps.
Tom
2007-03-01 10:11:32 · answer #1 · answered by thomas d 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LOL, Texas is a BIG state!!
Check to see where your house is in relationship to nearby fault lines (yep, got those in TX too!).
Another culprit could be underground water - are you near a spring fed pond, lake or stream (creek)? Is there an old well on the property? A new well?
It could be simply that the foundation didn't cure long enough.
It could be something the builder did/didn't do - check with other homeowners who used the same builder during the time frame immediately before and after your house was built, and see if they are having problems too.
Houses do settle. Soil can be unstable. Did you have a soil test done before you started construction?
2007-03-01 10:22:11 · answer #2 · answered by Johnna L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a very common occurrence in Texas, especially in the past 2 years with the drought conditions. Soils expand and contract, which causes the stress cracks. It helps to maintain the moisture content of the soil around the perimeter of the foundation. This minimizes the drastic changes from dry conditions to wet ones and the sudden shift in the soils transferred to the foundation. There are companies that install a system that automatically waters the perimeter of the foundation for you or you can just be sure to water around your entire house during dry conditions.
2007-03-01 10:35:52 · answer #3 · answered by Turnhog 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋