Repair of the Foundation of the House: Rules and Features of the Procedure

The most reliable buildings age, nothing lasts forever. Any house is based on a foundation, so it can fail first and often needs repair or restoration. A large number of reasons can affect the deformation of the foundation of a house. This does not mean that you need to start building a new building. Strengthening and repairing the foundation in most cases is a cost saving and the ability to operate the house for more than one decade.

Causes of house foundation failures

External signs of foundation failure include the following:

• plaster crumbling for no apparent reason in the basement;
• deformation of walls;
• the appearance of a network of cracks on the internal and external surfaces of the building;
• distortions of door and window openings, ventilation windows and vents;
• changing the position of sewer and water pipes;
• regular flooding of the basement;
• noticeable disruption of the fit of the stairs to the walls in the house.

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The actions in these situations are obvious: first of all, you should find out the year the building was built, its original appearance, what changes occurred during operation, and analyze the technical documentation. To identify the causes of the foundation failure, you should carry out a number of activities directly in the underground and above-ground parts of the house, and study the condition of the area next to the premises. 

Technical inspection and analysis of construction documentation may show that the foundation is still shrinking, causing deformation of door and window openings, and the appearance of cracks. Another fairly common reason for some changes in the foundation of a house is construction in the immediate vicinity; all violations will disappear after the work is completed.

In a situation where there is no construction and the house is several decades old, it is necessary to determine the rate and degree of subsidence of the foundation, the unevenness of which also leads to the formation of a network of cracks. There are several methods for determining the rate of crack appearance, the main ones are the following:

• using tissue paper or a regular napkin as a marker, on which the date of discovery of the crack is written and which is glued to the crack;
• gypsum plaster can be used as a beacon, with the help of which molds of the crack are made;
• If the paper tears and the plaster crumbles, these are signals for a quick start to repairs.

Features of repairing the foundation of a house

In some cases, the process of foundation repair will also depend on the identified causes of destruction. There are several significant reasons that influence the method of reconstructing the foundation of the house:

• when laying the foundation, the depth was not taken into account, taking into account the terrain and region, and the technical parameters were not calculated;
• violated the technology;
• used low-quality or outdated building materials that were not suitable for this type of foundation;
• the reconstruction of the building resulted in exceeding the maximum possible load;
• Construction nearby has led to groundwater movement.

The options for restoring the foundation directly depend on the type of damage. The stages of restoration in case of destruction and leaching of concrete due to the impact of water:

• reduce the water level by creating a drainage system;
• remove the soil around the foundation as deep as possible;
• let the foundation dry, treat it with a special solution;
• fill the depressions with mortar;
• install vertical masonry parallel to the brick foundation;
• cover the brick with roofing felt and soak it with bitumen;
• fill empty spaces with clay.

Cracks in the foundation due to high loads, lack of or weak masonry bonding – in these situations, additional support beams are installed to relieve the load and fill cracks and voids with concrete mortar .

To restore a concrete break in height due to increased groundwater pressure or an error in laying the foundation, first remove the soil, fill the damaged area with mortar, and fill the remaining cavities with non-heaving soil. Additionally, create a drainage system and restore the blind area.

Any restoration of the foundation occurs by increasing the size of its base to reduce the load on the soil. Modern professionals do this by installing reinforced concrete structures (clamps), having previously strengthened the foundation with stress-relieving beams.

1. Along the wall or around the house at a certain distance, areas up to 2 meters deep are dug.
2. I insert pins into the foundation and the expansion is concreted.
3. The banquettes are installed close to the foundation.
4. Hydraulic jacks compress the soil in the expanded areas, they are removed, and the area is filled with concrete, and only after that they move on to the next area.
5. A strip foundation with global reinforcement using reinforcement is rebuilt into a slab foundation. In order to relieve stress on the base when strengthening the foundation, a reinforced concrete frame is created. All this allows you to expand and deepen the base, compact the soil, and protect it from groundwater.

Another method of foundation renovation is chemical. Liquid glass and Portland cement are pumped into the soil under pressure to improve its condition. This method is mainly used when the strip foundation is damaged.

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Mistakes in repairing the foundation of the house

For long-term use of the repaired foundation, it is necessary to take into account certain rules so as not to return to repair work again and not to endanger life. Among the popular mistakes in repairing the foundation of the house are the following:

• lack of foundation protection from groundwater, no blind area or drainage;
• ignoring special frost-resistant materials to protect the base;
• lack of thermal protection using special materials: expanded clay, straw, sawdust, etc.;
• the use of low-quality material, the wrong grade of concrete, for example, the composition of the finished solution directly affects the quality of the repaired foundation;
• savings on materials, waterproofing, insulation;
• an incompletely identified cause of deformation may lead to continued destruction;
• failure to comply with all stages of repair;
• carrying out repair work outside of summer.

Foundation repair is a complex job that is performed by professionals using the necessary equipment. By performing all of these jobs according to regulations in accordance with the identified problems and repair protocols, you will increase the service life of the building and reduce financial losses associated with a catastrophic breakdown of the house.