The Importance Of Understanding House Settling Issues
There are a myriad of reasons why house settling occurs. Settling causes cracks and it's important to understand the dynamics behind it. Cracks occur for many reasons. Many materials expand and contract in response to heat and cold and some even change shape and size with water or moisture absorption. The bottom line is that once you understand why you have cracks, you can then work on repairing them. However, you may find that some are easier to repair than others. Some cracks are not only hard to repair, they're hard to disguise. In larger homes, you'll find joints which are spots where the home relieves motion or movement. Typically, you see cracks where there sre support beams or columns.
When house settling occurs, differnt types of flooring will develop cracks quicker than others. Hardwood is prone to cracking and need of repair due to settling. In a large number of these cases, the damage is due to moisture or humidity. In some cases where there is poor quality construction, a house may be built on bad soil. The foundation can drop severely in many places and cause tremendous cracks in the brick work among other significant problems. It's important to be aware that when a developer builds a subdivision, they often take dirt from one place and fill in other spots that need it. If the soil isn't properly placed it can settle. Make sure that if you're building a home, request a soil inspection. It's much cheaper than having to hire an attorney after the fact.
One thing you can do to minimize house settling issues is to install water injection pipes close to the footer when building a home. This essentially tricks the soil under the home into thinking it's raining on the surface. You do this by installing a perforated pipe along side or on top of the footer and install a couple of tee fittings in the pipe to extend a vertical riser pipe to the surface. Put a losse fitting cap over the riser. If and when you experience a drought, just run a hose very slowly over the riser for about a day so the pipe will distribute the water evenly around the footer. This is a fairly inexpensive project that will ultimately save you significant money in repairs.
Again, if you're building a home you should be proactive in preventing house settling issues. If the soil is expansive, hire an engineer to design a foundation that able to withstand movement. If you're attempting to fix an existing home that has cracks, consult with a structural engineer. There's a possibility that if you pier one or more corners, you could create stress issues in other areas.
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4 Foundation Repair Myths ExposedBy Brown Dave Foundation Repair Guidelines For Homeowners Groundwater Control Part 2By Patrick Donlea |