>just got to see under the carpet in the new house...
>
>there are *huge* cracks in the slab (well, huge for somebody with a
mortgage). almost big enough to fit my little finger. >they're level,
but the only cracks I'm used to seeing look like pencil lines. these
look like the slab is trying to slide >away from itself.
Hire an engineer to come in and do an inspection. They will be able to
measure the slab for deviations of height within the house. This will
tell you why it is cracking. The engineering report will list remedies.
Just filling the cracks could cause more problems long term. Different
expansive rates, water within the cracks, ground swell are just a few of
the issues at hand.
On a personal note, we noticed doors that would not shut correctly. I
hired an engineer who showed where we had settling occurring within the
house. (almost an inch and half on a 30 by 50 slab). The report listed
where it needed to be fixed and the causes for the settling. The report
cost about $250. I live in North Texas with expansive clay soils. My
problem was a water hungry tree planted to close to the house. Sucked
the water out from under the slab and allowed the ground to settle on
one corner of the house. After receiving the report, I contacted
foundation repair companies. I did not tell them I had an engineer's
report. This way I was able to validate the expertise of the repair
company. Of the four bids, two were thrown out for not being close to
the engineering report. Two bids were similar to the engineering
report. I then gave the two companies a copy of the engineering report
and had them adjust their bids so they were providing the same result.
Then it came down to cost and type of engineering repair I preferred on
my house.
On a side note, if your house was new and within 10 years old, a lot of
the builders had 10 year warranty programs. The 10 years is for
foundation and structural issues. Have the warranty company come out,
but also have an engineers report. The warranty programs are a bit of a
sham and will tell you have no problems.
If you try to sell the house, welcome to full disclosure laws.
Good luck.
Jeff
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