Lately, you’ve noticed some cracks in your home’s foundation and you are wondering if you need to be concerned. A large horizontal crack with any leaning or bowing walls should be a cause for immediate alarm and should be checked out by a foundation expert as soon as possible. With age, however, all homes get cracks in the foundation and many of them do not affect the structural integrity of your home. If you see any cracks in your foundation and just want to make sure everything is okay, just call us at Best Buy Waterproofing for a free foundation inspection.
To understand foundation cracks, it is important to know what causes them. Here are the six main causes:
- Soil that was not adequately compressed before construction. When this happens, the weight of your home will cause it to sink in this uncompressed soil, creating cracks in your foundation.
- Weather changes. When a home is built on expansive soil during the dry season, heavy rains can cause the soil to swell and create cracking.
- Insufficient drainage around the foundation. Water is the cause of most foundation cracks. Poor drainage around the foundation causes hydrostatic pressure to press against your home’s foundation walls, starting them to bow or crack.
- Soil decline happens when the soil at the top of the foundation makes its way down a hill and causes your foundation to shift sideways.
- Heavy excavation next to your foundation can cause foundation issues.
- Natural disasters like heavy rains and flooding can cause major foundation issues.
Now that you understand the causes of foundation issues, here is when you should worry and contact us:
- Cracks across a ceiling, down a wall or both.
- Significant diagonal cracks or close vertical cracks.
- Cracks that become larger over time or widen at the end.
- Stair step cracks in your brick work.
- Any horizontal cracking (regardless of bowing).
