‘Our home, falling apart’: Large, mysterious cracks in Eagle Mountain home causing concern

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah ( ABC4 ) — Rob and Tammy Anderson said when they first got their Eagle Mountain home in November 2021, they were “really happy” — but then things started to change.

The changes started off small: the paint was thinning in some places, or there was a small crack formed in the driveway after it settled a little bit.

But within the first year, things got worse — they began to notice cracks in the basement walls, they saw their front stairs and driveway sinking into the ground, they could no longer close their gate because things weren’t level.

“I felt like it was a little bit more than your average home settling,” Tammy said. “We knew that that was something that we had to fix ourselves eventually. We just couldn’t right then.”

Rob said a portion of the concrete slab in the front of the house later started going down, causing Tammy to trip and break her glasses at one point. By the time the Andersons began to notice the bigger changes, their limited warranty had expired.

The couple said the majority of the changes occurred within just the past few weeks — when construction began on a park that borders their backyard. But before that construction work began, Rob and Tammy said they noticed some cracks outside the house.

They said they were planning to fix the cracks and paint over them — but then they began to see the amount and size of the cracks increasing both inside the home and on the exterior, reaching as far as the foundation of the home and the gates outside.

“It has gotten so bad that we can’t shut our gate,” Tammy said. “Everything is completely uneven.”

Rob said said construction workers at the park used a compaction machine, which he said caused vibrations that they could feel inside their home.

“Mini earthquakes every day, it felt like,” Tammy said.

After construction began, Rob said he noticed cracks started forming in the stucco siding of their home, too. He saw cracks extending around the back of the home, cracks in the foundation, cracks on the side the home and even cracks in the deck.

“I come home and I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness,'” Tammy said. “It’s been very stressful for him, because he is here all day, and feels it and sees it — literally our home, falling apart and sinking.”

Rob and Tammy said they have reached out to the city, the developer of the park and the builders of their home because they are unsure of what is causing the cracks.

What the builders said to the couple

Rob and Tammy received a letter from the builder of their house — Alpine Homes — dated May 6, 2024. In that letter, the company said it believes the cracks in the home can be attributed to the construction at the park and improper drainage.

Alpine Homes acknowledged that the couple had previously hired contractors to do some work on the home. Alpine Homes also said that the couple told the company that the cracking worsened after construction at the park began.

Alpine Homes attributed the settling and cracking to improper drainage after work done by the separate contractors the couple hired, which the company said could have led to water pooling at the foundation.

The company also said it believes the excavation and vibrations at the park “exacerbated” the conditions.

What the city says

“We consider this a civil matter between the property owner and the developer,” Tyler Maffitt said. He said the developer hired the builders, and the city just oversees compliance with the codes.

Maffitt is the communications manager with Eagle Mountain City. He said the city has played “very little role” in the development of the park up until this point, but he said the city is looking into the matter.

“It is the responsibility of the developer to improve that park and to finish its completion,” Maffitt said. “What we do know is that work has been ongoing in that area to complete the improvements, and we look forward to seeing that process through until the improvements are done.”

There is a specialist on the staff who is dedicated to overseeing the task and ensuring compliance, according to Maffitt. He said that individual has been working with the property owners.

Eagle Mountain is a fast-growing community and is working to make sure that new developments are adhering to the building codes that are put in place, Maffitt said.

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