Repair Cracked Foundation – Understanding the Issue
It is never a joke to realize that you have a cracked foundation. In fact, it should raise an alarm so that you can take action on it as soon as possible since it is usually a sign that you have bigger problems to face. This is one issue of home improvement that you should address as soon as you can.
What are the primary causes of a cracked foundation? If you are not familiar with engineering or foundation repair, it would be relatively hard to identify what causes a crack in your foundation. However, there are some common problems that you can identify that will cause your foundation to be damaged and it is related to moisture and soil quality.
First, the settling soil can cause cracked foundations. The one who built your home must have forgotten about the settling soil wherein it is the usual result of poorly tamped footers. This can also result to building foundations in sites where loose fill dirt are utilized to level the surface. You have your home builder to blame on this one.
Second, cracked foundations may be caused by the soil moisture. The soil shrinks when it is dry whereas it expands when it is wet. These changes alone can create a very unstable foundation and can result to cracking secondary to the differences of pressure that are exerted into the concrete and you should commence the project to repair cracked foundation once the problem has been identified as soon as possible.
You need to seek the help of a structural engineer and most of them may even suggest slab lifting as deemed necessary for the problem. But first, they need to evaluate and assess the problem for you so that you will know exactly what it is about. Usually, the evaluation is the first service that structural engineers perform for their clients and the next step would be to draw up a plan that will repair the problem to make sure it is fixed and sealed.
It would be a great idea to hire a structural engineer to repair cracked foundation for you because they are a good source of ideas and suggestions to the contractor that will eventually carry on with the plans drawn up by your engineer. These third party honest opinions will be your reference of hiring the contractor basing on their experience and background regarding the results of evaluation.
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