Foundation Damage Caused By Construction Problems
When foundation damage occurs after a house has been built, it’s common to blame soil conditions for damage such as cracked foundation walls, settled slabs, and foundation walls that buckle or tilt inward. There’s no doubt that soil conditions can cause such damage. However, sometimes mistakes are made during the construction process that weaken foundation footings, slabs and walls, making these elements more prone to soil pressure and soil movement that occurs later on. Here are some of the more common construction-related issues that can cause foundation problems to develop later on in the life of a house.
- Wet weather. The contractor digs a big hole for a basement foundation and sets up the forms for poured concrete footings. Then it starts to rain. The soil gets muddy and loose; some actually washes away from under the forms. If the excavation remains wet and soft as the footings are poured, there’s a good chance that footings won’t have adequate support in some areas. So they could easily be more prone to cracking or settling after the weight of the house bears down on them.
- Missing rebar. Concrete footings and walls need the extra strength provided by reinforcing steel rods (rebar). Building codes establish minimum standards for steel reinforcement (spacing, size and location of rebar), and an engineered foundation will have even more steel. If the concrete isn’t properly reinforced for some reason, it will crack and shift more easily when soil settlement or pressure occurs.
- Voids in poured concrete walls. When concrete is poured into wall forms, it needs to be vibrated using special power equipment. Without adequate vibration, the dense liquid mix won’t flow completely into all areas of the formwork. Any air pockets (voids) that result from incomplete coverage become weak points prone to cracking in the future.
- Slabs that cure too quickly. In warm weather, a freshly poured concrete slab floor often has to be misted with water and covered so that it doesn’t dry out too quickly. If the contractor neglects these steps, the slab will be weaker and more likely to crack.
- Freezing. Special aerated concrete must be used when pouring concrete in freezing temperatures. If this doesn’t happen, the expansive force of freezing water will cause cracks and weakening as the concrete cures.
- Backfilling too soon. The excavation for a foundation wall shouldn’t be backfilled until the first floor has been framed and the concrete is strong enough to withstand the weight of the soil. Backfilling too soon can cause a foundation wall to crack and bow inward.
The good news: Foundation problems can be permanently corrected if you call the right contractor
No matter how or why foundation damage occurs, it can be permanently repaired if you enlist the expertise of a foundation repair specialist. These professionals have the training, tools, materials and engineering support to handle all kinds of foundation damage. Your problem will not be too abstract for them, as they have most likely seen it many limes before.
Rainy Day Basement Systems is the foundation repair contractor in Washington that you need! They specialize in foundation repair in Everett, as well as other surrounding areas, and have over 25 years of experience!