You found a crack. Maybe in the garage slab. Maybe in the stucco by the back door. Maybe a line in the dirt at the top of a slope. You’re not sure it matters. Neither are we, yet. That’s the honest answer most of the time.
The fix for “not sure” is a log. A good log turns a worry into data. It costs you a pencil, a tape measure and a few minutes a month. Here’s how we’d set one up.
Why a log beats a guess
A crack is a snapshot. It tells you something moved at some point. It doesn’t tell you when, or whether it’s still moving.
What matters is change. Is it getting longer? Wider? Is one side dropping? Does it open in summer and close in winter? Those answers point to very different causes. A one-time shrinkage crack in a slab is one thing. A crack that grows every rainy season is another.
You can’t get that from one look. You get it from the same look, repeated.
What’s worth watching in Poway
Poway has its own mix. Granite and decomposed granite in the hills. Clay soils in some valleys. Fill pads on graded lots. Slopes on a lot of properties, big and small.
The County’s 2023 hazard mitigation annex for Poway rates landslide as limited in extent, moderate in magnitude, occasional in probability and medium in significance. It rates expansive soils low. That’s a citywide view. Your lot might be steeper, wetter or more filled than average. A log tells you about your lot.
Things worth logging:
- Cracks in slabs, stem walls and garage floors
- Stucco and drywall cracks at window and door corners
- Gaps between the house and a patio, step or driveway
- Retaining walls that lean or crack
- Cracks in the ground near the top of a slope
- Doors and windows that start to stick or swing on their own
- Wet spots that don’t dry out
Setting up: the first day
Do it once, do it right.
- Pick each item. Give it a short name. “Garage slab, east.” “Back slope, top.” “Kitchen door frame.”
- Mark the ends. Use a pencil or marker on concrete and stucco. Draw a short line across each end of the crack. Write the date next to it.
- Measure the width. Pick one or two spots along the crack. Mark them. Measure the gap with a crack card or a ruler with fine marks. Write it down.
- Check for offset. Run your finger across the crack. If one side is higher, measure that too.
- Take a photo. Same spot, same angle, ruler in the frame. You’ll repeat this shot every time.
- Note the conditions. Recent rain? Hot week? Sprinklers running? Write it down.
On a slope, use stakes instead of marks. Drive two stakes on opposite sides of a ground crack and measure between them. Keep it simple. You’re not surveying. You’re watching for change.
How often to check
- Monthly is enough for most items.
- After a big rain, check slopes and anything near drainage. Our after-rain slope walk gives you a route.
- After a hot, dry stretch, check slabs and doors.
- After an earthquake you felt, do a full round.
Stick with it for a full year if you can. A year covers wet and dry seasons. That’s when patterns show up.
Do’s and don’ts while you monitor
Do:
- Measure from the same marks every time
- Photograph from the same spot every time
- Keep the log in one place, paper or phone
- Fix obvious water problems right away
Don’t:
- Patch or caulk a crack you’re monitoring. You’ll erase your marks.
- Dig into a slope to “see what’s going on”
- Pile soil or debris at the top of a slope
- Run sprinklers on a slope that’s showing cracks
- Wait on a crack that’s changing fast
Water is the first thing to check
On most Poway properties we look at, water is part of the story. Roof water dumped at the footing. A planter built up against the house. A sprinkler line that leaks under the lawn. A slope drain packed with leaves.
The California Residential Code, in section R401.3, calls for ground next to a foundation to slope away so water drains off. The County’s private drainage guidance tells owners to keep their own drains, gutters and swales clean, and to check them before the rainy season and after storms.
So while you monitor, look at where water goes. If a crack sits next to a downspout, fix the downspout. Then keep logging. If the crack stops changing, you learned something. Our foundation drainage page covers the fixes.
One caution. Some drainage changes on a slope are more than a homeowner job. Poway’s grading permit page says a grading permit is needed for things like changing existing drainage patterns, moving 50 cubic yards or more of soil, or cutting two feet or more with slopes steeper than two to one. It also says you’ll need a qualified professional engineer to prepare a grading plan. Check with the City before you regrade.
What your log is telling you
After a few months, read it back.
- No change. Good sign. Keep checking, less often.
- Opens and closes with the seasons. Often soil moisture. Points to drainage and irrigation.
- Steady growth. Something is still moving. Time for a closer look.
- Fast growth or new offset. Don’t wait. Call someone now.
- Several items moving together. A crack in the slab, a sticking door, a leaning wall on the same side of the house. That’s a pattern worth an evaluation.
If you want more help reading crack shapes, see reading cracks in Poway homes and our foundation cracks page.
When to stop logging and call
Call for an evaluation if you see:
- A crack wider than you can comfortably fit a credit card edge into, and growing
- One side of a crack clearly higher than the other
- New ground cracks at the top of a slope
- A retaining wall leaning more than it did
- Doors suddenly sticking all on one side of the house
- Water seeping from a slope with no obvious source
Bring the log. It’s the most useful thing you can hand us. It shows rate and pattern, and it saves time.
From there, the next step depends on what we find. Sometimes it’s more monitoring with better tools. Sometimes it’s a drainage fix. If it’s a slope or foundation that needs soil testing or engineered repair, we coordinate with licensed engineers as needed. You’ll know who does what. Our post on who does what on a Poway foundation project explains it.
On hillside lots, our hillside foundation repair page covers the usual options.
What sizes the work if it comes to that
- What’s causing the movement: water, soil, fill or slope
- How fast it’s moving, which your log shows
- Foundation type and depth
- Slope height and steepness
- Access for equipment on the lot
- Whether grading or building permits are needed
We work on homes all across Poway, from small tract lots to big hillside parcels. Start your log today. If it starts telling you something, ask for a Free Quote and bring it along.