A settlement crack occurs in places where the tensile or shear strength of the building material is exceeded as a result of an uneven settlement. This means that the material is overwhelmed by the loads that occur and cracks.
Settlement cracks are therefore often far more dangerous, as they may threaten the stability of the building. Before a home foundation repair, it is better to check your floor together with an expert.
Home foundation repair: Causes of cracks for home dining
The foundation transfers the building loads into the subsoil. However, this does not happen vertically downwards, the load runs diagonally downwards. So it happens that under certain circumstances the tensions of two neighbouring buildings are superimposed. If this is only the case on one side, there will be uneven settlement and thus settlement cracks.
Unless that was taken into account in the planning. However, not everything can be planned. The demolition of the neighbouring building, for example, which after 30 years of peaceful coexistence is falling victim to the wrecking ball. Suddenly the stress conditions in the soil change and settlement cracks can occur.
Every floor has its own characteristics. For example, one can be squeezed more, the other less. It becomes particularly problematic when there are two very different floors under the building. Then there is a risk of uneven settlement and thus cracks.
Home foundation repair: Prevention of cracks in the dining
Sure, you cannot avoid all settlement cracks. Many, however, do. But, they are associated with additional work and costs, which is why the measures are often neglected during planning.
Only those who know exactly what type of floor are needed can correctly dimension the foundation. Sometimes it is not enough what the building site looks like at the neighbour’s – especially when the ground conditions are difficult. It can look completely different 30 meters away.
It is very important for the planner to arrange the reinforcement accordingly so that the basement of the dining is as stiff as possible. In the case of longer buildings, expansion joints may have to be planned so that the various parts of the building can move independently of one another.