If you have money to burn, it doesn’t hurt to ignore small repair jobs until they become very expensive repairs. In this episode, Adam shares an interesting case study on how a customer turned a small repair job into a very expensive fix.
Narrator: It’s time once again for the “Crack Man Podcast” hosted by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. I’m Darren Kincaid here with the Crack Daddy himself, Adam Tracy. Adam and The Crack Man Rich have over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry. Rich as over two5 years as the president and founder of A1 Foundation Crack Repair. This podcast provides expert basement waterproofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation’s valuable insight will help avert a disastrous flood within the basement, health problems associated with water infiltration, and protect your biggest investment….your home. The topic of today’s podcast: How to turn an inexpensive foundation crack into a really expensive repair.
Narrator: So, Adam, I guess if you have money to burn, it doesn't hurt to ignore small repair jobs until they become very expensive repairs. You probably have some experience with people doing that. Am I right?
Adam: Yes. Oftentimes, we get foundation issues that are presented to us kind of in a very early stage, whether it's early after construction or the foundation issue is barely present, barely visible. And I often get the question: should I worry about it? And our answer usually is, well, it really depends on how you want this to play out over the next course of the years for your home ownership. With foundation crack, it could get potentially much worse, much more severe, and then turn into a much more structural nature foundation issue than just a normal settling crack, which is kind of how they typically present in the very early stages.
We had this exact case scenario for a house in Marlborough. It was a split entry house. They had a thin foundation crack about a quarter of an inch, both near the corner of the foundation and then one near the center of the foundation on the same wall. The homeowner knew that there was an issue there for a period and for the crack repair, if it were just like that, you're talking less than $1,000 or maybe right around $1,000 for full repair as a normal settling or shrinkage crack.
The reason why they didn't get a repair is because it never actively bothered anybody. It wasn't a crack that leaked on them. They had pretty good drainage around the house. They didn't really have to really worry about it until one day they did. And it was a basement that wasn't always used as a living space or anything like that, so it was unfinished. It was mostly just for storage, so people weren't really looking around very often. But there was a large oak tree that was growing in their front yard and just provided a lot of shading coverage for the house. But the root ball structure was so large, and it put so much outward pressure, it pushed that wall inward. Because you had a disconnection from the corner all the way to the middle of the house, that wall was free floating in that area. And this house didn't have a footing because it was required when the house was built.
What was a standard $1,000 repair or less as a shrinkage rack repair, full waterproofing, etcetera, turned into an over $8,000 repair for a section of the foundation that would have to be cut out or to have pinned in epoxy, doweled, and then also carbon fiber as well. So, it ended up being a much more expensive repair where it was totally preventative. So, preventative maintenance is not something that every homeowner loves to do, but it is one of those cases where when it affects foundation, it can cause a much larger, more expensive problem down the line if left totally unchecked.
If you're not sure, you're not super concerned because it's not leaking water, get some eyes on it. We'll give you an honest opinion as to, kind of, what the layout could be over the years. Sometimes it's to monitor and observe. Sometimes it's, hey, fit to repair this now because this one's going to be an issue down the line.
Narrator: Well, thanks, Adam, for sharing this interesting case study on how to turn a small repair job into a very expensive fix.
Narrator: If you have a basement water problem and think you need a crack repair professional near Boston, MA, or, if you’d like more information on foundation crack repair and basement waterproofing topics, please visit A1FoundationCrackRepair.com or call (866) 929-3171. Or you can email info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.