Two people call us about the same crack for two different reasons. A landlord’s tenant texted a photo and asked if it is safe. A homeowner has walked past it every day for years and finally wants an answer instead of a guess. Neither question gets settled by looking at a picture. It gets settled by someone standing in the basement.
What it costs to repair a foundation crack in Durham
Simple injection work sits at the lower end of what we charge for structural repairs, and carries a 10-year warranty against leakage through the treated area. If the crack is tied to a wall that is actually moving, epoxy injection there carries a 10-year warranty on the structural bond, but the injection is only part of a bigger fix. We price it after we have seen it, not before.
What we are actually checking for
Every crack we look at gets the same three questions. Is it wet, or has it ever let water through? Is it wider at one end than the other, which usually means the foundation has shifted rather than just shrunk? And does it line up with anything else, a door that sticks, a wall that leans, a floor that has a noticeable slope? A crack that answers no to all three is almost always old and stable. A crack that answers yes to any of them is doing something, and that is a different conversation.
Most of what we find in Durham is the first kind: a hairline crack from the concrete curing decades ago, dry, unchanged, cosmetic. We will tell you that plainly rather than sell you a repair the wall does not need.
How the fix actually works
A stable, dry crack gets injected with polyurethane or epoxy resin down its full depth, which seals it against water permanently and stops it from spreading further. If the crack is a symptom of real movement, injecting it alone does not fix anything, we address what is causing the wall to move first, whether that is power posts, a wall brace, or helical piers, and the crack gets sealed as the last step, not the first.
What a landlord needs on record
If a crack shows up in a rental unit, a landlord’s exposure is different from an owner-occupant’s. Photograph it with a date, note it in the tenant’s file, and get it looked at rather than waiting to see if it comes up again at the next walk-through. A crack that a tenant reported and a landlord has documentation on is a maintenance record. The same crack with no record and a tenant complaint that went nowhere is a different conversation if it ever comes up later. The fix itself does not change. What you can show about when you knew and what you did about it does.
Frequently asked questions
The crack in my basement is dry. Do I need to do anything?
Not urgently. A dry, stable crack that has not changed is more of a housekeeping item than a structural one. Sealing it keeps water out permanently, but it is not an emergency.
I’m a tenant, not the owner. Should I still call?
Yes, and tell your landlord what you found. We are glad to talk to whoever is on site and loop the owner in on findings and cost, that is a normal part of how we handle rental properties.
Can a crack that looks small still be a big deal?
Yes. Width is a weaker signal than most people think. A hairline crack that is actively growing matters more than a wide, unchanged one. We look at behavior over time, not just size.
Do you excavate outside to fix a crack?
Not for a standard injection repair. That work happens from inside the basement.
What a recent customer said
603 Basement Solutions is an incredibly honest and transparent company. Corey came out and was nothing but professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely trustworthy. He immediately put my worries at ease and took the time to explain multiple options for my foundation repair, walking me through how foundations work and how they’re originally poured when a house is built. I never felt pressured, just informed and confident in the process.
M, 5 stars, Google review
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Warranty terms per the founder-confirmed warranty matrix. Review quoted verbatim, public Google review.
Common questions about foundation cracks
- How do you repair a crumbling concrete foundation that juts out?
- How do you replace a foundation in an old house?
- How do you replace a portion of a rotted sill plate and studs?
- How hard and expensive is it to repair a crack in the foundation on a house?
- How much bowing is acceptable for basement walls?
- How much does a 1000 square foot foundation cost?
- How much does it cost to fix a house foundation issue?
- How much does it cost to fix a leaking foundation?
- How much does rebuilding your house’s foundation cost?
- How much would it cost to replace the sills on an old house?
- How serious is a 2.5 inch drop over the length of my house’s foundation?
- How should honeycombs on concrete columns be repaired?
