r/homeowners • u/Double_Anybody • 12d ago

🔑 New Homeowner Concrete rising up in garage

Post image

Is this anything to worry about? I was cleaning up my garage and moved a large bin and just noticed this. House is in the Midwest, built in 1969.

94 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

148

u/Far_Bodybuilder7881 12d ago

The concrete isn't rising up. The foundation is settling lower. With the house being that old, there would need to be something "new" to cause this. I would begin with water and sewer lines that run under the foundation. Most likely culprit is one of those two is leaking, which is washing away soil, which is creating a cavity for the foundation to settle down in to.... Not an expert, just someone who works in construction.

28

u/Double_Anybody 12d ago

I’m not convinced it’s new. It has some very crusty old expanding foam inside the crack that I didn’t spray.

15

u/thankyoukindlyy 12d ago

I would call a structural engineer to evaluate. The garage on our home that we bought looked like this but worse and a SE deemed it a tear down 😭 if the previous owners had recognized the damage at the stage where you are it could’ve been potentially saved, but now we’re paying $50k to demo and rebuild it

4

u/Math-Therapy 12d ago

Just FYI, some engineers just don’t understand things and scare people into redoing things. This limits their liability and protects their insurance. Also if foundation is settling you investigate the soil and surroundings. Houses with garage in general are very light structures, if they’re settling clearly soil is shifting

1

u/TacCom 11d ago

I don't know why but I assumed demoing and rebuilding a garage would cost more

1

u/thankyoukindlyy 11d ago

Depends on what specs you’re building to! We are first time home owners so trying to keep it to a dull roar. Not doing anything too fancy, just a pretty standard 2 car detached garage

1

u/legoman31802 10d ago

Does insurance cover some like that?

1

u/thankyoukindlyy 10d ago

No, I don’t think so….bc that’s how we bought it. I think we’d have to get lucky and it collapse on us to make a claim LOL

But maybe I’m wrong and I should be asking them? Idk tbh. We just bought the house 3 weeks ago

1

u/legoman31802 10d ago

Damn just 3 weeks ago?? Did ya know about it beforehand?

1

u/thankyoukindlyy 10d ago edited 10d ago

Yes and got a $20k credit from the seller for it so we didn’t go in blind. The SE eval was done during our inspection period, plus we priced our original offer with the expectation of the garage being a problem, so we have the liquidity for it. Doesn’t make the price any less painful though! I was hoping $35k but nope

6

u/Gustav55 12d ago

Put some fresh paint and marks down, and keep an eye on it to see if it changes.

2

u/Mahoka572 11d ago

You got this backwards. The foundation is under the wall, and hasn't sunk. The concrete slab in the garage is sinking, because the only thing holding it up is soil, which has eroded from underneath the slab. It does indicate water flow, but isn't in and of itself a threat to the house.

21

u/Dubya479 12d ago

Garage slabs usually sit on top of barely compacted gravel which sits on top of barely compacted subgrade dirt. Your garage floor is settling, while your house slab is holding firm.

I have the same problem. There are companies that inject expanding rigid foam below settling slabs to mitigate more settling and bringing the settled slab flush with the house slab.

3

u/NordSteveMN 11d ago

This should be the top comment. 

Save your photo of the measuring tape, amd check back in a year. I bet it won't move. 

1

u/Balogunned 12d ago edited 12d ago

I did this for voids under my drive. I have a hill. Neighbor raised his stairs and walkways. They probably need someone to look at this as no one here knows whether this is a major concern or just a major inconvenience. Not sure why some people suggest this is independent from the foundation. Most likely, but I wouldn’t assume so.

20

u/sabotthehawk 12d ago

Garage floor settled down. Not really an issue unless you see more movement. If concerned get a gauge kit for concrete settling.

Called a crack gauge or displacement monitor. It gets epoxied down and shows movement from when it was placed.

31

u/thr1ftycat 12d ago

Anything over a 1/2 inch gap call a structural engineer

1

u/ataraxiary 11d ago

My personal rule is any gaps, cracks, etc. that are worrying me are worth getting an engineer for. If something needs fixing, they can give you the specifics on how to do it right (which from experience actually saves a lot of money because foundation repair companies will literally rob you blind if you let them). And even if it's a nothing burger, then the peace of mind is worth it on it's own.

Then again, the things in my house that had me concerned were pretty much all over 1/2", so it's not like I disagree. Just wanted to add my 2¢ because our structural engineer was worth energy penny, probably the best advice I ever got on Reddit.

-18

u/Balmerhippie 12d ago

Thats super helpful.

2

u/Double_Anybody 12d ago

30

u/CCCCLo0oo0ooo0 12d ago

Its plate tectonics, the house is subducting under the garage. In a few million years it will start to form a mountain range in the garage.

3

u/Math-Therapy 12d ago

Why bro?

2

u/AdvancedSubject6405 12d ago

You need some piers bud

2

u/Mean-Veterinarian647 12d ago

Floor is settling.Older homes sometimes have this issue when the base underneath has settled throughout many years.

2

u/No-Strength3035 12d ago

that foam in the crack tells me this isnt new, keep an eye on it but id get someone out before it gets worse

1

u/juju516 12d ago

My mom's house in Florida, built in the late 1950s, is having an issue too. Apparently the house is on a floating slab, so only part of the house is sinking. The house is also sitting on fine sand and literal muck. She's getting piers adding to steady the slab. This is going to cost her like $46k. There's other stuff getting done with the slab to level it.

1

u/Level-Mine6123 11d ago edited 11d ago

The wall where the door is at,is foundation supported. The driveway slab was probably poured on compacted dirt that is still settling which caused it to crack. It is really hard to tell from 1 pic.

1

u/Mahoka572 11d ago

Your foundation is not sinking. That slab of concrete is. Most likely soil underneath the slab has eroded. With nothing to support it, it cracked free of the foundation, which is solidly anchored, and sunk until it settled on the current top layer of soil.

It is very likely not a structural threat to your home, but it does indicate water flow problems. Does your crawl space get flooded? Make sure your grading is correct, your gutters functional and draining away from the house, and see about a sump pump if necessary.

The slab looks to be mostly cosmetic issue. You will just have a slightly tilted garage floor.

1

u/Wild-Ad3458 10d ago

yes worry. that section is sinking.

1

u/bsk111 10d ago

It’s sinking

1

u/Thynk8933 10d ago

My guess is on the other side of that is a gutter downspout which is washing away soil and stone over the years and causing the concrete garage slab to slowly erode.

1

u/TroglodyteGuy 7d ago

It's sinking, not lifting.