#Stair step cracks in concrete block walls crack#

The photo at the top of the page, of the stair-step cracks in a retaining wall under the porch and utility room of a home, shows clear signs of structural distress, with a large crack and part of the wall rotating outward. Also, this is a standard for an insurance claim and we have to point out structural problems that are progressing towards “unsafe, unsanitary, or otherwise unlivable.” A hole punched in a bedroom wall does not indicate a possible structural defect, but a long, open crack in the same wall requires further investigation. While these components are not load-bearing, they are often the areas where symptoms of structural problems behind them become visible. The HUD definition further clarifies what is NOT considered a structural defect, which includes damage of non-load-bearing components such as roofing, drywall and plaster, exterior siding, stone, brick or stucco veneer.

The defect causes the load-bearing components to become “unsafe, unsanitary, or otherwise unlivable.”.

Defect is in “load-bearing portions of a home.”.

That’s a lot of legalese, but it hits two key points: Load-bearing components for the purpose of defining structural defects are defined as follows: Footing and foundation systems beams girders lintels columns load-bearing walls and partitions roof framing systems and floor systems, including basement slabs in homes constructed in designated areas containing expansive or collapsible soils.” Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for their Ten-Year Protection Plans: “The actual physical damage to the designated load-bearing portions of a home caused by failure of such load-bearing portions that affects their load-bearing functions to the extent that the home becomes unsafe, unsanitary, or otherwise unlivable. We like the definition of structural defect used by the U.S.

But what makes a crack slide from cosmetic over to structural? Often enough, the crack is just cosmetic and not structural. Structural problems are right up there with roof leaks at the top of their list of big issues they hope we won’t find. “Hey, would you be sure to look at that crack in the wall of the back bedroom near the ceiling?” This is the kind of request we often get from customers at the beginning of a home inspection.