Originally Posted by
Jerry McCarthy
Richard
How do you know it cracked 20 years ago? Regardless, I'd recommend evaluation by and engineer as concrete slab cracks more often then not lead to litigation and guess who the first one named is?
I rarely see concrete that has not cracked. I suspect that if I looked hard enough, I could find cracks in any concrete slab or perimeter foundation. Deferring to an engineer for every crack would be, in my opinion, unreasonable. I realize that at some point we have to make some sort of judgment call and decide whether or not to recommend an engineer, and the long cracks that you have described may well be a reasonable call. Now I am likely improperly inferring something into Jerry Mc's reply, but I would be reluctant to blanket defer all concrete to an engineer for the everyday cracks that I see. I believe that this would weaken, rather than strengthen a report.
As an example, I have seen reports that state "further inspection recommended" after every line item. A report like this reads to me as an attempt to prevent lawsuits ("Well, I told you to have it inspected again"). When everything is deferred, the report becomes useless.