Cracks
Concrete cracks. The useful question is whether the crack is a shrink line that lets in a little water, or a sign the wall or the footing is moving. This page is a way to describe what you see. It is not a diagnosis, and Spokane Foundation Co does not repair cracks.
Say where the crack is, which way it runs, and whether it is leaking or getting wider.
Thin vertical cracks, often hairline, commonly show up as concrete cures and shrinks. They also show up at the corners of window openings in a basement wall. Many of them are stable. A stable crack can still leak. If the only problem is water along a line you can trace with a pencil, contractors often talk about sealing rather than rebuilding the wall.
Fixr's national guide, updated January 27, 2026, lists crack sealing or epoxy injection around $200 to $1,000. That is an estimating band for the U.S., not a price for a house on the South Hill or in the Valley. See the cost guide for how we use that source.
Cracks that step along the mortar in a brick or block wall are a classic sign that one part of the wall moved relative to another. They show up at the outside corners of older houses and in basement block. Width, offset (one side sticking out past the other), and whether the crack has grown since you marked it matter more than the fact that mortar cracked.
A horizontal crack in a basement or crawl space wall, especially with the wall leaning or bowing inward, is commonly tied to soil pressure and water in the ground outside. That pattern deserves a look from a contractor who does this work, and often from a structural engineer who is not selling the repair. Filling the crack and painting it does not put the wall back.
When a wall needs reinforcement rather than a seal, Fixr lists carbon-fiber strips nationally around $4,000 to $12,000, and tiebacks in a wide band above that. Those are national published ranges. The method, if any, is chosen on site.
If a wall is bowing, a crack is widening, or floors have dropped enough that doors no longer latch, say that plainly. The contractor who responds is responsible for their own licensing and insurance. You can confirm a Washington registration on the L&I verify tool.
Water coming through the crack is covered on the basement waterproofing page. A floor that slopes across the room is covered under house leveling and piering.
Questions
No. Thin vertical hairline cracks often show up as concrete shrinks. Stair-step cracks in brick or block, horizontal cracks, and cracks that keep opening are the ones contractors and engineers more often treat as movement. A photo and a description are not a diagnosis.
A horizontal crack, especially with a wall that bows inward, is commonly associated with soil pressure. That is a reason to get a contractor or a structural engineer to look, not a reason to fill it and forget it.
Fixr's January 27, 2026 national guide lists crack sealing or epoxy injection around $200 to $1,000. That is a U.S. estimating band, not a Spokane quote. Carbon-fiber reinforcement, when a wall needs more than a seal, is listed around $4,000 to $12,000.
A description of the crack is enough to start. You do not need to name the repair.