What to Do If Your Basement Foundation Cracks

It is not alarming to see cracks in any finished concrete, especially in the walls of buildings and residences after some period of time. You will realize, even newly constructed structures have them. Concrete finishes are proven to withstand compression depending on how it has been mixed during its construction. Hollow blocked walls are usually applied with concrete mix of up to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness to finish it smooth before being painted, which is just one method out of many solutions. In its bare face, not reinforced and sometimes poorly made, it will surely create impressions of cracks in strategic places.

By plainly looking, it is easy to assess if the cracks come from wall finishing. However, it should not be disregarded if they come from any part of the foundation. In case of a building, a basement foundation has the most stress because it is in the lowest part, which carries all the loads above. Still there is no need to panic if there are traces of cracks seen through the finishing. The following should be ruled out as factors for any action:

Earthquake and Other Acts of Nature

After an earthquake or any acts of nature, possibilities of cracks could be observed. Usually such forces are laterally hitting the buildings in expected strength without exact limit. It means the strength could go overwhelming enough to destroy a structure, or leave it with cracks. If the cracks have been observed to be new, then it will need further assessment of a reliable structural engineer to know if the basement foundation would be considered hazardous to occupants.

The Engineer will go over and check the specifications of the foundations, to see how far the reinforced concrete could fail or how strong it can yield to the lateral forces of the last earthquake attack. The problem goes if there are not enough data a building administrator can provide, if in case there were changes when the building has been constructed, unless it is the same engineer who is involved during the assessment. As-built drawings should have to be checked for accuracy compared to the building permit drawing documents.

Adjacent Construction

Is there a new construction going on nearby your building premises? If new cracks in the basement foundation could be observed during the excavation of an annex project, then possibly, it is the biggest factor affecting the stability of the building. It has something to do with the bracing and shoring techniques, and how far is the excavation distance from the next big structure has been studied. This is a big issue, and it could mean temporary suspension of the construction until safety measures have been achieved. Careful observation of the building should be done in case there are cases of construction nearby.

Other than the two factors, the rest could be considered accidents or acts of man. An explosion or any direct force applied to any columns and foundation can cause enough impact to some parts of the structure. Generally, each of this engineered foundation and columns are designed to withstand any forces in equilibrium, where members work to strengthen each other. It means any cracks in the foundation, say in a basement, is a threat or a sign that something needs immediate precautionary checking. This can all be started as opinion, but has to be acted at once.

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