Foundation Repair Photo Album: Crack Monitor Observation is Wheeling, West Virginia

We visited a client in Wheeling, West Virginia many years ago who had a small crack on the exterior brick veneer of their home.  We perform a great deal of foundation inspections in Wheeling, so this type of call is common for us. The crack was a hairline in width, so it was not consequential enough to repair at that time.  There was certainly a chance it was not caused by an ongoing stress.  That being said, the owner of the home was elderly.  Her daughter was in town from across the country and she was worried about the situation.  She wondered how she could keep her eye on things from afar without having her elderly mother constantly accessing the situation.  In light of these facts, we elected to install a crack monitor at the home.   A crack monitor is a low profile device that bridges a crack so that movement can be observed and measured.  If no movement is observed, no corrective action is needed.  If movement is observed, it can be addressed early and lower the amount of damage and costs associated with the repair.    After two years the client’s daughter came back in town and noticed movement.  We were out within 24-hours and the project was scheduled for a few days later.  This device not only provided peace of mind that the situation was being monitored, but it saved thousands of dollars in additional repairs that may have been needed if the situation was ignored.  This is one example of the positive power of consulting a structural repair expert.