The Crackman Podcast

In this episode, the CrackDaddy shares a case study where a homeowner received several high-dollar estimates to fix a garage wall that was bowing out. A1 Foundation Crack Repair was called in to assess the situation and ended up fixing the problem for 1/10 of the other estimates. See what happened.

Suppose a homeowner thinks they have a good reason to dig out the dirt surrounding a home’s foundation. Is it a good idea? The CrackDaddy, Adam Tracy, explains why digging out the dirt around a home’s foundation could lead to catastrophic results.

In this episode, Adam Tracy shares an interesting case study that is a warning tale for owners of vacation rental properties.

We’re looking at mid-90s this coming weekend and aside from an occasional thunderstorm, it’s been pretty dry outside. Why would people have water collecting in their basements when it's so dry? The CrackDaddy explains.

In this episode, Adam Tracy shares an interesting case study about a bowing block foundation that a concerned homeowner called about. The Crack Daddy explains what can be done about a block foundation that is bowing in.

It’s Spring and many people are doing Spring clean-up and moving things around in their basement. That’s when they notice the floor seems to be pitting and cracking. That’s something that should be addressed, right? Adam Tracy explains.

If you have a stone foundation, you may have seen a white powdery substance on the floor next to the foundation wall. What is this stuff and what should be done about it? The Crackman explains.

With this raging real estate market, prospective home buyers are willing to waive their home inspection in order to make their offer seem more attractive. Is this a good idea? Adam explains the ramifications of waiving a home inspection when purchasing a home.

If you've been battling a basement water leak for a while, you might start wondering if you can DIY a basement water leak to death? Fear not, the pros at A1 Foundation Crack Repair have literally seen it all and can rescue a homeowner from all their mistakes.

In this interesting episode, the Crack Daddy shares a very interesting case study regarding how mining in a quarry inadvertently affected the foundations of homes in a nearby community.

Late winter and early Spring can usher in some pretty weird weather patterns. A major blizzard can be followed by several 70-degree days followed by more freezing weather. That can wreak havoc on concrete and particularly, one's foundation. Adam shares a case study.

A1 Foundation Crack Repair responds to the "Bat signal" on a daily basis. In this case study, we learn that the folks in this Waltham MA home were pretty happy to see our favorite basement crack repair specialists on their doorstep after a botched repair job. It’s great to know that A1’s super heroes are ready, willing, and able to respond to just about any emergency.

The Northeast just received nearly 2 feet of snow from the nor’easter cyclone bomb. With that came arctic-like temperatures. In this episode, Adam Tracy explains how winter weather can wreak havoc on your foundation.

The big box stores do a great job of hyping crack repair products but they don’t really seem to do the job as advertised. Why is that? Adam explains why a DIY crack repair using hydraulic cement doesn’t always work.

On the 14th hole of a local golf course, a house is being built on the side of a hill. The street level is even with the top of the second story, just to give you an idea of the slope. That could be a problem if the builders don’t figure out a way to divert the water run-off. Adam explains the ramifications of poor landscape design when it comes to foundations.

Modern homes are extremely efficient but many people own very old homes. A gaping hole in the foundation can make it costly to heat or cool. The Crack Daddy explains how to make an older home with a fieldstone foundation more energy efficient.

A moldy basement won't pass most home inspections and it certainly won’t pass the smell test. In this episode, Adam shares a case study on how a moldy basement can easily tank a home sale.

When a homeowner thinks about home improvements, they normal consider the aesthetics of the improvement. But that might be putting the cart before the horse if you have topographical issues that can adversely affect the very foundation of your house. The CrackDaddy explains.

The Crackman got a call from a customer who had a typical wall crack–one that is vertical in nature and sort of meanders with no defined pattern, but that’s not where it was leaking. Instead, the water was coming from where the floor and wall meet at the seam. How does that happen?

If you put a jar of turkey stock in the freezer after Thanksgiving and make the mistake of overfilling the jar, the jar will break. So, could the same thing happen to a basement if you have a water leak and a hard freeze?

Well, listeners...today is milestone day as this is our 300th episode of the Crackman podcast. During these 300 episodes, we have covered in great detail how FlexSeal does an exceedingly poor job of stopping basement water leaks for the long term. So how about this...what if you paint the leaking area with waterproofing paint first and THEN apply the FlexSeal? It’s like double the protection, righ...

During the torrential rains of late summer and early fall, A1 Foundation Crack Repair was absolutely slammed with work fixing basement water problems. But it’s been relatively dry for the last month, so why would water still be flooding certain basements?

Bulkheads are an integral part of the foundation and basement. A1 Foundation Crack Repair gets a lot of calls about them, especially when they are leaking. The Crack Daddy covers this topic in detail.

Some cracks are pretty easy to identify due to their meandering, spidering appearance. But straight, horizontal cracks are something else entirely. In this episode, Adam, talks about these manmade horizontal cracks, or expansion joints, and how and when to fix them.

Winter is fast approaching, believe it or not. In this episode, The Crackdaddy gives an important tip to keep your foundation in check during the freezing temperatures.