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Poured CONCRETE foundation with settlement cracks due to blasting © Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comBuilding Foundation Damage by Foundation Material

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about the types of damage that occur for various types of foundation materials & construction methods

This article explains foundation defects of occurrence:

Foundation failures due to an outside force, organized by foundation type and material of construction such as concrete, masonry block, brick, stone, wood foundation failures and how each foundation material will show damage due to impact, settlement, frost or water damage, and other causes.

Our page top photo shows significant settlement cracking in a two year old poured concrete foundation. Cracks occurred following blasting at an adjoining construction site. Steel reinforcement may also have been omitted from this wall.

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Common Foundation Damage Organized by Type of Foundation Material Used in Construction

Photograph of - bowed foundation wall, probably from frost cracking. Drop a plumb line to measure total inwards bulging of this block foundation wall.By "defects of occurrence" we mean things that happen to a building foundation (or masonry wall) after it has been built and which result in damage that might need repair or other further action.

Foundation movement, resulting in foundation bulge, foundation cracks, leaning, tipping, shifting or other damage are examples of potentially important occurrences that merit a careful diagnosis.

Strategy for Building Foundation or Floor or Slab Crack, Damage, or Movement Assessment

To understand the cause, effect, and remedy for all types of building foundation or masonry wall damage or movement we have categorized foundation damage into these broad categories:

  1. FOUNDATION FAILURES by MOVEMENT TYPE:

    is the movement active or not, how is the foundation moving: bulging, leaning, settling, etc. ?
  2. FOUNDATION FAILURES by TYPE & MATERIAL

    how does damage show up in different types of foundation material & what are the implications for collapse risk or repair need?
  3. FOUNDATION CRACK DICTIONARY,

    what is the severity of foundation damage, what is its effect on the stability of the structure, and how urgently are foundation repairs needed?
  4. FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS

    discusses alternative ways to fix a damaged foundation or floor slab crack or movement

Types of foundation cracks, crack patterns, differences in the meaning of cracks in different foundation materials, site conditions, building history, and other evidence of building movement and damage are described to assist in recognizing foundation defects and to help the inspector separate cosmetic or low-risk conditions from those likely to be important and potentially costly to repair.

List of foundation failures of occurrence - things happening to the foundation

Foundation inspectors and engineers need to agree on what terms are used to describe various foundation conditions. Articles throughout this website use and illustrate the foundation damage or failure terms listed below.

Note: use of plumb lines, levels, laser levels, & simple measurements of amount by which a wall is out of level or plumb, or of crack widths and patterns are beyond ASHI Scope but are common simple tools and procedures used by masons, carpenters, builders, as well as foundation experts and engineers.

Articles that provide detail for each type of foundation and foundation material demonstrate that each foundation material and type has its own, sometimes unique, signs of damage and failure. For example, a horizontal crack in one type of foundation material may be much more serious than in another.

Just below are some articles that offer additional foundation damage analysis methods.

Photograph of a bulged leaning stone wall

Research on Foundation Material Failures

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2018-10-03 by (mod) - ok that re-bar rods were not tied together?

Parking lot collapse, 1995 LA Northridge Earthquake (C) Daniel FriedmanNo, Mike, I can't say that it's okay to just toss in the re-bar without connections and possibly without adequate cover.

I don't know what your building or what the foundation is or what the loan requirements are or what the soil conditions are nor do we know if there's evidence of a history of movement. But those are the kinds of questions that a professional will consider.

Certainly in my inspection of collapsed buildings in earthquake zones it was clear that mistakes in construction such as impropre re-bar placement or lack of ties of rebar sections contributed to failures.

I think I wouldn't consider building up without getting an answer to those questions possibly also using some equipment to detect the connectors of the rebar.

Here is a model code excerpt from the International Residential Code or IRC

IRC R403.1.3.5.3 Support and Cover [for steel bar or Re-bar reinforcement]

Reinforcement shall be secured in the proper location in the forms with tie wire or other bar support system to prevent displacement during the concrete placement operation. Steel reinforcement in concrete cast against the earth shall have a minimum cover of 3 inches (75 mm).

Minimum cover for reinforcement in concrete cast in removable forms that will be exposed to the earth or weather shall be 11/2 inches (38 mm) for No. 5 bars and smaller, and 2 inches (50 mm) for No. 6 bars and larger. For concrete cast in removable forms that will not be exposed to the earth or weather, and for concrete cast in stay-in-place forms, minimum cover shall be 3/4 inch (19 mm).


Here is another example

ACI 318-14 via IBC Reference [International Building Code]

ACI IBC / ACI 318-14 IBC 26.6.2.2 Compliance requirements [for re-bar]

(a) Reinforcement, including bundled bars, shall be placed within required tolerances and supported to prevent displacement beyond required tolerances during concrete placement.

On 2018-10-03 by mike

I have a foundtion that I want to build on but I suspect that the rod were not tied together. is this ok?

On 2018-01-18 - by (mod) -

Fred

A foundation engineer will usually call *any* crack a "failure".

In my non-engineering opinion, a 19mm wide crack is substantial damage in any foundation material.

The actual impact of cracking and movement on the rest of the structure needs to be evaluated as does the cause and thus the remedy.

On 2018-01-18 by Anonymous

Is it possible

On 2017-11-13 by Fred

A new foundation has a 19mm crack, vertical 19mm at top to 10 mm at bottom. Is this structural deficient?

On 2016-10-27 - by (mod) -

Sam

You can use the page top or bottom CONTACT link to send me some photos for comment.

I don't want to annoy your "structural engineer" but if there is a 15mm wide diagonal crack in a masonry building that's certainly worth investigating.
If the crack is just in brick infill in a wood-framed wall, then the cracked brick itself isn't so worrisome, but it may be an important clue telling us that there is damage to and movement in the wood-framed structure. Or in the foundation below it.

Usually if we draw a line at right angles to and down from the diagonal crack the line points to the direction of downwards movement.

If the cracking is new and ongoing it's worth determining its cause (rot, bug damage, foundation settlement) by inspecting the building with some care.

On 2016-10-27 by sam

HI THERE i have a Victorian house from 1890. In The upstairs front bedroom we have a crack running diagonally in the party wall. I did get a structural engineer out who thought it was all fine. So when we pulled off the plaster to reveal the brick it turns out there is a 15mm stepped crack running throught the mortor joints of the bricks. In the corner the skirting had come away also. Should I be worried? i HAVE PHOTOS

On 2016-08-04 - by (mod) -

You can use our page top or bottom CONTACT link to send photos;

The importance of a crack depends on a number of factors: cause, effect on structure, anticipated further movement.

More crack evaluation guides are in the ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING STRUCTURES - look there for article titles that most-closely speak to the size, shape, type, of cracking and the foundation material being used.

On 2016-08-04 by Basement crack

There is a crack in the foundation of our house currently under construction. Trying to determine if I should have it looked at other than by the builder. Can you offer advice? I have pictures but cannot post.

 


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Continue reading at FOUNDATION FAILURES by MOVEMENT TYPE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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FOUNDATION FAILURES by TYPE & MATERIAL at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING STRUCTURES

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