Our custom home in Austin had a foundation crack show up six months after move-in

We were doing some yard work and noticed a small, but real, crack running along the back patio slab. Called our builder, Mark from Lone Star Custom Homes, and he came out the next day. He said it was likely from the soil settling faster than expected in that spot. They're going to fix it under our 10-year structural warranty, but it's still a pain. Has anyone else had a foundation issue pop up so soon after a build?

3 comments

3 Comments

richardknight2mo ago

Wow, a custom home warranty that actually gets used! That's a modern miracle. At least the soil waited until you moved in to start shifting. Could have been a real party trick during the final walkthrough.

victor21925d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree a little bit here lol. Plenty of custom builders slap together a warranty that looks good on paper but falls apart when you actually call them. The real trick is getting the builder to own up to things like grading and drainage right from the start. If they just pour concrete on a wet pad and call it a day, that soil shift was already baked into the deal. But hey, at least this guy got paid out, which is more than most can say.

baker.ben2mo ago

So you've actually seen a warranty pay out for foundation issues? What did they cover, just the concrete work or did it include fixing the landscaping and drainage that probably caused the shift in the first place? I've heard stories where they'll patch the crack but ignore the soggy yard that's still pushing on the wall, so the problem just comes back in a year or two.