Hot take: My 2-hour "quick fix" for a cracked foundation took 14 months total

Last spring I found a hairline crack in my basement wall. I figured I'd patch it with some hydraulic cement and be done in an afternoon. Turned out it was an active leak pushing water every time it rained. I spent 6 months just figuring out if it was structural or not. Then another 8 months dealing with permits, finding a contractor, and waiting for dry weather. By the time the work was actually done, I'd replaced a french drain, regraded the yard, and spent $4,700. Has anyone else had a "simple" home repair snowball into a year long project?

3 comments

3 Comments

brianm6613d ago

So did you end up fixing the original crack or just bury it under all that other work?

the_brian13d ago

Was the french drain actually necessary or could you have just sealed the crack from the outside? I used to think patching a crack was always the easy answer too, but after dealing with water pushing through mine last year I totally get how one thing leads to another. You can't just slap cement on an active leak and call it done, learned that one the hard way.

mianelson13d ago

Yeah the "one thing leads to another" part hit me right in the feels lol. That's exactly how my basement project spiraled too, you think you're just fixing one spot and suddenly you're digging up half your yard. Solidarity on learning the hard way that water problems never stay simple.