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Omaha Home Inspection: Reasons For Concrete Cracking At Garage Floor and Driveway

By
Home Inspector with Foundation-2-Rooftop, Inc.

There are very few driveways installed properly in the Omaha Metro...and that especially includes new construction!  Minimum concrete depth of a driveway is 3.5".  At the approach, minimum concrete thickness is 5.5".  Expansion joints need to be installed at the street (or 8' in from the street), at the garage floor, and at the sidewalks that meet the driveway.  As the concrete street expands and contracts, the driveway needs these joints to absorb the movement.  If the expansion joints aren't free of concrete, then cracking usually occurs at the weakest point because they can't take the absorption like intended.

The photos below are from a driveway in a high-end custom built 4,500 s.f. 2-story home.  The felt strips installed are only 2 1/2" deep.  This means that there is at least 1" of concrete in the expansion joints...making them ineffective.  A licensed Flatwork Concrete Contractor will need to sawcut these joints all the way out to prevent any future damage from movement.

On the day of the inspection, there were cracks in the garage floor and in the concrete block foundation of the garage where you could see the driveway pushed into the garage.  Yep, Street Creep.  Luckily, the damage was minor at this point.

For more home inspection tips, check out: www.Omaha-Home-Inspection.com.

Expansion joint at garage floor

Close up of concrete in expansion joint

Close up of concrete in expansion joint

 

 

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