itsreallyconc

pls excuse my condescending attitude & interruption BUT if that horizontal crack's the problem, its not unexpected as that joint should have been sealed, NOT parged,,, flaking is due to feather-edging the parge coat,,, since there are no pictures of the foundation ( block or brick ), curious how anyone could theorize frozen concrete/cold weather caused a problem ?

makes sense other houses are experiencing same problems - bldrs tend to use same subs til their prices get too high the only way you can tell if the water/cement ratio was too high is to have petrographic tests done by a certified lab - $$$$$$$$$$$$$ out the window for a homeowner,,, again, my apologies - now please tune back into your normal responses,,, wickipedia doesn't have definition for feather-edge - look on google

inspectorD

I'm going to put in my 2 cents, because I see to many problems.

From what I can tell from just pictures, you have a post tentioned concrete slab.There is no foundation, only an 8 inch slab? I see round 4 inch concrete patches in some areas of those pics. This means you most likely have tensioned cables imbedded in your concrete because of the clay soil out there in Texas.
I also see a brick facade area with no support, this is an interesting area to say the least. I am guessing these are where the bricks are cracked due to lack of "any" support.
The other parge coating looks as though the low guy on the list has done this for the first time.
Bottom line, you need a professional...or 3 to give you an idea as to what they see. Your home moves and the concrete "should" never have water added...but this happens all the time.
Then get back to us and we may be able to settle out the answers they give you.

__________________
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DrHicks

I spent nearly 20 years in Minnesota. I've seen a lot of concrete that was poured too late in the fall, and not protected from the cold while it was curing. It flakes & crumbles.

Photo #2 has ever indicator of concrete that was mixed too wet, with the top of the pour becoming little more than watery cement that quickly flakes and breaks.

The parge coat - if that's indeed what it is - is, at best, a crappy johnny-come-lately attempt to cover over some obvious problems.


The bottom line is that somebody did a really crappy job with the concrete work on his house. I'm afraid that the professionals aren't going to be the bearers of good news.

lk122071

Well like I said there are quite a few houses in the neighborhood like this and some of them sold regardless. I am not sure if they had any major problems with the house or not.

So if this is some sort of foundation issue, there are no signs of this inside the house. We do not have cracks in the walls, problems opening or closing doors, uneven floors, etc. Not that this makes me feel better, but maybe it is not as bad. Not sure at this point. I found a few people that are consultants on this sort of thing who claim they will give you a detailed report. One of them charges a $300 fee. Not sure about the other ones.

At this point I just want to sell the house. I know this needs to be addressed first and hopefully whatever needs to be done will not cost too much. If it does we will have to hold off selling since we will have to save up for this. Being a homeowner is not always a good thing.

itsreallyconc

' no signs of this inside the house ' IS significant,,, i'd put the $300 towards the masonary repairs but that's been our work for 38 yrs,,, .bet the reprs won't be more than $ 500,,, we too consult & charge $ 500 for detailed reports,,, opinion letters cost $ 300

DrHicks

It's too bad you don't live in Dallas. Sounds like you're the guy he needs to give him a detailed explanation.