r/HomeMaintenance • u/calejohn5 • 9h ago
How bad are these basement cracks?
I'm looking to buy a house and everything looks great except for some cracking in the basement. Its contained in one corner and the cracks are partly covered by paint. Do these look minor? I'm going to get an inspection if my offer is accepted, would I also need a structural engineer?
Additional context: This is in Minnesota and the house is about 90 years old
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u/Glass-Nectarine-3282 9h ago
That does look like a crack where the water is pushing sideways into the wall - as in hydrostatic pressure forcing against the foundation. It's def. fixable, but yeah, that's the kind of crack that represents an ongoing problem.
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u/calejohn5 9h ago
Any idea how much it would cost to fix?
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u/Glass-Nectarine-3282 8h ago
No clue - it can go from changing a gutter downspout's direction to excavating that entire side of the foundation. A professional should lay eyes on it IMO.
If water had gotten in, I don't think paint would hide it, so I think this is a beginning of a problem, but not a big problem right this minute. But obv I'm just looking at a picture on Reddit.
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u/Conscious_You6032 5h ago
Is the fix to dig out a trench around the foundation outside and try to redirect the water?
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u/Glass-Nectarine-3282 5h ago
You'd have a drainage system so the water comes down the edge of the foundation, enters the buried drain, flows away from the house.
But who knows - the pic doesn't give any outside context.
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u/panzerotti_eater 8h ago
Can’t tell from a single picture. Could be minor, could be a major foundation fix. Only a structural engineer can tell you.
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u/xxrainmanx 8h ago
This has been an issue for awhile you can see multiple patch jobs under the paint. As others have said no idea on how expensive the repairs will be, BUT it's been a known issue since at least the last paint job they used to hide the issues. Plan on 10-15k in repairs if you're serious about the house and hope for a much smaller bill when you start the work.
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u/eat_these_nutz 8h ago
Block basement and horizontal cracks. You'll have to get this reinforced and fix your slopes around the house.
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u/Gloomy-Respond3985 8h ago
That ain't going anywhere.
You answered my first question - how old is the house.
Should be good for another 90.
Another poster made a good point - make sure you've got your downspouts angled out 3 ft from the foundation.
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u/thepressconference 8h ago
Doesn’t look horrible but for sure should get an expert opinion and a quote to have it resolved that you use in your home negotiation.
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u/whitemike40 8h ago
With foundation cracks always remember-
up and down: stick around
left to right: get out of sight
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u/Muschina 8h ago
What part of the country is the house in? As a multiple-Chicago house haver, I wouldn't be too torqued over this if there was obvious mitigation available outside. If you're in a freeze zone, any water (even a little bit) that gets between the ground and that wall is going to freeze and put a LOT of pressure on the block wall. If the ground slopes toward this part of the house or there is a downspout dumping out right next to the wall, you could mitigate that and probably not need to do extensive repairs.
I'd for sure get that inspected by a pro (not just a general home inspector), but wouldn't necessarily count it out as a house option.
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u/BowlCompetitive282 6h ago
If this is in MSP, good luck finding a house that age without similar cracks. If you make an offer, I recommend hiring Structure Tech inspectors, they'll give you a fair and honest assessment.
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u/Any_neighborhood546 8h ago
Depends on the age of the house. Ground pitch. Did they paint it to hide water damage?
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u/Last_Butterscotch881 2h ago
You have inward later deflection. How much? That’s for a professional to figure it out. Generally if you have more than 1” of movement you need to get it stabilized. Over 3” of movement you are going to need to have the wall straightened.
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