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Foundation of the home is like the legs of the human body. When legs
are not proper or working poorly in the human body, the human body Email Address
fails to perform e iciently. In the same way, when the foundation of the
house is not proper, the house also acts poorly. The future
performance of any house mainly depends on their strong foundation.
The movements of the foundation disturbs the stability of house, and Submit
hence develops the foundation cracks which ultimately decrease the
performance of the house.
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Vertical cracks and horizontal cracks found in foundation wall or
basement walls are the basic types of foundation cracks. Stair step Stamp Duty Calculator
cracks and diagonal cracks are also types of foundation cracks and Compound Wall Cost Calculator
they can appear on the exterior wall above the ground level.
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The horizontal cracks in basement walls are the most severe types of
cracks. They are usually observed in the USA, especially where most of
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the house are built with the basement.
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We have already discussed the signs of foundation problems. This article
will help to decide, whether your foundation is in good or bad NEWSLETTER SUBSC
condition.
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If the causes of the foundation cracks are not understood properly at
an early stage, it can cost you a lot in future and may lend you in
problem.
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Here are the causes of the foundation cracks which needs to be
understood properly to reduce the high maintenance cost of the home.
Causes of Foundation Cracks:
Cracks develop due to the failure of the foundation of the house and it COMMON CONFUSIO
is a sign of failure. The foundation of the house is a ected by many
factors which may lead to the foundation cracks. Following are the
causes of failure of foundation which leads to the foundation cracks. Basic Di erene
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(a) How Dry Spell (Dry Period) Cause the


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In dry spell (summer season), moisture gets evaporated from the
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ground, and the soil shrinks. Soil will get pulled away from the
foundations. When the soil shi s away, it creates a gap below or near to
the foundation. Hence if the foundation is not supported properly,
cracks will start to appear due to the failure of foundation as the
support is gone or has become weak. Hence the foundation must be Submit
laid at a level where the movements due to moisture cease or the crack
cease.
(b) How the Clay Soil or Expansive Soil or Black
Cotton Soil Cause the Foundation Cracks? COMMON CONFUSIO

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Topography and soil condition (types of soil) also makes a huge GHAR CALCULATORS
di erence as far as the behaviour of the foundation is concerned. Carpet Area Calculator
Foundation resting on clay soil will reduce the stability of the house.
The clay soil has an expansive nature like black cotton soil. It will Earth Filling Cost Calculator
expand when there is too much water and shrink heavily on drying. The Stamp Duty Calculator
expansion of clay soil thus causes the upheaval which is opposite of
settlement process. Hence soil pushes the foundation up and Compound Wall Cost Calculator

ultimately create cracks in walls, flooring, etc. Borewell Cost Calculator

Furthermore, when the soil dries out, it will shrink and make space for ASK YOUR QUER
movement of the foundation. Such soil exerts huge pressure while
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swelling and shrinking, thus making supporting soil unstable. This
movement causes the failure of foundation and hence cracks start to
appear. NEWSLETTER SUBSC
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Where to Lay Foundation?                             

It is advisable that the foundation must be laid to a level where the


crack ceases and of course as per the geotechnical report of soil. Hence Submit
foundation should be positioned either in total water logged soil or
totally dry soil, but not at a layer which undergoes alternate wetting or
drying due to seasonal changes over the year.
(c) How the Consolidation of Soil Cause the
Foundation Cracks? COMMON CONFUSIO

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Sometimes clay soil consolidates when it dries out. Soil consolidation
is the process in which reduction in soil volume takes place by Stamp Duty Calculator
displacement of water under long term static loads. Furthermore, bulk
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volume of the soil is reduced, when the load is applied to soil. Hence
cracks in walls appear due to the settlement of soil from the Borewell Cost Calculator
foundation.
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(d) How the Poor Practice of Design and RESOLVED QUERI


Construction Cause the Foundation Cracks?
It is necessary to test your soil and design the appropriate footings to
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increase the stability of foundation. It is also needed to compact the Email Address
sub grade soil of the foundation up to the required level otherwise the
settlement of the soil will occur. The cracks develop if these factors are
not considered at the time of design and execution.
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Provide adequate soil compaction to the base of the foundation. It is
done by determining the density of the soil and comparing it to the
maximum density (MDD) determined by a laboratory test.
(e) How the Surface Water Drainage Cause the
Foundation Cracks? COMMON CONFUSIO

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It is necessary to protect your foundation from the staggered surface
water like rain water or snow melt water or flooding water. Sometimes Borewell Cost Calculator
the surface water gets stagnant in the periphery of the house due to the
lower level of the plinth. Furthermore, sometimes the slope of ASK YOUR QUER
landscape soil is not provided properly and ultimately creates  the
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problem of the foundation settlement, which causes the cracks in
walls.
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Due to retention of water, it will percolate beneath causing Email Address
swelling/shrinkage or drying/wetting of soil, resulting in cracks.

Sometimes plumbing leakages, poor grading or inadequate drainage


also leads to settlement problem. When the soil is wet, it expands and Submit
pushes the foundation of house due to hydrostatic pressure. Ultimately
you notice the leaks, cracks and bowed foundation when the pressure
is too much.
(f) How the Extension of Home Cause Foundation
Cracks? COMMON CONFUSIO
When you carry out the vertical extension of the existing house without
checking the capacity of existing foundations, the cracks appear due to Basic Di erene
the settlement of the foundation as the load of extension will cause the Magnitude of E
settlement.

Similarly during horizontal extension, if proper connections are not


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done, there would be di erent consolidation and settlement of both
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new and old structure causing cracks. Please note that the old
structure has already undergone consolidation, while the new one has
not, hence for the new horizontal extension, you need to take care
while designing the foundation. The di erent rate of the settlement will Ceramic Tiles v

cause cracks all along the walls, floors, etc. How to Make t

(g) How the Trees Around Home Cause


Foundation Cracks?
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Large trees growing next to your home can also be the reason of
foundation cracks due to the failure of foundation. When foundation
soil is a shrinkable clay, diagonal cracks can occur due to dehydration
action of growing roots of large trees. Dehydration action of the
growing roots causes the soil to shrink. COMMON CONFUSIO

Furthermore, when the old trees are cut o and the soil that had been Basic Di erene
dehydrated earlier by roots, will swell up when gets moisture due to Magnitude of E
rain, diagonal cracks will appear due to upward thrust created by the
growing roots on a portion of the foundation of the building.
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(h) How the Natural Disasters Cause the and Exterior Pa
Foundation Cracks?
Sometimes natural disaster like earthquakes, hurricanes and storms
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lead to the foundation problems. The earthquake force, wind force and
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water pressure produce movements in the foundation of the house and
hence develop the foundation cracks. In case of an earthquake, the
foundation generally fails due to a phenomenon called “Liquefaction”.
Further foundation along streams, river, reclaimed soils may fail due to
sliding. Sometimes due to lateral pressure, it may overturn and fail. GHAR CALCULATORS
In conclusion, There are many reasons for developments of the cracks Carpet Area Calculator

in the house. But foundation cracks appearing due to the failure of Earth Filling Cost Calculator
foundation indicates that there are problems in the foundation of the
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house. Hence, it is must to take preventive measures to stop the failure
of foundation as the cost of foundation repairs are very high and the Compound Wall Cost Calculator
rebuilding or strengthening foundation is also an uphill task not
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possible generally for a common man.
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Also Read:
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Investigation & Repairing of Cracks in Brickwork
Crack Repairing Techniques for Concrete Structures
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