The useful question about a foundation crack is not how to fill it. It is whether anything is still moving – because sealing a crack that's still opening just hides it for a season.
Record a crack’s width, location and changes over time before covering it. The shape alone does not establish the cause: compare the masonry with floor measurements, openings, accessible supports and water entry.
For a property in Downtown Savannah’s historic district, the MPC masonry repointing policy and building-documentation guidance are relevant starting points before exterior masonry work. Confirm the review route for the proposed scope. Repointing repairs a joint; it does not by itself establish that structural movement has stopped.
Foundation Crack Repair
Non-structural cracks are sealed – epoxy or polyurethane injection that fills the crack through its full depth and keeps water and humidity out of the wall.
Cracks from active settlement need the settlement addressed first with piering. Sealing before stabilizing is the most common wasted repair in this trade.
Horizontal cracks in a foundation wall indicate lateral pressure rather than settlement, and are assessed separately – this is the pattern that deserves a prompt look rather than a wait-and-see.
Where we are not sure, we say so and monitor: mark the crack, date it, measure it again. That costs you nothing and beats guessing.
Sealing work on its own is at the affordable end. What changes the number is whether the crack is a symptom of settlement, because then the real repair is stabilization and the sealing is the last step rather than the whole job. The inspection is what tells the two apart, and it is free either way.
Elevation readings, a look at the actual failure, and a written scope with a real number – before you commit to anything.
Horizontal cracks are the ones to take seriously soonest, because they indicate pressure against the wall rather than settling beneath it. Stair-step cracks through mortar joints and any crack that keeps reopening after repair point to active movement. Fine vertical cracks in poured concrete that haven't changed in years are usually shrinkage and not a structural concern.
For a genuinely cosmetic hairline crack, that keeps water out and is a reasonable thing to do yourself. What it cannot do is tell you which kind of crack you have, and using it on a crack that's still moving means the filler splits and you've lost the ability to see whether it widened.
Usually not. Most of the cracks we're called out to look at turn out to be stable and non-structural, and that's a perfectly good outcome for an inspection – you get told it's fine and nothing is sold to you. The minority that are structural are worth finding early, which is the reason to have it looked at rather than guessed at.
Illustrative scenarios, not completed customer projects. The inspection and agreed scope determine the work for your property.
For Savannah-area crawl spaces, identify bulk-water entry before choosing a membrane or humidity equipment. Moisture control and structural support repair solve different problems.
Local reference: U.S. Department of Energy crawl-space moisture guidance.
Planning in Downtown Savannah? Historic masonry and foundation work downtown.
The inspection is free, and if the answer is that it can wait, that's what we'll tell you.
Savannah Foundation Repair Co