Possible Foundation Problems (Austin, Howe: new house, landscaping, tile)

[JayBrown80]

As some of you know, I bought my house a little over 2 years ago, or right at 2 years. Either way, I was the first person to live in it.

Lately I have noticed cracks starting to form in various walls and ceilings. At first I didn't think much of it, b/c I thought it was natural for a new house to settle somewhat. Plus, all the cracks seemed to occur along natural seems in the sheet rock or in corners, and none of the cracks were very wide.

Lately though, I have noticed some cracks along my ceiling and what looks like a very small amount of water damage in my living room. Plus, the tile back splash in my kitchen has seperated somewhat from my kitchen counter, almost as if the counter sunk down a little. Also, the natural stone surround I have in my shower stall has a hairline crack running thru the stone.

Is this natural and I should just spot repair the cracks and seems? Or should I hire someone to come check my foundation? Perhaps I should call my HOA, and they can recommend a specialist in foundations. Does anyone on this board have anyone they could recommend, and will DM me with the info?

[sinking]

Call up Levelbest or Centex. They can come out and take measurements. You definitely have the signs of it.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

As some of you know, I bought my house a little over 2 years ago, or right at 2 years. Either way, I was the first person to live in it.

Lately I have noticed cracks starting to form in various walls and ceilings. At first I didn't think much of it, b/c I thought it was natural for a new house to settle somewhat. Plus, all the cracks seemed to occur along natural seems in the sheet rock or in corners, and none of the cracks were very wide.

Lately though, I have noticed some cracks along my ceiling and what looks like a very small amount of water damage in my living room. Plus, the tile back splash in my kitchen has seperated somewhat from my kitchen counter, almost as if the counter sunk down a little. Also, the natural stone surround I have in my shower stall has a hairline crack running thru the stone.

Is this natural and I should just spot repair the cracks and seems? Or should I hire someone to come check my foundation? Perhaps I should call my HOA, and they can recommend a specialist in foundations. Does anyone on this board have anyone they could recommend, and will DM me with the info?

Given your pflugerville location, your home could be located in an area with expansive (clay) soils. Given the heavy rains we had in the fall and lack or rain since, this would result in considerable soil shrinkage, foundation movement and the cracking you are seeing. There are things you can do to minimize this, such as make sure you have good drainage away from your foundation all around the house, storm drains that are extended to move rain water away from the foundation, etc. That reduces the shrink swell cylces your house is subjected to during rains and droughts.

You are correct that some hairline cracking is normal, the amount you describe sounds like it might be a little more then that.

Is the house only two years old? Or is it older then your ownership? If you bought it new there could be some issues that the original builder is responsible for correcting. Check your warranty papers.

[achtungpv]

Definitely get it checked, especially if it's under warranty since it gets expensive very quickly.

I repaired my foundation a couple of years ago and used CenTex and was very satisfied.

[sinking]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Given your pflugerville location, your home could be located in an area with expansive (clay) soils. Given the heavy rains we had in the fall and lack or rain since, this would result in considerable soil shrinkage, foundation movement and the cracking you are seeing. There are things you can do to minimize this, such as make sure you have good drainage away from your foundation all around the house, storm drains that are extended to move rain water away from the foundation, etc. That reduces the shrink swell cylces your house is subjected to during rains and droughts.

You are correct that some hairline cracking is normal, the amount you describe sounds like it might be a little more then that.

Is the house only two years old? Or is it older then your ownership? If you bought it new there could be some issues that the original builder is responsible for correcting. Check your warranty papers.

Another preventative measure I have heard about is burying a soaker hose around the perimeter of the house and turning it on for a little while each night when the ground is dry to keep a more constant moisture level in the soil.

[JayBrown80]

Yeah, I am the first person here, the house in just over 2 years old.

Good advice all, thanks for your help.

[achtungpv]

Regarding the soaker hose, both foundation repair firms I talked to said that it's nearly impossible to water down deep enough or get far enough under the foundation to be effective.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by sinking

Another preventative measure I have heard about is burying a soaker hose around the perimeter of the house and turning it on for a little while each night when the ground is dry to keep a more constant moisture level in the soil.

That is the intention of having good drainage away from the foundation all the way around the house. Getting the rainwater away from the foundation so the moisture levels in the soil around it don't fluctuate much.

You also don't want to plant a lot of landscaping near the foundation that will require you to water them much. Go with native plants that require little or no irrigation.

[jobert]

The structure should still be under warranty.. the building industry standard is 10 years for the foundation. Go to the builder.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

As some of you know, I bought my house a little over 2 years ago, or right at 2 years. Either way, I was the first person to live in it.

Lately I have noticed cracks starting to form in various walls and ceilings. At first I didn't think much of it, b/c I thought it was natural for a new house to settle somewhat. Plus, all the cracks seemed to occur along natural seems in the sheet rock or in corners, and none of the cracks were very wide.

Lately though, I have noticed some cracks along my ceiling and what looks like a very small amount of water damage in my living room. Plus, the tile back splash in my kitchen has seperated somewhat from my kitchen counter, almost as if the counter sunk down a little. Also, the natural stone surround I have in my shower stall has a hairline crack running thru the stone.

Is this natural and I should just spot repair the cracks and seems? Or should I hire someone to come check my foundation? Perhaps I should call my HOA, and they can recommend a specialist in foundations. Does anyone on this board have anyone they could recommend, and will DM me with the info?

From what you are describing it appears you have had foundation movement. Whether it was excessive settling or movement due to other causes would require a review of the conditions. I would recommend that you contact a licensed Professional Engineer who is a "Structral Engineer" and has experience with residential foundations. I will send you a PM with the name of a person in Austin that I work with. He can give you a reference to PE's in that area that are good to work with. You can also go to the Texase State Board Of Professional Engineers WEB site and pull a list of Structural Engineers and call to see if one will perform these reviews. The TSBPE WEB site is Texas Board of Professional Engineers Homepage.

I will now get beat up for saying this but is movement normal? No, nobody designs a home or prepares a building site to have movement of the structure. Is movement typical? Yes we see it very often and minor movement is not a concern as long as the causes are rectified to ensure further and repeated movement is either stopped or significantly minimized. The cause of your home's movement can be any number of things and can only be determined by an on site review and discussion with you.

Can you call the foundation companies locally for a free review of your foundation? Yes you can and some might well be owned and operated by a licensed Professional Engineer who might also be the one coming to your site. Many of these companies are good and have no desire to defraud you. However, I would take the opportunity instead to pay a Professional Engineer to perform an unbiased review/inspection of the situation and provide a stamped Engineer's report of findings and recommended corrective actions. A disinterested third party with no attachments to a foundation repair company has nothing to gain or lose by their work. They might even recommend very simple corrections that cost you no money at all to control/eliminate the movement.

As for your new home warranty, yes you should review it. Also review any documentation that tells you how to maintain your home and its foundation. I have not seen any warranty yet that covered material and workmanship past the first year, mechanical as well as electrical and plumbing past the second year, and only significant or catastrophic foundation failures at any time. Right now you appear to be having less than significant foundation issues. If the builder comes out to review it they would most likely find a reason to deny any coverage.

Do yourself a favor and call a licensed PE out for a review first before you get into any aggravation with the builder.

Good luck!