My home is 50 years. I have seen 2 tiny verticle cracks.
2007-07-28 10:09:42 · 3 answers · asked by charlotte q 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
We dwell on a living planet....
Yes most houses "settle" after construction, .... and they continue to rise and fall with the expansion of the ground they are built on....
Depending on soil types, differing soil/clay/rock mixtures and of course the amount of moisture (water) they contain.....
If you experience a drought (dry), then the soil/clay shrinks, causing the buildings foundations to sink with the ground...
If you have heavy rain then the soil/clay swells and the building rises also...
When and if you have uneven moisture in the location of the buildings foundations, then rise and fall are uneven and great stress is placed on the foundations which sometimes crack and subsiquently cause disturbance in the structure....
cracks are the stress signs of this occurrance.... nearly always this is the result of uneven moisture in the sub soil...
Some ways of limitting this are NOT to have garden beds at or near the perimeter of the building (near the foundation), as watering these can cause uneven soil moisture...
Not to let damaged gutters/downpipes persist... get them repaired asap....
Do NOT grow large rooted trees adjacent to buildings....the root system can cause major foundation faults...
Drainage and water pipes if leaking are also bad news....
What a great number of buildings lack is a correctly formed and constructed drainage system.... that is ground water drainage.....this is a major consideration in construction and it is quite often overlooked..... especially by owner builders...
hope this is useful....
later, Jim (Contract Builder for 34 years )
2007-07-28 10:37:05 · answer #1 · answered by orgasmictomato 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ground shrinks when extremely dry and swells when extremely wet. The foundation moves when it is forced to. Small vertical cracks are normal. Cracks starting at a lower Corner and moving away toward the center of the room indicate excessive movement. Horizontal cracks indicate too much ground pressure (water) against the foundation. I think you are fine! (and so is your house).
2007-07-28 10:18:03 · answer #2 · answered by T C 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Some homes have settlement. Some do not. The word is "vertical." If you have an older home that is not falling apart, you are doing good.
2007-07-28 10:14:06 · answer #3 · answered by regerugged 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋