Getting the Job Done with Construction Contractors

Could Foundational Cracks Be a Sign of a Bigger Problem?

3 November 2020 by Audrey Ramos

While the ground beneath your feet may look solid, it is anything but. Water tables, soil quality and weather conditions can have a significant effect on stability, and your house may be affected by changes over time. If you've noticed some issues around your home and may worry about your foundation, how can you determine if it's something significant or simply one of those things?

Inspection

Many homes have been built on an elevated slab and may have a crawlspace underneath the primary floor. If you have this type of design, then you can a closer look beneath, and this can often tell you what you need to know.

Warning Signs

You may have been alerted to a possible problem by some internal cracks or a window that will no longer close properly. These issues may certainly have been caused by subsidence, or they could be due to larger problems linked to the foundation.

Having a Look

When you have a look below, inspect the slab, together with the concrete posts or piers. The piers should extend into the ground and support the posts and beams on top, and they should be straight and in good condition.

Different Cracks

Next, look for any cracks in any slab or intersections. You will invariably find some no matter what, and if they are hairline or within the mortar that joins some blocks together, you probably do not need to worry. However, if you find "stepped" cracks that form a zigzag pattern, or large scale, horizontal cracks, you've got issues. You may have elevated pressure on a particular part of the frame or wall, or the foundation itself may have shifted.

Repair Options

It may be possible to fix a problem with your foundation by adding steel braces at strategic positions along the outside wall. You may also be able to fit additional concrete piers in a process known as "underpinning." The contractor may replace some existing piers as well or insert helical screws into the ground to provide some additional stability.

Expert Eyes

Of course, it can be difficult to determine the scale of a problem through inexperienced eyes. In this case, you should bring in a contractor who specialises in foundation repairs and underpinning. They will conduct additional tests and let you know what type of repair you may need or, in the worst-case scenario, if it calls for a new foundation.

For more information, reach out to a local foundation crack repair service.

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