Foundation Wall Crack

[bubblegummom]

My husband has been in charge of household repairs up till now. Now he is sick and it has fallen on my shoulders. Heavy load.

Walking around the outside of the house I see there is a crack in the foundation wall. I notice our neighbor has one on their house, also. Is this a common problem?

How do I fix it?

Thank you.

Loretta

[pushkins]

Loretta,
You mention the foundation wall but you didn't say if it is concrete or brick, a small crack in a foundation can be "normal" and could have come from a couple of different reasons.
How old is the home?
What you don't want to see is a opening crack that follows the mortar line in a zig zag pattern down a brick wall, that may show a clear level difference in the brick lines either side of the crack.
One thing to look for on the inside of the home is cracking drywall/plaster or windows and doors that don't shut normally.

[bubblegummom]

Pushkins,

I think our house was built in 1920 and the wall is concrete.

Loretta

[pushkins]

Keep an eye on the crack, making sure it doesn't become wider. I'd think though that a house built in the 20's you would have seen other problems if this crack was a long standing problem.
This is not to say it isn't worth keeping an eye on, but almost 90 years down the track these sort of problems usually rear their ugly heads way before now, unless there have been major structural changes or excavation work in more recent times.

[bubblegummom]

Thank you, Pushkins.

Should I spread some kind of a product over it, maybe a bit more concrete or something? It's pretty hairline actually, but if water gets in, could that cause it to get wider?

Loretta

[pushkins]

You could apply some exterior silicone (clear) just to keep out any moisture, but generally speaking if it's a hairline crack and not in the open it shouldn't be a problem.

[bubblegummom]

Thank you very much!