Our house seems to have settling issues. Who do we need to talk to?
November 1, 2021 4:10 PM Subscribe
Long-time reader, first-time homeowner: We moved into a new construction house five years ago, and in one corner of the house we've noticed a mounting number of clues and symptoms--a couple cracks in drywall, an inexplicably sticky patio door--that leads me to believe that we might be having some issues with the house settling in that corner. We'd like to start working toward investigating and addressing the problem...but I confess I don't know who to talk to between here and a solution, or even where to start.
Do I need to call a structural engineer? A house inspector? A general contractor? I don't need recommendations for specific people so much as help seeing the bigger picture so we can start taking what I'm sure will be an interesting and expensive journey.
Do I need to call a structural engineer? A house inspector? A general contractor? I don't need recommendations for specific people so much as help seeing the bigger picture so we can start taking what I'm sure will be an interesting and expensive journey.
Just an anecdote, but...I was having house settling issues after the previous owners of a 100+ year old house I bought took out a load-bearing wall. We called in a structural engineer who recommended $$$$$$ repairs. We called in a contractor we trusted and had worked with before, and he put in three joists and called it a day. House is still standing, will stand for 100 more years. Your results may vary.
posted by Toddles at 4:25 PM on November 1, 2021
posted by Toddles at 4:25 PM on November 1, 2021
Best answer: I had a slightly different question about structural issues and got an explanation from a structural engineer for around $650. If you consider that to be worth it for peace of mind, go for it.
One thing you'll get if you engage in conversation with the engineer when they visit is a better sense of when it's time to talk to one, which is worth something by itself.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 4:51 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
One thing you'll get if you engage in conversation with the engineer when they visit is a better sense of when it's time to talk to one, which is worth something by itself.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 4:51 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
You need to speak to a lawyer.
posted by parmanparman at 5:06 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by parmanparman at 5:06 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
A house with an inadequate foundation because it is built on ground with subsidence sounds like an issue for an attorney. I'm sure there are specialist lawyers for this, real estate attorneys, maybe, but a consultation with your family attorney should steer you in the right direction. You want to do this before the rest of your house is compromised.
This problem will need to be remediated, probably expensively, but who will pay for it is the legal issue.
posted by citygirl at 5:17 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
This problem will need to be remediated, probably expensively, but who will pay for it is the legal issue.
posted by citygirl at 5:17 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
A merely five year old home experiencing that level of settling and damage is unacceptable. You need to have the original builder address this immediately. Also, as parmanparman suggests, talk to a lawyer. Homes are rarely covered by any warranty, but a house settling that bad after only five years is solidly a fault of the builder.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:05 PM on November 1, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 6:05 PM on November 1, 2021 [4 favorites]
Best answer: You do not need to speak to a lawyer yet. That's putting the cart far before the horse. Some of the advice here is way over-reacting. That said, you may eventually need to speak to a lawyer.
As some background, I'm 52 and have owned five different homes in my lifetime. Three of them (including the one I currently own and just bought two months ago) have experienced the sort of settling you describe. In two of the cases — including the current house — the settling has been routine. In another case, the settling was severe enough to scare me.
Houses settle. All houses settle, and that's to be expected. You can find lots of reputable websites and YouTube channels that will show you the sort of settling that occurs over time. They'll all say that most cracks in drywall are of no concern. They'll also say that sticky doors aren't usually a big deal (and may only be a seasonal problem caused by expansion/contraction of soil under the house). But some cracks are absolutely a concern, usually those that are wide (more than 1/8 inch, if I remember right), those that are diagonal, and those that include some sort of shear (so that the drywall isn't just pulling apart but also moving crossways).
Again, I'm not a contractor. Just a homeowner who has spent the past year deeply mired in settling issues. I know they're stressful. They suck. But they're also a slow-moving problem, so you have lots of time to deal with this.
My advice? Call in a pro — not a lawyer. Don't just call in a contractor. Call in somebody who specializes in this sort of thing. Here's what I'd do (and have done twice in the past year), in order:
Another option is to call in a foundation contractor. They too can give you a good idea of what might need to be done. The difference is that a foundation contractor has a financial incentive to sell you a repair. (Here in Oregon, I was fortunate to find a foundation contractor who had no problem saying, "Honestly, you're fine. But if it'll make you feel better, here's the repair we can make." In the end, I opted to sell the home while disclosing my concerns and the info from the various inspectors.)
Now, having said all of this, my homes have been old. The first one (not mentioned here) was from 1890. The one we just sold was from 1948. This house is from 1964. It sounds as if yours was built in 2016. So, yeah, it'd be a bit worrisome that there are settling issues already.
Again, you shouldn't start with a lawyer. (I suspect a lawyer would tell you to do the things I'm telling you.) A lawyer is a last step, not a first one.
At this point, you should be concerned but not reactionary. Start by assessing the situation. Figure out exactly what's going on and whether or not any problems can be remedied. Once you have more information, then decide whether or not to contact a lawyer.
As a footnote, you may or may not want to take an additional step. If your home is part of a bigger development, then it probably makes sense to contact your neighbors to see if they have similar issues. Again, from my experience, if one home in a development has a problem with something, it's often the case that all (or many) of the homes in the development have the same problem. So, if you are surrounded by a bunch of new homes and they're all experiencing settling problems, then that's definitely a concern and might become a much bigger issue.
In any event, good luck. You're right. This will be an interesting journey — and possibly an expensive one. Like I say, I've spent the better part of the past year mired in settling issues on two houses, so if you want to chat more, drop me a line by MeMail...
posted by jdroth at 7:06 PM on November 1, 2021 [10 favorites]
As some background, I'm 52 and have owned five different homes in my lifetime. Three of them (including the one I currently own and just bought two months ago) have experienced the sort of settling you describe. In two of the cases — including the current house — the settling has been routine. In another case, the settling was severe enough to scare me.
Houses settle. All houses settle, and that's to be expected. You can find lots of reputable websites and YouTube channels that will show you the sort of settling that occurs over time. They'll all say that most cracks in drywall are of no concern. They'll also say that sticky doors aren't usually a big deal (and may only be a seasonal problem caused by expansion/contraction of soil under the house). But some cracks are absolutely a concern, usually those that are wide (more than 1/8 inch, if I remember right), those that are diagonal, and those that include some sort of shear (so that the drywall isn't just pulling apart but also moving crossways).
Again, I'm not a contractor. Just a homeowner who has spent the past year deeply mired in settling issues. I know they're stressful. They suck. But they're also a slow-moving problem, so you have lots of time to deal with this.
My advice? Call in a pro — not a lawyer. Don't just call in a contractor. Call in somebody who specializes in this sort of thing. Here's what I'd do (and have done twice in the past year), in order:
- Pull out your pre-purchase inspection report. Read it thoroughly and compare what it says to the current condition of your home, especially the walls and the foundation. If needed, examine your foundation (both exterior and interior). Document what you see. Trust me that most pros are going to tell you to do this same thing, and then they'll tell you to watch for six months or a year (or longer) to see if anything changes. That's what they did with me, anyhow.
- After you've done this, I personally would contact a home inspector and explain your situation. Say that you have concerns about settling and ask if (s)he will do an inspection with that in mind. Where I live (northwest Oregon), this cost me about $400, but it was money well spent. A reputable inspector will be able to give you some idea whether or not (s)he believes the settling is bothersome. (S)he might recommend escalating to a structural engineer.
- If you need a structural engineer, get a recommendation from your home inspector. The structural engineer will do a much briefer examination of the home (like 20-30 minutes instead of several hours) and will be able to tell you with much greater certainty whether there's anything to worry about. For me, this only cost a couple hundred bucks.
Another option is to call in a foundation contractor. They too can give you a good idea of what might need to be done. The difference is that a foundation contractor has a financial incentive to sell you a repair. (Here in Oregon, I was fortunate to find a foundation contractor who had no problem saying, "Honestly, you're fine. But if it'll make you feel better, here's the repair we can make." In the end, I opted to sell the home while disclosing my concerns and the info from the various inspectors.)
Now, having said all of this, my homes have been old. The first one (not mentioned here) was from 1890. The one we just sold was from 1948. This house is from 1964. It sounds as if yours was built in 2016. So, yeah, it'd be a bit worrisome that there are settling issues already.
Again, you shouldn't start with a lawyer. (I suspect a lawyer would tell you to do the things I'm telling you.) A lawyer is a last step, not a first one.
At this point, you should be concerned but not reactionary. Start by assessing the situation. Figure out exactly what's going on and whether or not any problems can be remedied. Once you have more information, then decide whether or not to contact a lawyer.
As a footnote, you may or may not want to take an additional step. If your home is part of a bigger development, then it probably makes sense to contact your neighbors to see if they have similar issues. Again, from my experience, if one home in a development has a problem with something, it's often the case that all (or many) of the homes in the development have the same problem. So, if you are surrounded by a bunch of new homes and they're all experiencing settling problems, then that's definitely a concern and might become a much bigger issue.
In any event, good luck. You're right. This will be an interesting journey — and possibly an expensive one. Like I say, I've spent the better part of the past year mired in settling issues on two houses, so if you want to chat more, drop me a line by MeMail...
posted by jdroth at 7:06 PM on November 1, 2021 [10 favorites]
Do you plan on selling your house anytime soon? If so, limit how much you know. Right now it might be a big deal or it might be a small deal, and you can disclose everything you know now without necessarily raising loud alarms. If you find out that there's a sinkhole opening up under your house (or whatever), that's going to be a problem. So if you were planning to move soon anyway, you might just leave it. Don't hide what you know but don't find a big problem.
I'd also take walks in the neighborhood and look for similar cracks. If you're staying, you could also start asking around about whether people have had similar issues.
If you're ready to get serious, find out who the people in your area use to get structural engineering done on foundations. Like, call a mega foundation company (the top Yelp review or the big yellow page ad) and say you're having issues, do they want to come check it out and can they recommend a structural engineer who knows about soils?
Also, do look into the statute of limitations on construction defect lawsuits in your area. That's a deadline to pay attention to.
What you describe could be minor or major depending on the pattern and location of the cracks.
posted by slidell at 1:48 AM on November 2, 2021
I'd also take walks in the neighborhood and look for similar cracks. If you're staying, you could also start asking around about whether people have had similar issues.
If you're ready to get serious, find out who the people in your area use to get structural engineering done on foundations. Like, call a mega foundation company (the top Yelp review or the big yellow page ad) and say you're having issues, do they want to come check it out and can they recommend a structural engineer who knows about soils?
Also, do look into the statute of limitations on construction defect lawsuits in your area. That's a deadline to pay attention to.
What you describe could be minor or major depending on the pattern and location of the cracks.
posted by slidell at 1:48 AM on November 2, 2021
Where I live, calling a structural engineer to fix house settling is extremely normal. I paid $5k 10 years ago to put in 30 piers. Depending on where you live, your house might be covered under a foundation warranty due to expected settling or it might be uncommon so they did a normal foundation, not a post-tension foundation built and expected to deal with settling issues.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:47 AM on November 2, 2021
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:47 AM on November 2, 2021
Best answer: It is normal for new construction to settle a certain amount, but I don't know how much.
An engineer I work with suggested crack monitors when I had a settlement problem. They'll tell you if it's actively moving.
I'd go with a structural engineer if the cracks are large (1/8"?) or moving, but see if you can find recommendations for one that fits your level of caution and is familiar with the same kind of construction.
posted by sepviva at 7:32 PM on November 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
An engineer I work with suggested crack monitors when I had a settlement problem. They'll tell you if it's actively moving.
I'd go with a structural engineer if the cracks are large (1/8"?) or moving, but see if you can find recommendations for one that fits your level of caution and is familiar with the same kind of construction.
posted by sepviva at 7:32 PM on November 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by so fucking future at 4:23 PM on November 1, 2021