Foundation cracks when carpet pulled up. Pictures included

[David Nasser]

I insected this house in Souther Calif. (Menifee) A track home less than 5 yrs old. When the buyer pulled the carpet in a guest room this crack appeared....Does this crack look to be a normal foundation crack ? It crosses the hallway and runs 9 ft in the guest bedroom before terminating.

[Michael R. Boyett]

David...based on several sources, including my state's builder's oversight board, my level of crack tolerance is a generous 1/8" or even less if there is differential movement. While I don't see differential movement in your photos the width of the crack would certainly cause me to refer this to a structural engr or at least a reputable foundation firm to put a compu-level on it and take other measurements or observations to ensure the foundation was performing properly. My guess is that repairs are in order.

[pdickerson]

The scale is a bit hard to judge correctly in the photos, but I would not be overly concerned by this crack. It appears to me to be less than 1/8 inch, and I also do not see any evidence of differential movement.

[relliott]

If it was the garage ,I might even congratulate the guy on being so lucky.

[David Nasser]

thanks for the feedback

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by dnasser

I insected this house in Souther Calif. (Menifee) A track home less than 5 yrs old. When the buyer pulled the carpet in a guest room this crack appeared....Does this crack look to be a normal foundation crack ? It crosses the hallway and runs 9 ft in the guest bedroom before terminating.

I would mention their normal shrinkage cracks from what I can see from the pictures, any slab here (or anywhere) which is not post-tension or saw cut to prevent cracks will do just as your pictures show----CRACK----

[Russel Ray]

The problem I have with that crack is that it's in a corner. Normal concrete shrinkage/curing cracks will be almost exactly in the middle of the slap, or in the middle of a stem wall. Inadequate rebar/improper rebar placement is typically the cause of corner cracks like that, so while I don't think it's a normal crack per sé, if one considers inadequate rebar/improper rebar placement to be normal, then it could be considered a "normal" crack. However, if there is inadequate rebar/improper rebar placement in that corner, which I suspect there is, then that concrete is going to do nothing but continue to crack and crumble. I think it should be taken care of now, while the carpet is pulled back and before someone goes installing wood or tile floors.