Short-term Solution For a Crack Around a Corner Porch Column

Question

My wife and I want to have this professionally repaired with a new column and new slab in a year when our little one is out of daycare and financials will be better able to handle it, but this crack appears to be progressing. At some point since October when we bought this house, the railing fully split off from the column.

My thinking is I can slow progress in this and buy some time by somehow sealing the crack as it is, to keep rainfall from getting in worsening the crack.

I would like to know if that is a viable approach, or if it risks making the problem worse somehow. I recognize the risk that I could accidentally let a short-term fix become a long-term solution because I can better ignore it, but I am motivated to get this fully repaired by replacing the column. I would also like to know how serious this looks, and if it appears the porch is imminently going to collapse.

The house is Grand Rapids, Michigan. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The crack isn't the primary concern, and rain doesn't matter.

Your issue is that there's movement happening somewhere below the crack. I can't tell where. It's odd that a slab supported by a full foundation wall would move like that. Somewhere there's mortar crumbling, ground settling, or something else. Until you know what that is you can't solve the problem.

I also can't see why the railing came lose. There's nowhere near enough movement in the column to result in that. It's as if there was no fastening between the top rail and the block at the top of the attached board. I'd put some deck screws into that joint for now.

There isn't much you can or should do other than a proper, comprehensive repair. Even if you're in a freezing climate the crack won't exacerbate the problem enough to warrant expense and effort. You need an assessment of the foundation, repair of any mortar issues, and a new slab.

There's also nothing here that indicates that catastrophe is imminent. I've seen much worse than this still standing. Keep an eye on it for any more substantial movement, otherwise just save your pennies. Enjoy that gap between daycare and teenage, when the bills roar back.

Answer 2

Your foundation is settling in that corner. You can seal the crack which might prevent any frost related damage but won't fix the primary issue that the column foundation is moving ( you can see that the outside of the face of the column has sunk downwards lifting the left side in your front face stair picture. I would take a sharpie and using the porch slab as a guide draw a line on the side of the concrete post base so you can see if it is contining to lift, by how much and over how long of a time.

Your house looks 1920s? I had a porch that was almost identical - enclosed sun room above. The foundation for the porch column was probably not deep enough and on compactable or disturbed dirt and has settle or is continuing to settle over time.

I'd guess the concrete block wall and concrete porch slab are newer additions to the house.

Answer 3

It's not going to suddenly collapse.

The foundation is made of cinder blocks, which are notoriously bad for foundations. It's normal for foundations to settle and show small cracks, but cinder blocks offer little resistance and the results are what you are seeing.

The house does not look new, so presumably it should have settled already, or split the foundation in half. So the question is what has happened in there last few months that had made the foundation sink? Are your gutters working and taking water out? Does water accumulate around the porch after raining? Is the porch foundation on a shallow trench and heaving during the winter, then receding during the summer?