Typical cost in Redmond
A crack in a foundation wall raises one question first: is it doing anything? Redmond Foundation Repair reads cracks in basement, stem and foundation walls around Redmond, identifies the type and handles the ones a repair can address. This page covers reading the crack, sealing it and knowing when an engineer comes first.
About 26 percent of Redmond homes predate 1980 and about 40 percent are from 2000 on. Wall material varies from house to house, and a wall’s age says little about how serious a given crack is. Service extends to Woodinville and Carnation.
Concrete shrinks as it cures and can crack; HUD’s inspection guide says shrinkage cracking is rarely serious. A Minnesota extension page goes further and says concrete and block foundations usually pick up some cracks. A fine, dry, steady crack may only need a dated photo now and a second one later for comparison.
A crack that opens wider at one end suggests one part of the house is moving differently from the rest. HUD points to differential settlement from inadequate foundations, or piers under a projecting element such as a bay window, porch or addition. Closing such a crack leaves the movement behind it untouched, so the cause is worked out first.
Sweeping or horizontal cracks in block or brick foundation walls are tied by HUD to backfill that was placed improperly, vibration from heavy equipment or vehicles near the wall, and saturated soil swelling or freezing. Each is pressure from the soil side, so the real question is what is pushing; sealing the face does not answer it.
Sealing is done from the face of the wall. One approach fills the crack with an injected material through small ports set along it, then the surface is closed. Another covers the face with a sealer. Which suits a crack depends on its width, whether it moves and which side of the wall can be reached.
Know the limits. HUD says waterproofing coatings can bridge cracks only up to 1/16 inch and only if they are nonstructural; that describes the coating, not a way to tell whether a crack is structural. Nothing here promises a sealed crack stays closed or a wall stays dry, since a wall that keeps moving can reopen the seal.
Look for water first. In HUD’s inspection guide, minor settlement cracking becomes a structural problem only if moisture keeps leaking through the crack and damages the building. Outside the wall, water can also take soil from under the footing and press against the wall. Gutters, grading and footing drains are on the foundation drainage page.
There is a framing angle too. Where floor joists are not properly tied to the foundation wall, the wall can move, and a Minnesota extension page says cracks can then be severe. From the crawlspace or basement, look at how joists meet the top of the wall.
Wide cracks, growing cracks, horizontal cracks and cracks that come with sloping floors or sticking doors are worth an engineer’s look before anyone quotes a repair. HUD’s foundation guide says a structural or geotechnical engineer should be consulted about the cause of settlement. That is federal guidance rather than a Washington permit rule.
If the crack is a hairline in the middle of a wall, with no water and no change over several months, a sealing job may be all the wall needs. The photos and dates you keep make that call easier.
Price follows the number and length of cracks, whether they can be reached from inside, whether the outside must be dug open, the wall material and whether water is coming through. A crack that turns out to be part of a settlement problem is priced as that problem, and it is quoted after the foundation has been seen.
Redmond’s handout on geologic hazard areas describes landslide hazard areas as including any area with a slope of 40 percent or steeper and 10 feet or more of vertical relief, and says the city’s critical areas maps show landslide, seismic and erosion areas. A steep lot with a cracked retaining or foundation wall is worth checking against those maps before digging begins. For landslide hazard areas the handout says alteration is prohibited except for streets and utilities adopted as part of a City plan. The handout is dated 2011, so confirm against the current zoning code.
The city’s permit staff, not a handout, decide whether a given repair needs a permit. Ask the permit center whether a crack repair needs a permit.
A fine, dry shrinkage crack can be watched without any repair. For a crack that is wider at one end, grows, runs sideways or leaks, sealing it before the cause is found risks hiding the sign you are watching.
No. HUD’s inspection guide calls shrinkage cracking rarely serious, and concrete foundations usually develop some cracks. The ones to act on are cracks that change, leak or come with other signs of movement.
It can. If the cause is still there, whether soil pressure, water or settlement, the wall can move again and reopen a sealed crack. That is why the cause is checked first.
If the floors slope as well as the wall cracking, movement may be the issue, and foundation settlement and piering deals with it. The Redmond Foundation Repair home page also links drainage and crawlspace framing.
Where is the crack, how long is it, and is it hairline, wider at one end or sideways? Tell us whether water comes through and when you first noticed it. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (425) 534-7222