Hi,
Our new house is just complete and we are about to close. Today during the final checkup we found the 2-car garage slab has a hairline crack in the middle, running from the front to back for 3/4 of the depth, ending at a point about 6' from the inside wall. We put a 6' straight edge (steel ruler) across the crack and found the two halves of the slab are at an angle. When one end of the ruler sits on the slab at one half, the other end is at least
1/4" about the floor. When the ruler is entirely on either half, it sits straight and square on the slab. So it is apparent that one side of the slab has settled more. It appears that the front corner that is on the far outside (away from the other part of the house) has sunk. When looking for more evidence, we checked the foundation wall around the garage. The wall is about 1' tall around the slab. We found at three places has 2" long hairline crack at the top edge. They do not run all the way to the slab, though. The locations of these small cracks confirmed it is that corner that has settled more. Subsequently we carefully inspected all foundation walls in the crawlspace. The other part (around the heated space) look fine.We know many houses will eventually have some fine cracks due to differential settlement. But this appeared before we move in. It happened so soon. The concrete was poured in October, only four months old. When the concrete was poured, we asked GC if he had compacted soil in the ditch he said no need because that's undisturbed soil. We have clay soil here and it is as hard as rock at the back of the house but at the front it appears not as hard. But we trusted GC.
We just found it today and will speak to the GC tomorrow but we'd like some opinion from poeple here. Is it a concern big enough to stop the closing process? What the GC can do to remedy it? The city inspectors OK'ed the house last Friday. Don't know if they noticed the slab crack. We like the house and want it but if the cracks grow larger and larger in the coming years it is scary.
TIA