There are two certainties it is said when it comes to concrete, one it's going to get hard, and two it's going to crack. It is hard to find a concrete surface without cracks. Home inspectors are ever diligent in their search for cracks in concrete, especially in foundations. One type of foundation material is concrete blocks. Concrete blocks are like bricks only much bigger. Like bricks concrete or cinder blocks as they are some times called, are used to build other structures like for example a garage.
Here is a detached garage from a recent home inspection here in Connecticut. The front looks like the garage is constructed from wood, but in fact is made of concrete block.
Remember what I said about cracking? Here is the center of the back wall. That is a big crack.
Looking to the left at the corner there is another very large crack. If you look real hard you can see the wall has moved outwards along the base. That is not a good sign.
Venturing inside, keeping one eye on a quick escape route, we see the floor slab at the rear wall has settled a few inches. You may also notice a very large crack at this corner, a twin to the one in the other corner.
I found that in addition to the floor slab settling a few inches the walls were also on the move. The wall from the corner photo was one and a half inches further away from the floor slab at the rear of the garage as compared to the front. Near the front the garage this wall was over an inch away from the slab, meaning the wall is a movin' on out.
My guess is the walls were not built on footings and solid ground. The slab was likely poured over a weak base. In home inspector parlance this garage is know as dozer bait, which is what I told my client. Repairing the structure will be expensive and may not be worth the expense. Building a new and properly constructed garage seems a more sensible use of any money that would be used to repair the structure.
And wood is less likely to crack up.
James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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When I was 13 we were the first troop to go to Camp Bowman at Goshen Scout Camp in VA. This is 1967.
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