A Cracked Foundation

Cement is the most widely-used material for building in the world. And as hard as it is cement will crack in weak areas or, as in home building, during the settling process.

Most cement cracks in a foundation are vertical and occur no less than 10 feet apart. In most cases these cracks are benign unless the are around was not drained properly during the building process. For new homes this highly unlikely because there are building inspections and most states require that there are perforated drainage pipes around the footings and class-A gravel fill around foundation.

If the home is older, or if the cracks are wet, then a professional foundation-crack company should be brought in to seal them. They will drill holes at intervals into the crack and then, under pressure, pump a cementitious liquid which will harden and seal the cracks.

Another way to prevent water from getting into a basement through cracks in the foundation is to parge the area with a cement material. This is putting on a thin coating of the substance which will fill in all the voids and cracks.

A cracked foundation is not a really big problem unless moisture is already entering the basement. However, it is not an issue to be ignored and by getting a pro to look at it may save a lot of grief down the road.