How concerned should I be about foundation cracks?

[Volker Brandner]

Hi!

My wife and me have moved into 100-year-old house last fall. Previous owner did major fixer-upper stuff, and we're ok with little things not being perfect, it's an old house. That said I don't have the knowledge for how concerned I should be about foundation cracks... There are several of various qualities, mostly what I think would be called hairline vertical cracks, some with a white outline like they were patched with something and some of those which look like they may need redoing. I can get into details and/or pics if necessary, but are there rules of thumb for how generally concerned I should be if nothing's leaking and I don't think they're getting worse? I've been watching some YouTube videos on foundation repair but I'm not sure if I would know what I was doing. I'd rather aggressively pay off the house in 5-6 years first than drip money on multi-hundred-dollar patches but I don't want to risk multi-thousand-dollar structural damage.

 

[nealtw]

Welcome.. you haven't made it sound like much but some photos would not hurt

 

[bud16415]

Welcome to the forum. If the house is 100 and the cracks are hairline I wouldn’t worry to much. If it was some new work the last owner just did to sell the house than I would be keeping my eye on them but still not be too worried. If they are changing then I would be worried.

 

[slownsteady]

What's the foundation made of? Cinder blocks? Concrete? I'm guessing it's not stone.

 

[garysallred]

If you can see the cracks, the white you are seeing could be water deposits or mold. If the white is covering the cracks, they have probably been patched with some product.
If the cracks do not widen or become more numerous, the foundation is probably OK. If you notice moisture or leaking during or after wet weather, any patching was ineffective. There are products which block the passage of water from passing thru concrete.
I recommend you look carefully at rain gutter, downspouts and drainage around the outside of the hoose. They should direct water at least 6 feet away from the foundation. The ground should slope away from the house and there should be no condition allowing water to pool against the foundation. Otherwise, some serious work is needed. Inadequate drainage control is a major contributor to foundation problems.