So, what exactly causes a foundation wall to crack?
It’s one of the common occurrences in residential homes throughout our area. Because of the constantly shifting soil beneath our homes, it’s easy for concrete materials to crack.
Since knowing these things can save you lots of money, it helps to know about the geological forces that affect your home foundation. That’s what we’ll explore in this post.
Foundation Wall Cracks – Some Bad; Some Not
It’s well known to building professionals that with concrete, you know that it’s bound to crack some day. The question isn’t so much an “if,” as much as a “when” it will happen.
This affects even the most solid foundation constructions, sometimes to the dismay of homeowners. We at KC Pier have multiple resolutions for addressing them, though.
Did you know that not all cracks are “bad” cracking?
Yes, many of them are fairly benign, meaning they won’t contribute to serious foundation trouble. This is something a KC Pier can assess by looking at the cracks you show us. Our specialists can tell whether soil settling is the culprit behind wall cracks, and to what extent it may worsen.
So, What Causes the Foundation Wall to Crack?
The reason most of those cracks happen is because of soil settling outside the foundation wall. Kansas City soil contains a significant volume of clay, which has a habit of expanding (when wet), and contracting (when dry). As it expands and contracts, your home foundation experiences a back-and-forth struggle against pressurizing and depressurizing, which eventually takes its toll, creating concrete cracks.
There’s a symbiotic relationship between the foundation wall and the soil. When the soil pulls away (in dryer months), the foundation loses its soil support. Then, once the rainy season returns, the concrete faces more pressurized soil expansion, enough to cause cracks to reopen and become worse.
Over several seasons, that cycle of pressurizing and depressurizing leads to cracks and potential structural compromises. Foundation wall cracks also leave you vulnerable to water intrusion into your home’s crawl space or basement. It’s a common source of leaks and flooded basements.
KC Pier can address both the water and structural issues. Our guys can track the history of the crack formation by investigating its size, angle, and trajectory. We can tell whether the crack is active or inactive, and if it requires immediate attention.
Hiring the Right Foundation Repair Contractor for Serious Problems
As you probably already know, foundation repair isn’t cheap, which behooves you to select the right contractor for important renovations. Hopefully, those foundation cracks don’t require major excavation. If they do, make sure you find a repair team that knows what they’re doing.
- Only select a foundation contractor with appropriate licensing and insurance to do digging, injections, or pier installation around your property.
- Make sure they explain the problem with wall cracks and walk you through their plans to remedy them.
- Look into warranty coverage for any repair services. KC Pier, for example, includes at least some warranty guarantee with everything we do. Many major tasks come with a lifetime service guarantee.
- Never let a contractor corner you into a specific solution, particularly the expensive ones. Reputable companies will help you explore various options.
Let KC Pier Find What’s Causing Your Foundation Wall to Crack
KC Pier serves Kansas City residents with prompt and reliable foundation repair service. This begins with proper diagnostics and finishes with a permanent solution (if it requires renovation). This involves things like small epoxy injections, but goes all the way to more extensive work like helical pier installation.
Our business enjoys a terrific reputation with homeowner clients in communities like Overland Park, Olathe, Lee’s Summit, and other places around the KC metro area. We’re also BloggerLocal’s pick for a top foundation repair company in our community.
If you still aren’t sure what’s causing your foundation wall to crack, then please contact us soon for a free on-site inspection and evaluation from KC Pier.
