Explaining Cracked Foundations
In this article, we’ll show you how to inspect three key areas of your home to determine if the foundation is failing.
Outside Crawlspace Inside
If you’re a home inspector, this article will give you the tools to become a bona fide Sherlock Holmes when it comes to detecting foundation settlement and heave.
Crawl Space Testing for Cracks in the Foundation
Crawlspaces result from all types of raised foundations, including post and pad, cripple walls, and stem walls. Extra storage and conduits for utilities like power and water are frequently installed in crawl spaces and so-called “California basements.”
This space must be kept dry to prevent mold growth and foundation settlement due to expansive soils.
If you suffer from severe seasonal allergies, you might want to have the subfloor of your home sealed off because of the crawlspace’s impact on the indoor air quality.
Real estate inspections aren’t complete without checking out the crawlspace to make sure it’s in good shape.
Places in the crawlspace that need your attention first and foremost are:
Stair Treads
A sill plate (or sole plate) is a piece of treated wood that is placed along the bottom of a raised foundation to prevent moisture, drafts from above, and pests from entering the crawl space above ground level.
An important part of a house’s framework, a damaged sill plate can cause sagging floors and additional stress on the structure.
Examine the sill plate for any signs of rot, split wood, or places where it is not attached flush to the base of the wall.
Symptoms of a problem with the sill plate include:
A lack of pre-use treatment for the sill plate led to problems with termites, a wet crawlspace, and weevils.
Cracks
Moisture can seep into cracks, holes, and gashes in the stem wall and/or footing, rust the rebar, and cause it to expand, so any such damage must be repaired as soon as possible.
Even when corroded, rebar can still generate 9000 psi of force. Out in the field, we’ve seen footings where huge chunks of concrete had broken off due to rust pressure.
Wet areas and excess moisture
Two primary causes of wet areas are a leak (from plumbing, sprinklers, etc.) and insufficient insulation/water mitigation.
Both settlement and heave, in which the foundation sinks or rises due to water pressure, can be disastrous for a house. The higher up the stem wall the moisture spot is, the more severe the consequences could be.
Spalling, Efflorescence, and Sluff
Signs of sluffing, spalling, and efflorescence are always present in damp environments because they indicate the presence of:
Problematic draining
insufficient water management
Efflorescence appears as a white, patchy salt calcification on the concrete, brick, or masonry of the stem wall.
Beams, Joists, and Girders: Posts and Pads
The minimum required distance between the centers of the posts and pads is six feet.
Over six feet of separation between posts and pads places extreme strain on the girder beams, which can lead to:
warped floors
Floors that squeak
Make sure the posts and pads are firmly snugged between the subfloor and gradient if your floor has a boingy quality (like when you walk across a wooden African drum).
Examine the wood for signs of warping, splitting, or rotting.
A failing foundation may put a stop to a sale or purchase, but in today’s market, there are other factors to consider. Before the final curtain falls, make sure to contact RLM Retrofit Foundation. We do Foundation Inspection Brea and fix structural issues with foundations.
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