Foundation Maintenance and Footing Performance

A foundation’s job is to lift your house off the ground and protect it from earthquakes. Generally speaking, earthquakes compress houses and they do this by pushing on them from both sides. Your concrete foundation will not break under this tremendous pressure, but the foundation will crack and settle in some places. This is a normal part of the seismic retrofit process

Some people confuse the terms foundation maintenance and footing performance and think that any crack in their home’s foundation is a sign of an unstable, heaving or shifting foundation. The truth is that only a small percentage of cracks in the basement are related to foundation movement. Most basement cracks are caused by water and the soil moisture levels surrounding the foundation. In fact, the heaviest residential foundations (typically built on expansive clay soil) are prone to distress because of variations in the soil moisture content which result in soil heaving and settlement.

The difference between heaving and settled foundations is that heaving cracks are parallel to each other and they form in the wall at the point of movement. Situated within these cracks are expansion points which must accommodate the expansion of the wall during a shift in the ground. These expansion and contraction points are what you see as “cracks” in your home’s basement walls and they are usually accompanied by matching movement of the foundation.

This is the heaving of the foundation and it is very common in older homes. The good news is that most old foundations feature 1500 psi concrete and this is sufficient to withstand an earthquake with little additional movement. The Structural Engineer’s Association has run many tests to demonstrate that the condition and strength of an existing foundation will not affect its performance during a seismic retrofit.

In some cases, the old foundation will need to be replaced and this is done in order to ensure that the structural integrity of the new house is not compromised. This is the most expensive aspect of the entire seismic retrofit process, but it is well worth the investment to protect your home.

Most new construction foundations are constructed on pier and beam or slab foundations. In general, pier and beam foundations are more susceptible to movement than slab foundations. In most cases, these movements are the result of differences in soil moisture levels which cause parts of the foundation to heave or settle while other parts do not.

The quality of a home’s soil and drainage around the foundation is a major factor in its overall performance and it is very important that these factors are carefully planned during construction. Most foundation problems can be avoided by careful attention to the soil classification, proper landscaping, stormwater drainage and grading as well as ensuring that the correct construction methods are used in the foundation excavations and installation. This is why we strongly recommend a foundation survey prior to the purchase of an existing house and during the construction of a new home.

Precise Restumping & Underpinning successfully maintains a reputation for delivering quality, reliable and sound services to clients all over New South Wales, with a licensed builder that personally oversee all work.

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