Your concrete foundation is the single most important part of your home’s structure. It keeps your walls standing upright, your floor level and ensures that your home is structurally sound.
So, when your foundation start to Cracking, you have a pretty good reason to be concerned. A crumbling foundation is one that has endured some significant damage and needs urgent attention. In this article, the specialists at Techniblock shed some light on how to repair a concrete foundation that’s crumbling.
Is crumbling foundation a common problem?
We’d like to put your concerns at ease and say that yes, it is common – but unfortunately, that’s not the case. Cracking foundation is rare, and it’s a sign that you’re in need of repairs, sooner rather than later.
Why is my foundation Cracking?
If your concrete foundation has started to Cracking, it means that your foundation has moved and has become weak. The most common cause for a moving foundation is expansive soil. Let’s explain this:
What is expansive soil?
Expansive soil is one of the most common reasons why foundation moves, requiring it to be stabilised and repaired. Clay-rich soils are prone to absorbing a lot of water, which causes your soil to expand. The more the dirt expands, the more pressure is placed against the underside of your foundations. Expansive soils also shrink when they dry, removing support from your wall. The back-and-forth of swelling and shrinking causes repetitive stress on your foundation, making it weak and causing walls to move.
How Cracking concrete foundation is repaired
Like other kinds of foundation repair, cracking footings need to be correctly supported by deepening the founding depth of the footings. Cracking concrete foundations will only worsen over time, getting to a point of no return if left long enough.
The team at Techniblock have repaired crumbling concrete foundations in the Melbourne area.
Screw piles and bored piers
The Techniblock team will then use either underpinning, or a combination of underpins with screw piles or bored piers to fix your foundation issues. These long pins act to prevent your soil from moving, which caused your crumbling concrete in the first place. These types of techniques are used when the decent founding material is at greater depths than what a traditional underpin can be founded at which is normally below 2000mm Below ground level.. By stopping your concrete foundation from moving, you prevent it from crumbling further. Contact the team at Techniblock to learn more about screw pile and bored pier methods.
While Cracking concrete can be a stressful thing for homeowners, we urge you not to panic and, instead, call the team at Techniblock right away. Since 1989, Techniblock have been repairing foundations across Victoria, restoring homes to their original state and making their foundations as strong as ever. To arrange an inspection and quote, contact the specialists at Techniblock today.