Songspec
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- 2007-04-27
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Don't worry, don't worry. Pretend you didn't see it, then you won't see it in your dream
Cracks are normal, in poured concrete wall/slab/footing. Cracks < 6mm are not covered by Tarion's new home warranty. There's one 1mm wide crack in my basement, from day one, i've never thought about having it sealed, and it hasn't bothered me in last 10 years.
Talking about the foundation walls of the new family homes built in Ottawa, they will crack for sure, because of the way they are built. Some of the cracks you can see, while some others you can't (too small). But think about this: the foundation walls, with cracks in them, have been serving us for more than a centery.
Of course if you want to build a foundation wall with no crack, you could, but I don't believe anybody wants to do it. One example, ~20 years ago I built a "zero deformation" foundation, it means no cracks were allowed. the cost of that stupid 32m by 10.4m foundation itself, was half million RMB, at THAT time. Just the steel buried under the ground level is heavier than my house.
Back to our foundation in Ottawa. If we're comfortable with a .1mm or .05mm crack which we cannot see, why worry about an 1mm crack, which has the same impact on the structure?
Watch the crack. In most areas in Ottawa, if 1) it stops growing within 2 years, and 2) it doesn't cause any structural damage, the safety of the structure will not be a concern. Then the only concern would be water penetration. Keep an eye on the exterior grading around your house. If the surface water quickly runs away from the building, there won't be a substantial leakage, under most of the situation. but if you let the surface water pooling at the outside of your foundation, you will have a wet basement--just the matter of time.
If leakage being observed at the crack, repair it before you finish your basement. You could dig from the outside and patch the cracked concrete wall, or you could seal it from the inside of your basement by low pressure injection. dig from the outside is pretty straight forward, it cost $800~$1,100. Low pressure injection requires skill and experience but it's less expensive ($500 ~ $650 plus tax). Good contractors always give you warranty on their work. In case of low pressure injection >5 years warranty would be acceptable -- for this job, I can't see a big difference between a 5-yr warranty and a lifetime warranty.
Good luck.
Cracks are normal, in poured concrete wall/slab/footing. Cracks < 6mm are not covered by Tarion's new home warranty. There's one 1mm wide crack in my basement, from day one, i've never thought about having it sealed, and it hasn't bothered me in last 10 years.
Talking about the foundation walls of the new family homes built in Ottawa, they will crack for sure, because of the way they are built
. Some of the cracks you can see, while some others you can't (too small). But think about this: the foundation walls, with cracks in them, have been serving us for more than a centery.Of course if you want to build a foundation wall with no crack, you could, but I don't believe anybody wants to do it. One example, ~20 years ago I built a "zero deformation" foundation, it means no cracks were allowed. the cost of that stupid 32m by 10.4m foundation itself, was half million RMB, at THAT time. Just the steel buried under the ground level is heavier than my house.
Back to our foundation in Ottawa. If we're comfortable with a .1mm or .05mm crack which we cannot see, why worry about an 1mm crack, which has the same impact on the structure?
Watch the crack. In most areas in Ottawa, if 1) it stops growing within 2 years, and 2) it doesn't cause any structural damage, the safety of the structure will not be a concern. Then the only concern would be water penetration. Keep an eye on the exterior grading around your house. If the surface water quickly runs away from the building, there won't be a substantial leakage, under most of the situation. but if you let the surface water pooling at the outside of your foundation, you will have a wet basement--just the matter of time.
If leakage being observed at the crack, repair it before you finish your basement. You could dig from the outside and patch the cracked concrete wall, or you could seal it from the inside of your basement by low pressure injection. dig from the outside is pretty straight forward, it cost $800~$1,100. Low pressure injection requires skill and experience but it's less expensive ($500 ~ $650 plus tax). Good contractors always give you warranty on their work. In case of low pressure injection >5 years warranty would be acceptable -- for this job, I can't see a big difference between a 5-yr warranty and a lifetime warranty.
Good luck.
