Foundation Aggravation ... A term that matches the scenario quite well I think.
I wish to start this post with a little description of myself. I know that much of you are wondering who I am, and exactly what makes me an authority on building structures? ... Well, to start with, I will never ever claim to be the authority on anything, despite the fact that I have devoted most of my life to the market. I am just another person, like you, that is going through life with similar concerns, and similar disappointments. The reason I attempt so difficult to protect foundations is basic: I want good ideas, and I will attempt to make them last permanently. My lovely wife accepted my proposition 27 years back. We are committed to each other and will likely stay together forever. She is my foundation. Without her, I was simply another human structure waiting to be stabilized.
You will begin to recognize that I am just as frustrated as you when you read my articles.
You have excellent factors for your aggravations: You have acquired a new house and it has started settling or twisting, Or, You have an old building that has been around for decades, never had any specific issues, and simply recently you are observing fractures in the walls and the floorings are beginning to slope. You are upset, Naturally, and you desire some answers ... You have been reading lots and lots of viewpoint based posts.
The frustration boosts. Many things sound sensible.
You are now rather annoyed and angry with your real estate agent, Your contractor, Even your next-door neighbor that went out of town on holiday and forgot to turn off the sprinklers. ... You have hurried back inside and knocked the door ... The door will not shut properly and it pops back open ... Now you notice that the crack in the wall has traveled even further ... By now you are smoking hot ... You want to slap someone, anybody, God assist any vacuum cleaner salesman that may come to the door right about now ... You have actually decided to take a good hot shower. You go over to your computer and begin more research study.
You are not alone in your mission for answers. Your issues are not as challenging to resolve as you might believe. Hundreds of countless buildings are settling and cracking all over the nation and I can guarantee you that no matter how bad yours may seem, there are much even worse.
I am going to specify some useful realities that may or might not apply to the scenario that you are experiencing. Old buildings do weaken in time much like individuals, But they can still stand strong.
One question that I hear a lot is this: Why did this structure settle recently? Why did this structure start settling and cracking now?
There are numerous possibilities, and we are going to analyze them based on truths. That the building is old, shows that the plumbing is old. You might have experienced a water leak, and had it repaired, and assumed that the issue was over. That may have been months ago, and you are believing that couldn't be connected to this problem, Could it?... Definitely! ... Ground saturation will in some cases settle a foundation quickly, (within days), and sometimes it takes weeks or perhaps months because various soils react in a different way. Many clay based soils will contract and actually suck the foundation downward repairing cracked foundation when it is drying.
Another most likely cause to foundation settlement is the sewer drain. The drain pipelines under the older homes were either clay tile with sealed center connectors, or ductile cast iron with lead put joints.
There is a very high possibility that the drain leakages. The reason I state this is because most of the structures in older communities have fully grown trees or deep rooted plants of some sort. When you have called plumbers in the past to clean your drains pipes, exactly what are the things that they normally find? ... Tree roots and hair ... Ok, so, How did the tree roots get in there? ... Through the pipeline joints or cracks in the pipe. That tree roots got in, indicates the fact that water has actually been getting out.
Another most likely cause to the foundation settlement may be the water supply line. The older structures utilized galvanized steel pipe to link from the city main, to the building.
You must analyze your front yard. Search for indications of sinking low spots in the lawn. try to find sinking sidewalks, sinking or tilting front porch.
If you can positively identify that it is from a pipes problem, there is a chance that some foundation repair expenses will be covered by your house owners insurance company.
You might need to be persistent, and you may need to get professional proof, however it might save you lots of cash, and put an end to your disappointment.
Some of you are believing that maybe the old building has out lived its intended life expectancy, which maybe it needs to be removed. I say to you: Please do not think that way. Think of your home or structure as a living thing, after all, It is necessary to protect history and keep it alive!
Remember this: Newer, is not better, it is simply more recent. Believe it or not there are usually more serious issues with the more recent structures than there there ever could be with the older attempted and true buildings.
I am only going to specify my individual viewpoint on this very thing: I believe that older buildings must be maintained at any cost. Thank God for the artisans of yesterday. A lot of them were buried years and years prior to their grandchildren raised their kids in these structures that are still standing proud!
Do any of you actually believe that the newer structures and homes being constructed today, will still be standing in the next 100 years?, and if they are, Just how much cash will it require to keep them standing?
Well I understand that we have barely scratched the surface with these little tid bits, but we have analyzed a couple of facts, and we have looked at possibilities and possibilities, so, I would like each of you to take a number of deep breaths and state to yourselves: I am going to beat this thing and it's not going to beat me.
I know that many of you are wondering who I am, and what makes me an authority on structure structures? You have excellent reasons for your frustrations: You have bought a new house and it has actually begun settling or twisting, Or, You have an old building that has been around for years, never ever had any specific problems, and just recently you are noticing fractures in the walls and the floorings are beginning to slope. The reality that the structure is old, shows the fact that the plumbing is old. The older buildings used galvanized steel pipe to connect from the city primary, to the structure. I am just going to mention my individual viewpoint on this very thing: I believe that older buildings ought to be protected at any expense.