Just moved into a new build home (closed 3 months ago) and noticed some hairline cracks in the basement corners and around the garage foundation. They are super thin, like you can barely fit a piece of paper in them. The builder says this is totally normal settling but im freaking out a little. We spent our life savings on this house. Is this really normal or should i push back harder?
7 Comments
Former builder here. Hairline cracks in new construction are extremely common. The concrete cures and shrinks slightly during the first year. Corner cracks especially are almost guaranteed because thats where stress concentrates. If theyre truly hairline (less than 1/16 inch) and not growing, youre fine.
how do i know if theyre growing? should i be measuring them?
easiest way is to draw a pencil line across each crack and date it. check back in 6 months. if the line is still aligned, no movement. if its offset or the crack is wider, thats when you call the builder back
Had the exact same panic when we bought new in 2023. Spent $400 on an engineer inspection because I couldn't sleep. He laughed (kindly) and said everything was textbook normal. The peace of mind was worth the $400 honestly.
thats actually not a bad idea. might do that just so i can stop worrying
Make sure youre documenting these cracks in writing to the builder regardless. Most new construction warranties cover structural issues for 10 years, but you need a paper trail showing you reported problems during the warranty period. Email photos to them so you have proof with timestamps.
hey just want to offer some reassurance here. we moved into our new build in 2024 and had the exact same thing, hairline cracks in the basement corners and one along the garage slab. i spent months stressing about it and checking them every week lol. its been almost 2 years now and they havent changed at all. our builder said the first year is when most of the settling happens and after that things stabilize. turns out they were totally right. the cracks are still there but theyre the same size as day one. your builder is probably telling you the truth, shrinkage cracks in new concrete are just part of how concrete works. try not to lose sleep over it like i did