ShareThisBy DWIGHT BARNETT
Q: I am purchasing a home. We stopped by to take a peek in the mailbox and noticed the garage floor is cracked from left to right. How do you fix this problem without having to spend a lot of money?
A: As Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." I would like to expand on his observations to include cracked concrete. Nothing in this world is certain but death, taxes and cracks in concrete.
Concrete is a mixture of sand, gravel, cement and lots of water. As the concrete sets and hardens, the water contained in the mixture evaporates to the atmosphere. You start out with a large concrete garage floor and some of it _ no, a lot of it _ evaporates into thin air. The concrete is shrinking, which means it is moving. And any solid, heavy, rigid object such as concrete that moves stands a good chance of cracking.
Repairs depend on how large the cracks are and if there has been any uneven settlement. If you're thinking of purchasing a new or existing home, make sure you hire a professional home inspector who can advise you on the concrete cracks, as well as any other defect which might cost a lot of money.
Home inspectors can be found at www.ashi.org by entering the ZIP code where the home is located. Even though inspectors listed on the American Society of Home Inspectors Web site are trained and licensed where required, you still need references from local bankers, appraisers or attorneys. Real estate agents can give you a list of home inspectors, but they should never ever choose the inspector for you.
(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 268, Evansville, Ind. 47702.)
