Should you fix a bad foundation crack yourself or call a pro? Here is what happened to me

I found a hairline crack in my basement wall last spring in my 1980s house near Portland. I watched some YouTube videos and bought a $40 epoxy injection kit from the hardware store. After I injected it and let it dry for 48 hours, the crack spread another 3 inches down the wall during a rainstorm. Then I called a foundation guy who said my patch job actually made it worse by trapping water inside. Now I am out the $40 and looking at a $1,200 repair bill. Did I mess up by trying to do this myself, or has anyone else had luck with DIY foundation fixes?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie_smith1d ago

Exactly the same thing happened to me with a crack in my 1905 house here in Seattle - I spent a weekend on a DIY fix and the water damage cost me triple what a pro would have charged from the start. That experience completely changed my mind about foundation work; now I call someone before even touching a crack.

tarag2822h ago

I used to think foundation work was just caulk and a little know-how. Watched a guy on YouTube make it look easy, so I grabbed a tube of hydraulic cement and filled a crack myself. Then a rainy week later, I had a wet basement and the crack got longer. The contractor who came out told me the same thing, that I'd basically sealed the crack without dealing with the drainage issue. Learned the hard way that some problems look simple but aren't, and a pro's $1,200 bill is cheaper than a flood.