We are in the process of buying a house in Kansas City, MO. It is located on a large hill, extending about two blocks above us and about two blocks below. The house was built in 1910 and has a stone foundation, typical of the area and period. The inspector has the following to say about the foundation:
"Larger than typical foundation settlement cracking was observed. The amount of movement which has occurred is not likely to have caused other damage to the structure but this area should be monitored. If additional movement occurs, more costly repairs might be necessary. the rate of movement cannot be predicted during a one-time inspection."

The settleling has mainly occured on the North side of the house, which is on the higher side of the hill. There is a concrete porch on that side (the back) of the house. We were wondering if diverting the runnoff from the hill with a burm and drain tile on the far edge of the porch might help prevent more serious foundatioin settlement cracking. Any thoughts???

Thank you
Asa

It's very possible that the runoff and the settling have nothing to do with each other. This is something that should be looked at locally, by an architect who knows what he or she is doing, or a strutural engineer with the same quality.

The crack should be evaluated for age, and should be monitored over a period of time (a month or two) for continuing movement, if any. If possible, the cause should be determined on site, but it may not be possible. The crack should also be monitored for any lateral displacement. Any water intrusion into the basement should be noted. Accurate records should be kept during the monitoring period. It is also possible that the crack has done all it's going to do, so all that needs to be done is to patch it, but without information about it compiled over time, all one can do is guess.

You can see that we can't do those things for you in a forum, but that's the best advice I can give you.