We have been fixing cracks in our interior, and exterior walls since we moved into our house 3 years ago, and it just keeps getting worse. Our house sits between a field that goes uphill at a 45 degree angle, and a downhill at 45 degrees on the other side of our house where the neighbors are located. We have about 2 feet clearance from the downhill and our foundation of our house. I'm wondering if these cracks are from the foundation losing its battle with the hill during the rain. The cracks are forming from our front door down the hall to our bedroom directly in the middle of the house. As previously stated we have been fixing them since we moved in, but lately they have been getting worse. The Cracks from our front door are corner cracks leading to the ceiling both outside in the stucco and inside drywall. We also have a crack leading from the hallway to the front door 5 feet long. We have another crack from our front window right next to the front door leading to the carpet. Is our foundation giving way?
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Have you noticed any issues with doors closing or windows not shutting evenly on the walls with cracks?– mikesCommented Sep 16, 2012 at 23:37
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3This is not a DIY project. You'll need to contact some engineers to determine if the house is sliding down the hill, and how to remedy the situation.– Tester101Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 12:20
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2 Answers
If your cracks are getting worse you have a serious problem, most likely subsidence, and that's bad. Get a professional, unbiased assessment and soon. Do not leave this problem any longer, deal with it right away! Get help!
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Sounds like a house placed on a hillside cut with half the house on solid hillside soil and the other half on uncompacted tailings from the cut. Nasty. 45 degrees is a pretty steep slope to have been messing around with, and it sounds like there was a failure to consult soil engineering to ensure a stable slope. In Portland, this lets go one day when the earth is completely saturated. Commented Sep 17, 2012 at 14:28
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Yeah, bad. Likely expensive. If it is a new build (or even just a few years old) @Mike should be looking for a legal remedy– GdDCommented Sep 17, 2012 at 14:44
Cracks that run the entire length of the house typically are indication of either a crack in the foundation or a bend in the foundation severe enough to crack the superstructure.
The key is to get someone in to assess and improve the foundation before you need to assess and improve the foundation and fix the house framing.
answered Sep 17, 2012 at 14:52
