While it is an invalidated fact that newer houses do not require foundation maintenance, not every crack in the foundation requires urgent repair and care. However, the foundation of the house can be disrupted not just by unwanted cracks but due to greater groundwater levels in the soils, weather changes and trees sprouting everywhere. It may be difficult to recognize whether the house needs a repair of the foundation or if it is in perfect shape. Calling a professional expert or engineer is advisable in this case for foundation repair. The different ways in which one can determine whether the foundation is damaged or not include:
- Floors sloping at an odd angle
- Increasing gaps between the window frames and sills
- Cracks emerging on the chimney
- The chimney starting to lean towards the wrong direction
- A leak in the roof
- The floors beginning to crack even without water leakage
- The accumulation of water around the house even after the slightest of rains
- When the doors and big windows start to stick to the surface when opened or closed
- The nails hammered to the wall start to peel off
- The wallpapers or the wall paint starts to peel off like paper
- The roof seemingly turning uneven
- Cracks and gaps in the foundation walls
While severe damage to the foundation requires professional assistance, for minor cases, it is very easy to repair the foundation without professional help. The owner of the house himself can easily fix the wear and tear to the foundation owing to weather changes, water leakages, and decay over time without any complications.
1. Repairing a leakage:
Before applying any form of sealing solution, one must make sure the crack in the foundation is clean. One can pass water through the crack to make sure it is clear and wait till it is dry. Then any form of a mixture of limestone can be used to seal up the crack as limestone expands and acts as a superb adhesive on concrete.
2. Repairing a crack:
Cracks are a bit more time consuming and tiring but are still easy to repair. Firstly one needs to clear the crack in the foundation of all dirt and debris. The adhesive solution has to be made with the help of one part of industrial sand and two parts of industrial cement blended together with the minimum amount of water. This mixture needs to be mixed and prepared well to avoid air gaps in the mixt. The adhesive mixture then needs to be applied on the cleaned crack in the foundation at a slow pace to prevent the formation of air bubbles in the crack. It might allow the cement mixture over the crack to break in the future and cause the same problem again.
While hiring a professional might seem to be the best option, at times one can simply take the initiative to repair the minor issues that develop in the foundation walls to save some money and learn something new.
