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Your House Cracks

Home Inspectors get paid a lot of money every year just to look at other peoples cracks; cracks in plaster walls and ceilings, cracks in basement and garage floors, cracks in foundation walls.  To understand cracks the first thing a real estate agent or homeowner need to know is that almost all plaster and concrete cracks.  Seasonal changes in air temperature and moisture levels cause building materials, wood and concrete, to expand and contract.  Have you ever heard strange house noises that you didn’t recognize or couldn’t locate?  If so, it’s just another ‘house whisper’.  This type of movement is small and will typically have no long term impact on the building.

So when is a crack significant?

Seasonal movement cracks will range in width of 1/8 to 1/4 inch.  They will be consistent in size for the length of the crack and there could be more than 1 in the same location.  These cracks can be vertical, diagonal, horizontal, or in a step pattern.  It is very common for these cracks to be located near windows, doors, vaulted ceilings, basement floor posts and beams.  These cracks are aesthetic and mean absolutely nothing to the stability of the house.  Normal movement cracks probably make up about 98% of the cracks real estate agents and homeowners will typically see.

Structural movement cracks are different.  They are big, 3/8” or greater is size.  Many times these cracks are wider at one end than the other, in other words they are tapered width.  Sometimes one side of the crack will not be on the same wall or floor plane as on the other side of the crack.  This is uneven when a section of the wall or floor has moved but the other section didn’t.

Not comfortable with what you are seeing…

Uneven or differential movement is not OK and these cracks require close scrutiny by a ‘qualified’ and certified home inspector.  These experts will be able to ‘listen’ to what these cracks are saying and determine the next steps to pursue in correcting the problem.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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Are Leaky Houses Healthier?

State of MN doesn’t think so and has adopted a new energy code.

Most realtors and homeowners don’t realize since June 1, 2009 our housing has been subject to new residential energy requirements.  If interested you can download the full Energy Code called Chapter 1322 at www.dli.state.mn.us/ccld/pdf/sbc_1322.pdf

The entire MN Energy Code is essentially about 2 principles…

Envelope Performance
This is all about the rate of energy loss through the shell of the building.  Heat loss is caused by the continuous energy load within the house which is called Base Load.  This includes things such as lights, water heating, and cooking power.  We can control these losses by installing more efficient appliances and devices.  Outside air temperature also effects heat loss and this is called Seasonal Losses.  These losses are reduced by the proper installation of quality insulation, vapor barriers, and efficient sealing.

Ventilation
Because our homes have become so tight the rate of air exchange is practically nothing.  The new code requires a complete air change each hour.  Half of the air in a home can be exchanged by a continuously operating mechanical system and the other half by a passive means, like opening a window.  This can be accomplished with kitchen and bath exhaust fans that run continuously, but this isn’t the most efficient method.  A better way are with either a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery (ERV), but this way is very expensive.

Without these 2 principles in balance and working together, there can be great risk to the air quality of the home.  

Can you hear the whisper of stale air or mold?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

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