Outside wear of cement in foundation advice
I need some advice. I am a first time home buyer and recently noticed a hole in the foundation of the house. The house was built in 1969. The hole exists in the mortar or cement between the cinder block. The hole seems to start where the foundation meets a concrete slab/patio cement and go downward. It seems there had been a fix attempted at one time. I am unsure if this is an issue or will cause an issue in the future and would appreciate any advice.
Replies
That's a code required egress opening for mice. All homes come with at least two.
Certainly it's not a structural problem. As to whether it's a potentially troublesome entry point for vermin or water, that would depend on a number of factors.
Thank you for the input. My largest concern was water penetrating and able to cause future damage.
You gave us no clue as to what's on the other side of the hole, what the slope of the ground is, what your climate is, etc.
Ok, I cannot tell the hole's depth or size for certain. The hole is the point where the foundation meets the ground level. Ground level is sloping away from the house. The climate is Ohio, so ice, snow, and rain occurr and melt.
Is this a crawl space, a basement, what?
It leads to a basement on the otherside. I just checked the depth as best i could. It was around 4-5 inches inward and I couldn't get a measurment downward because of rubble.
And the hole doesn't penetrate the inside wall? Presumably all you need to do is excavate down to a few inches below the bottom of the hole and patch it with patching mortar. Even if you do a fairly amateurish job of patching, it should hold quite well so long as you clean away the dirt/dust/debris first and moisten the concrete slightly before applying the patch.
The hole could be there for a number of "accidental" reasons, or could be where a pipe or conduit exits or some such.
Ok, thank you for your help. I will give it a shot and see what I can do. I appreciate your help and advice.