The correct principle of eliminating cracks in a brick wall. Cracks in the house. What to do with cracks in the walls of the house? Cracks in house after new roof

Cracks in the walls of buildings can appear suddenly, and not only in old houses, but also in new buildings, panel and brick. This, of course, is not the norm, but you should not panic about this. It is better to assess the scale and understand how dangerous the destruction is in order to determine how to eliminate it. All cracks are divided into two types:

Passive- if the cracking occurred at once, and does not go further, in this case, you can eliminate the defect yourself;
Active- if a crack in the wall of the house expands or lengthens over time, there is a risk of collapse of the wall or building, in this case, you need to call specialists from the specialized service, who will make a decision.

Causes of cracks in the walls

There are dozens of reasons for which the deformation of the building occurs, and as a result, the manifestation of faults, serious, or "cobwebs". They are caused by various factors, but the most common is problems with the foundation. It is also the most dangerous and difficult, since in some cases it is necessary to redo everything anew, or somehow strengthen the foundation, and this is often not easy.

So, we understand in detail why cracks appear on the walls in various buildings, is it worth worrying, and how to fix them.

Why are wall cracks so common in new homes?

Cracking of new buildings is a fairly common phenomenon. 9 out of 10 houses may crack after a few years due to shrinkage, but as a rule, cracks in the walls in a new house are small and passive, and after sealing there are no problems.

Experts do not recommend making major repairs in the first year and a half, and if your apartment is located on the lower floors, and many will do repairs from above, you should wait a little longer. The fact is that all the neighbors from above will “add” the weight of the structure with plaster and decoration, which means that the house will shrink even more noticeably.

small cracks on the walls in a new house, they don’t seem to be terrible, but they can lead to tiles falling off, wallpaper deformation and similar problems. Better to wait with the finish than to redo it all over again. In addition, a small "cobweb" under the wallpaper will not be noticeable, but it is advisable to patch it up as soon as it appears.

Why did a crack appear in the wall of a house that no longer shrinks?

In more habitable and it would seem strong houses, cracks can appear quite unexpectedly, and usually they are the ones that scare residents the most. The reasons in this case can be very different.

Violation of construction technology, in which the dressing of the masonry of the brick wall was incorrectly performed. Long years everything is in order, and then there is a fault, which is also difficult to repair.
Violation of communications laying technology. It happens that a house is built first, and then communications are brought in, as a result of which they dig in the foundation - this is one of the common causes of horizontal cracks in the wall.
The foundation may sink and by itself, for example, due to incorrectly calculated load or insufficiently competent design without specialized calculations. Owners of private houses often suffer from this, who do not conduct geodetic surveys, do not study the features of the soil, and choose the wrong type of foundation. The causes of cracks in the walls can also include improperly laid sand under the foundation, or groundwater unaccounted for during construction.

Why did a crack go along the wall of the old house?

In old houses that have stood for decades without problems, sudden cracking can occur due to new construction going on nearby, excavation of a foundation pit nearby, vibrations during the installation of piles or re-laying of the road. Often problems arise from poor, ill-conceived redevelopment, when the new owner demolishes load-bearing supports, or illegal construction of basements and subfloors, as a result of which the load is shifted and the foundation suffers. A crack in the outer wall of the house also occurs due to the fact that the mortar can crumble over time, and if floors were attached to the house, or it was lengthened, the problem could become critical.

The problem with a crack in the load-bearing wall at the base of the building

Another common answer to the question, why do cracks appear on the walls? - ill-conceived redevelopment, especially on the basement and first floors. This happens when residential apartments are transferred to a non-residential fund, arranging shops or service establishments, and at the same time, load-bearing walls are touched. The load on the remaining ones is greater, and the house is being destroyed from the inside, and the residents of the upper floors are usually the first to notice the problem.

Usually it is not possible to resolve the issue with the owners of the premises, so if there are cracks on the inner walls, and at the same time below there are offices or commercial premises, you must contact the relevant authorities to check the condition of the building.

Types of cracks in the walls

You can try to determine the cause of cracking yourself, focusing on the direction of the fault: vertical, horizontal, in the corner. In brick walls, the direction may be broken, but the general trend is usually observed.

vertical cracks. In the middle part of the building, thermal deformation can occur if there is a problem with expansion joints. In places of supports and beams - due to overloading of the walls (this is very dangerous). The reason may be an unstable foundation, as a result of which one part of the building settles in a different way.
Horizontal cracks on the wall of the house can be caused by subsidence of the foundation in its central part, and moisture ingress into the walls and foundation. They are less dangerous for the building as a whole, but it is necessary to check the quality of the insulation. The causes of horizontal cracks in the wall are usually less dangerous, and the building collapses more slowly than with vertical ones. But it is also more difficult to fasten the structure, and serious measures may be required to correct the situation.
In the corner of the wall destruction can occur due to flooding of the foundation, as often happens when moisture drips from the roof into this corner. Microcracks are generally not dangerous, although they are more difficult to repair.

In any case, if there is a crack in the wall of the house, you should call in specialists who will determine the cause and extent of the problem.

What cracks in the walls of the house are dangerous

A small web of cracks is usually not dangerous, no matter where it is located. But in any case, it is better to control this process.

To determine the danger, that is, the future divergence of the wall, various beacons are used. IN living conditions to control a wall crack inside the house, you can use paper or plaster, which are superimposed on the fault at its different ends, possibly in the middle. If the line is broken, you will need to apply beacons to all sections. Be sure to write down the installation date next to it.

It happens that it is not possible to install a beacon on the outer wall on your own if the fault occurs on high floors. In addition, gypsum and paper simply cannot withstand the weather, and a gypsum beacon is generally capable of cracking from temperature changes. There are other options for beacons that profile specialists have and are suitable for outdoor monitoring.

If for 8-12 months the crack in the outer wall of the house or inside it has not changed and has not increased, it can be considered passive, stable, and repaired.

If beacon deformed or collapsed, be sure to call specialists, this means that the process is active, and measures must be taken.

Crack in the wall of the house: what to do and how to fix

There are many ways to solve the problem, and the choice of a particular one depends on the characteristics of the fault and its development. Keep in mind: if a large crack in the wall diverges quickly and the beacons collapse, you are unlikely to cope on your own, you may have to fasten the house with metal plates, raise the building to adjust the foundation, strengthen it, put props instead of load-bearing walls, etc.

Crack in outer wall

Small stable cracks are cleaned of plaster and finish, a deep penetration primer is applied, and the entire crack is covered with a putty mesh so that it reliably covers the edges. Putty is applied on top, better reinforced, as it will withstand temperature changes and exposure to weather conditions.

Cracks in the brick are sealed with a metal mesh for plaster, which is fixed with bolts. A layer of mortar (cement + sand) is applied to it.

A large crack in the wall is poured mounting foam, while first you need to expand and clean it, possibly rinse with water and dry so that more solution gets inside. There are various nozzles for cylinders, so that even complex bends can be repaired.

Faults in concrete are also cleaned, blown out with mounting foam and sealed with a cement-sand mixture.

Crack in the corner of the wall

It especially often occurs at the joints of the plates, and if this is the corner of the house, then it can noticeably blow from it. It is sealed either with mounting foam and then plastered, or a system of metal plates is used, the whole house can be pulled together if the problem is serious, or part of it.

In multi-storey buildings, you have to do everything from the inside, or order insulation along with sealing cracks. If the fault is large, it must be deepened and properly cleaned, preferably construction vacuum cleaner, or at least with a brush, and the foam is applied to the primer that has not yet dried.

Cracked walls inside the house

A small cobweb, which was formed as a result of new building shrinkage, can be easily covered up: you will need a putty mesh and a deep penetration primer. A primer is applied to the cleaned wall with the coating removed, covered with a mesh, and sealed with putty. Then, after drying, the surface can be rubbed and painted, or wallpapered. It is better to wait a bit to make sure that the problem does not reoccur.

If there is a crack in the wall concrete house, it needs to be expanded by creating 45-degree corners, and primed well. The closing is carried out or concrete mortar, or sealant. Sealant fits better, as it is a little "rubber", which means that future movements will be compensated and the crack will not expand. Do not use a silicone-based sealant, as nothing sticks to it, and then it will be difficult to paint over or wallpaper it. A crack in the wall of the house can also be repaired with any cement-based mixtures, such as tile adhesive, or plaster. You can use an emulsion to which cement is added, or there is even more a budget option- PVA glue and cement. You can apply such a mixture with a spatula, and special guns are used for sealant to help squeeze it out of the tube. The rest of the mixture is removed with a spatula flush with the wall.

cracks in plasterboard wall usually appear due to excessive moisture, dampness, or improper installation. If flooding occurs, the sheets need to be changed, in other cases, you can save the situation with a special putty for drywall, or use acrylic (sold in the same tubes as sealant). Another option is to stick fiberglass, it is more reliable, although more expensive and labor-intensive. All these methods can be used only in case of high-quality fastening. drywall sheet to the wall, if it does not stagger, otherwise you need to change the sheet itself.

Vertical and horizontal cracks in the wall brick houses close up different ways, depending on the depth and nature of the fault. In any case, if the crack is active, it makes no sense to close it in simple ways, since it will continue to grow. Repair only makes sense when the fault has stopped and has been stable for several months. Small cracks on internal brick walls are sealed cement mortar, if the fault is more than 7-10 mm, you need to expand it with a hammer (for better adhesion of the mortar) and close it with a mixture of cement and sand. A crack larger than 10mm requires professional intervention, whether it is expanding or not.

Crack in the wall of the house: what to do if the wall is load-bearing?

You can close the faults yourself only if the crack is small and does not expand. In this case, the same technologies are used as when repairing small damages in brick wall. But it is important to understand that a break in the load-bearing wall can lead to the collapse of the entire building, so you should contact the experts. They will check the condition of the building and find out why the cracks in the wall appeared at all: perhaps the neighbors did a redevelopment somewhere, or something happened in the basement of the building, and it needs to be urgently strengthened, pumped out, raise the roof and reduce the load.

Crack in a load-bearing wall is always very dangerous, so you shouldn't delay it, especially if it is active and expanding. You can already identify a dangerous fault in a day or two, placing a simple plaster or paper beacon, and checking its safety and absence of deformation. In any case, it's better to play it safe.

Through cracks in the walls

The most dangerous type of cracking, in which the building can be recognized as emergency. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but most often - problems with the foundation or extension, or ongoing construction work nearby.

To seal through cracks in the walls, lime-cement mortar is used, if the fault is large, brick fragments can be added to it. Formwork may be needed to fix the solution until it is completely solidified.

Sometimes tightening with metal plates made of durable material is used, and at least three strips are needed, sometimes more. Fix them with bolts with dowels. After fixing, a specialist’s decision is required - if a crack appears in the wall of the house, then the problem is already quite serious. From the inside, the fault can be repaired with mounting foam, but in any case, the cause must be eliminated.

Output

If there is a crack in the wall of the house - evaluate it the crack is growing, visually (in the case of “cobweb” cracks) or with the help of a beacon. For embedding different types walls use different materials and technologies, but if the crack is growing or large in itself, it is better to consult with specialists. Minor repairs can be carried out independently, but only if the fault is stable and there are no prerequisites to believe that in the future cracks in the walls of buildings can lead to emergency.

Anastasia Bezdenezhnykh

Melwood Expert

Spent 449 construction expertise, 94 forensic examination

In company with 2014 of the year

tanya (expert Builderclub)

I'll answer your questions! So, in order.

Top of the foundation. Usually it is displayed 20-30 cm above ground level. To say that it is fundamental - no. Let me explain why such a height is generally adopted. Firstly, in order for the groundwater that the foundation can pull to not rise capillarily into the wall of the house, it is for this that a layer of waterproofing is laid between the basement and the wall. Secondly, in order to protect the wall of the house from surface water: the average height of the snow cover is usually 20-30 cm, and also raindrops, fighting off the blind area, most wet 20-30 cm from the ground level. Therefore, in your case, if the foundation is raised above the ground level by only 5 cm, then it will be enough for you to follow some measures. Namely, it is imperative to regularly clean the snow from the blind area in winter, preventing it from accumulating above 5 cm, and it is also desirable to line the walls with waterproof material, such as water-repellent tiles, for 20-30 cm.
The width of the new foundation. Don't cut the blocks completely. That is, in such a way that a wall of a block 3-5 cm thick remains in the depth. It will serve as a formwork on one side of the new foundation. The width of the new foundation is 35 cm. Formwork on the second side can be made of plywood, wood, OSB or other materials available to you.
Concrete. Cement brand M 400, river sand, crushed stone fr. 5-10 mm. Mix concrete until a homogeneous mass is obtained in the proportion of cement: sand: crushed stone - 1: 3: (2-3). It is also recommended to use special additives for concrete, which add elasticity and allow the concrete to harden faster. When using additives, it is important to follow the dosage instructions, since if the dosage is exceeded, the concrete may “burn out” (lose its properties). Concrete is poured through the free space from above, which is formed due to the difference in the thickness of the wall and the new foundation and will be about 10 cm.
When pouring concrete, it is important to constantly ram it, for example, with a long stick, so that the concrete sits tightly and voids do not form. Perform concreting somewhere 5 cm above the bottom of the corner, so that the concrete completely fills the space under wall blocks. And those 5 cm that "go" into the corner, you can easily knock down after the concrete has hardened.
Reinforcement. We checked with the experts, it’s still better to do it. Rebar diameter 12 mm. It is performed 10 cm below the corner, i.e. 10 cm below the top of the new foundation. To do this, reinforcement is driven 20 cm into blocks on both sides at a distance of 5 cm from the edge (previously, holes are made in the places where the reinforcement is driven in with a drill), and 15-20 cm remains free to peek out of the blocks. To these free ends of the reinforcement, 75-80 cm of reinforcement is welded or tied with a knitting wire. When you start the 2nd stage, then taking out 1.5 meters of blocks, you will already have free ends of the reinforcement on both sides of the recess, 20 cm each. You weld 120 cm of reinforcement to them in the same way as in the first stage.
connection to the existing foundation. To connect to the existing foundation, drive vertically 12 cm of reinforcement 10 cm into the existing foundation, leaving 30 cm of reinforcement to peek out freely. We hammer in the reinforcement from both sides, stepping back 5 cm from the formwork in increments of 30-40 cm. Beforehand, with a 10 drill, you need to prepare holes for the reinforcement.
Corner. In order to shake the structures of the house as little as possible (to cut, drill) and thereby not provoke an increase in cracks, the corner must be installed in the seam between the blocks. Thus, if your top of the new foundation is no higher than 5 cm from the ground level (since there is already a door at this level), then install the corner in the nearest seam between the blocks from below. To make it easier to remove the corner after the concrete has hardened, a kind of lever must be welded to it in advance, which can be, for example, several welded pieces of reinforcement. By tapping on the lever with a hammer or prying with a crowbar (depending on how you weld the reinforcement), you can easily remove the corner. After removing the corner, cover the resulting hole with a liquid (like sour cream) solution: cement:sand - 1:3.
Supports. In order for the corner not to fall out, you need to prop it up obliquely on both sides of the corner, for example, with wooden beams with a section of 80x80mm or 100x100mm. And be sure to hammer pegs under them in places where the bars rest on the ground so that the bars hold securely and do not slip on the ground.

Also important: at the beginning of work, put down new markers (beacons from the solution), if the old ones are cracked somewhere. This is necessary so that you can control the condition of the walls from the moment the blocks are excavated until the concrete gains its final strength (after 24 days).

And finally :) The drawings, specifically for your question, were drawn in AutoCAD and first converted to PDF using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro (to save line thicknesses), and then to JPG for uploading to the site.

Ask questions!

to answer

A cracked wall should not be treated negligently. A crack in the wall of the house is a consequence of a violation of the technology of building a foundation or walls. After reading our short educational program, you will learn how to correctly determine the cause of the appearance of cracks by indirect signs. And, as a result, you can quickly eliminate the flaw, avoiding further complications.

Causes of cracks

Due to the movement of the soil layers, the entire building tilts to one side or the other, but on the whole the building is held tightly and monolithically, thanks to a massive and strong base. And this is what scares: if cracks appear on the wall, it means that the foundation does not fulfill its function.

Meanwhile there is whole line reasons due to which cracks can form without destroying the base. And if the foundation is not rigid enough or the supporting soils do not evenly accept the load, the tape will bend more than the walls can withstand. We can safely say that cracks appear due to the imperfection of the building structure, design errors or shortcomings during construction.

Cracks can be the result of errors in the design, construction or improper operation of the building.

The root cause is the fact that the soil layer under the foundation is heterogeneous. In areas of high density, the pressure is greater, causing the building to rest on just a few points and deform under its own weight. The main feature is that the density of plots can change significantly over time or depending on weather conditions. Due to freezing, heaving of the soil occurs, when wet it becomes too soft, less often geological, seismic and geomorphological factors come into play.

Just repairing or hiding a crack is not enough; you should find out the cause of its formation and only after that start restoration.

How to determine the cause of a crack

At the first detection of cracks, it is necessary to begin close monitoring of their development, fixing in parallel changes in temperature and the presence of precipitation during this period. In order to have the most complete picture of the nature of cracking, it is useful to keep a detailed log throughout the year.

For a visual representation of changes in the width of the cracks, small lumps of alabaster, soaked to the consistency of plasticine, are attached to them. Beacons are installed along the entire length of the crack every meter. By periodically checking the marks, for example, after a month, two, and so on, we can conclude about the nature of the damage:

If the label cracked or fell off, then the crack continues to expand. By the gap in the mark, one can judge the speed of discrepancy.
If the mark is cracked, there is no gap, the wall is subjected to dynamic loads, but there is no longer stress in the material, and no further discrepancy is observed.
If the mark remains intact, then there is no stress in the wall. The crack was the result of one-time shrinkage.

To obtain more accurate information, observations are continued for a long period, and damaged marks are replaced with new ones with fixation of the previous result.

Any hard but brittle material capable of revealing the slightest deformations of the base can be used as marks.

The shape of the cracks can tell a lot about the nature of the movement. If the fracture site is even, the edge is sharp and has no chips, then the crack has expanded and simply tore the lighthouse. If the edges of the crack on the lighthouse have jagged edges, or it has completely disappeared, most likely, the crack, on the contrary, has decreased, and the lighthouse collapsed from compression.

The special shape of marks and beacons helps to detect even the slightest fluctuations

By projecting these changes onto the geometric model of the house and foundation, you can high precision establish how precipitation occurs over a long time, whether it depends on the wetting of the earth during rain, where there are places of high and low density.

And yet the most full information will be able to give only a comprehensive analysis performed by specialists on the basis of expertise, which includes:

strength control of supporting structures;
analysis of supporting soils;
detection of hidden cracks or uneven distribution of loads.

Ultimately, with your own observations or with outside help, it will be possible to draw up a plan of measures to strengthen the foundation and walls of the building and eliminate cracks.

Eliminate the cause, get rid of the crack

The most dangerous case is when the crack continues to expand. This suggests that the walls of the building or the foundation will be irreparably destroyed. The problem can be cardinally solved only by a complete restructuring of the emergency section of the building. However, if you notice the problem in time, then a much less radical way will help - tight at home.

Everything is done quite simply:

Steel corners with a 100 mm shelf are installed at the outer corners.
On crutches, at least two lines of smooth reinforcement are laid along the walls - upper and lower.
Each rod is threaded: on one side, left, on the other, right. Nuts are screwed onto the fittings, which are welded to the corners.
A meter from the corner, on the side of the reinforcing bars, it is welded along a small parallel bar so that the rotation can be transmitted with an ordinary adjustable wrench.
In the final tightening, two people twist the bar at the same time, gradually increasing the tension.

At the same time, the cracks literally melt before our eyes, it remains only to replace the protective plaster of the walls and the basement, strengthening it steel mesh.

An example of building bracing along the plinth

It is possible that the markers on the crack will remain intact long time or the gap will constantly expand-narrow, but generally not increase. This is a clear sign that the foundation is working normally, and there were initially excessive stresses in the material of the walls, which resulted in a crack.

To reinforce the wall trouble spot use:

external reinforcement with carbon fiber, steel mesh;
anchors and metal frames;
embedded reinforcing elements along the strobes;
injection method.

It is important to close the crack and restore the strength of the structure. If the cause was the wrong dressing of the brick rows, then it is quite possible that the only effective remedy would be the complete or partial re-laying of the wall in the emergency area.

Laying reinforcement in strobes helps to contain further deformations

Massive reinforcement with an external frame with anchor fastening to the wall

Reinforcing walls with external carbon fiber reinforcement

Elimination of cracks by injection method

To seal any cracks, it is necessary to clean it along its entire length and depth from dirt, dust, remove a layer of mortar and base material, expanding it to 15 mm or more. The resulting gap is filled with a solution, having previously performed reinforcement by one of the methods listed above.

Heaving as a result of soaking the soil

So that the soil under the foundation is not oversaturated with moisture, a blind area is mounted around the house and drain pipes are diverted as far as possible. However, over time, the screed can collapse, and rainwater will seep right under the foundation, washing it away.

Usually, a sign of such a phenomenon is the gradual expansion of cracks, which occurs mainly during heavy precipitation or some time after it. It is typical for such phenomena that cracks, as it were, “chop off” the corners of the house, passing through the nearest window openings.

Frost heaving can destroy the foundation of a house

The foundation continues to remain intact, but the general tilt of the building may increase from year to year. In addition, no one knows how much the next shrinkage will occur, and how this will affect the integrity of the concrete base. heaving due to high humidity can also occur due to the rise of the perch.

A drainage system assembled around the perimeter of the building to drain groundwater and perched water away from the foundation will help to qualitatively solve the problem. It is necessary to expose the foundation to the ground, lay drainage pipe on the prepared sand and gravel pad along the perimeter of the foundation and drain to the side. To discharge water, it is necessary to prepare a drainage well or bring a pipe to the nearest reservoir.

Drainage for the removal of groundwater, precipitation and melt water from the base of the foundation

A wide blind area will not allow precipitation to flow under the foundation

An obligatory step towards eliminating the problem is the restoration of the cement blind area and its expansion. Usually, for a shallow strip foundation, a blind area about 40-60 cm wide is sufficient, and for buried foundations - up to one and a half meters. It will also not be superfluous to install ebbs and reset rain water 4-5 meters from the house.

What to do if the problem is in the foundation

If no measures have been successful, you will have to look for a problem in the foundation. A prerequisite for this can be not only the visible formation of a crack in the exposed area, but also the general structural unsuitability of the base, causing insufficient rigidity.

Local faults in the foundation should be repaired immediately. First, a tunnel is dug to a depth of 60-100 cm under the lower edge of the tape and up to 2 meters wide. A pedestal reinforced with reinforcement is poured under the fracture point, after which the pit is expanded by another meter in each direction and topped up again.

Strengthening the foundation with piles

Do not forget that the reason may be an initial miscalculation in the design of the house or non-compliance with the requirements during construction:

the properties of supporting soils are not taken into account;
the depth of the foundation is incorrectly selected to the actual depth of freezing;
foundation width is not sufficient for real loads, etc.

Strengthening the foundation with additional pouring of reinforced concrete along the perimeter of the building

If cracks appear in the foundation and walls of the house, then measures should be taken immediately to strengthen the foundation, for example screw piles, side or bottom gravy. It is possible to determine which method of amplification is required only based on the data construction expertise and preparation of the corresponding project, which is best entrusted to professional designers.

If a crack appears on the wall in your apartment, then the main thing is not to panic. First you need to understand how dangerous it is, and then ask yourself questions: “how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment?” or “who will pay for the repair of cracks in the wall in the apartment?”. You can determine the degree of danger by the size of the resulting depression.

If it is less than one millimeter, then most likely there is nothing to worry about. For new buildings, within five years, this is normal. The house is just shrinking.

If, on the contrary, the building is too “old”, then this may indicate that it is dilapidated, worn out, and it is time to give it emergency status. In general, the reasons can be very diverse.

Crack in the wall in the apartment. What to do and who is to blame?

Any crack that appears in the apartment on the wall is an alarming symptom that indicates the stressed state of the building envelope. Before asking the question: “how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment?” you need to understand the reasons for their appearance.

The reasons here may be different, but they are associated, as a rule, with the deformation of the foundation. Such damage reduces the structural reliability of the building, as well as its operational properties. In order to understand the cause, it is necessary to determine the type of crack, its direction, opening width, outlines.

Direction of cracks:

Vertical crack in the apartment on the wall;
Inclined crack in the apartment on the wall;
Horizontal crack in the apartment on the wall.

By outline:

Curvilinear;
closed;
Direct.

Depth:

Surface;
Through.

Reasons for the appearance:

Shrinkage of the building;
Foundation deformation;
temperature;
Due to the deterioration of the building;
Wall weathering.

For example, with uneven compression of soils, inclined cracks appear. There may be various reasons for this:

Superstructures or extensions can increase the load on the foundation, resulting in excessive compressive stress and settling of the foundation. In this case, oblique cracks may appear on the walls, opening up;
If you dig a pit too close to an existing building, then the building may be either near the slope or on it. In this case, soil shifts and the appearance of inclined cracks in the wall from the side of the pit cannot be avoided.

Vertical cracks can occur if:

Freezing of soils, followed by thawing, can make the building “walk” and cause cracks, both inclined and vertical;
Overloading the walls, due to the superstructure, can lead to crushing of the masonry. As a result, very dangerous vertical cracks appear that can destroy the walls.

The appearance of horizontal cracks is serious:

The reasons can be very different, for example, developer errors such as a too heavy roof combined with an improper building design can lead to this state of affairs.
Overloading walls on one side.

There was a crack on the wall in the apartment. What to do?

How dangerous this or that crack can be eloquently testified not only by its location and direction, but also by its behavior. Before you close a crack in the wall of the apartment, it is worth studying its nature. If it rapidly increases in width and depth, then this is a very dangerous sign. You need to sound the alarm as soon as possible and contact the experts. If a crack appeared in the wall in the apartment, to the question: “what to do?” can be provided by construction experts. It is best to contact them, as well as the housing inspection. It may be necessary to draw up an act that will clearly indicate who is to blame, as well as who is obliged to assume financial obligations to eliminate deficiencies. For example, the neighbors from above, violating all the rules of redevelopment, removed the load-bearing wall, and your wall cracked in the apartment, where to go? It is clear that it is not you who should pay for the repair of cracks in the wall in the apartment. By the way, with sufficiently distinct recesses, self-sealing of cracks in the wall of the apartment is highly undesirable. After all, this way you can mask a serious problem, which can have extremely adverse long-term consequences.

Cracks in the wall of the apartment, where to go?

If there are serious cracks in the wall of the apartment, where to go, no matter how in the housing and communal services. Experts must diagnose the resulting deepening and eliminate the shortcomings. If this measure, for some reason, turned out to be insufficient, then the owner has the right to apply to the interdepartmental commission to recognize the premises as emergency. The commission must draw up an expert opinion, which stipulates the further possibility or impossibility of operating the premises. Now, in the case of a deep crack in the wall of the apartment, you already know where to turn. But what if you can see with the naked eye that there is nothing serious. How to fix cracks in the wall of an apartment at home without outside help?

If the wall in the apartment cracked, where to go if the appeal to the housing and communal services does not bring results?

Of course, the repair of cracks in the wall in the apartment should be carried out by housing and communal services employees, and in the event of such problems, citizens, first of all, turn to them. But what if such appeals are ineffective and repairs are delayed under various pretexts. In this case, it is worth directing your just indignation to the State Housing Inspectorate. They will consider the complaint and influence management company. If this does not work, then you can go to the prosecutor's office or the court. But as a rule, this stage does not reach, since the problem is solved earlier.

We understand how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment at home on our own

If you had a nightmare in which you started repairing cracks in the wall in the apartment, then when you wake up, carefully inspect the room in which you live. If in reality everything is in order, then you urgently need to type in the search engine: a dream book is a crack in the wall of the apartment.

And if there is a crack in reality, then for a start it is important to understand how dangerous it is. To assess the full degree of danger, it is necessary to apply a gypsum mark across the crack, the width of a palm. Then you will need to watch the label for a month. If, on top of the gypsum, nothing has cracked, then the crack is stable enough to be repaired.

But first you need to clear the problem area to the slab or brick itself, then wipe it with a damp cloth and let it dry thoroughly. It should be borne in mind that sealing cracks near electrical outlets in the walls of the apartment requires special care. Make sure the wiring is not damaged. If necessary, move the electrical outlet. By the way, before you close up problematic cracked areas near electrical sockets it is necessary to de-energize the room. Don't forget about alternative lighting, because it can get dark before you have time to finish the job.

How to fix a crack in the wall in the apartment?

It all depends on the size of the resulting cracked cavity. If the recesses are very small, less than a millimeter, then you can get by with a primer and putty. If a little more, up to three to five millimeters, then you will also need a cement mortar. Sealant is also a wonderful tool, it is injected into the recess with a special gun. The best option for cracked problem areas is fiberglass. It is glued to the wall with a special glue on a primed dry base, then the finishing putty is used. Fiberglass is good because it reinforces the surface. If the crack is not stable and not dangerous, then, in principle, sealing cracks in the wall of the apartment is not particularly difficult.

The main thing here is to learn one rule: the earlier you start working on the problem, the faster and with the best result it will be resolved.

By the way, these same problems are easily detected at the time of removal of obsolete wallpapers. It has already been said above what material is better to seal cracks, but it was not said that the method of repair largely depends on the material of the walls.

Brick wall

In order to remove a crack in a brick wall, it must be cleared, deepened and expanded at an angle of forty-five degrees. Then prime. Sealant is well suited for sealing here, since when it dries it acquires a slightly rubbery consistency. The sealant must be laid in the seam, and the excess removed with a spatula. You can, instead of sealant, use cement mortar. Before laying it in the slot, it must be moistened with water.

Drywall wall

Although drywall is considered universal material, but during operation, cracks may also appear on it. Drywall sheets themselves are just a material, not a design. They are mounted in the desired design position using a frame or glue. Problems arise, as a rule, due to a base that has been incorrectly installed or due to a defect in the sheets themselves.

If the builders made miscalculations during the installation of the frame, then cracks may appear throughout the plasterboard wall. This problem can be eliminated only after dismantling several sheets or even a frame.

If the crack is not very large and is not related to the installation, then you can try to repair it with putty.

Concrete wall

Cracks in such a wall are not uncommon. To seal cracks in concrete wall PVA glue works great. It must be applied to the depth of the crack. Next, fill the cavity with cement mortar and smooth with a spatula.

If the gap is too wide, then you need to use an additional reinforcing mesh.

What to do if a wall with ceramic tiles cracked?

Optionally, when the house shrinks, the walls in the rooms will crack. After all, they can crack in the bathroom or toilet, that is, where there is ceramic tile. What to do in such cases?

Remove cracked tiles. To do this, we break it into small parts with a heavy metal tool, a hammer with a chisel or a puncher with a lance;
Next, remove all fragments and clean the surface. After that, you need to vacuum the area cleared of tiles and close the crack in the wall in the appropriate way described above;
Then, we put new tile on glue using spacer crosses.

A crack in the apartment is not yet a reason to panic. The main thing here is not to get lost, but to start acting. Either on your own, or, if there is no self-confidence, with the help of specialists. What's more, it's all solvable. Worse, when a crack happens in a relationship with loved ones. After all, according to the dream book, a crack in the wall of the apartment is a dream for a reason. This means that some important component of your life is bursting at the seams. Now this is a reason to think about your life.

And you already know how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment. So there is nothing to be afraid of. Everything will work out for you.

foundation crack

If in a private house, garage or dacha cracked the walls, the foundation cracked - it is not necessary to fall into despair, you can correct the damage that has occurred. The reasons for the appearance of such defects are the uneven settlement of soils, the assumptions of structural miscalculations at the design stage, errors during the construction works or the influence of natural, mechanical influences on the foundation structure. Cracks in the foundation must be eliminated, otherwise the bearing capacity of the structures of the house may be violated and an irreversible consequence of the collapse will occur.

Foundation cracks can be classified according to the place of occurrence:

The horizontal crack of the foundation refers to a common type of fault that occurs due to errors in the technology of masonry work, improper selection of the composition mortars. Most often, horizontal cracks appear on strip structures built in stages. Horizontal cracks do not pose a significant threat, however, it is recommended to repair cracks in a timely manner in order to prevent their further development.
A vertical crack appears due to the deformation of the base structure under the influence of the forces of swelling of the soil and from an increase in the level of groundwater. The appearance of vertical cracks indicates the beginning of the process of destruction of the supporting structure, so they should be eliminated as soon as possible. If the foundation cracked vertically, it is recommended to strengthen the base of the structure pillow.

In order to prevent the appearance of cracks in the supporting structure of the house, it is recommended at the design stage to conduct a thorough assessment of the geology of the foundation soils, not to save on the purchase of high-quality building materials, correctly calculate the limit loads and take into account the possibility of soil changes under the influence of various natural factors.

Horizontal destruction of the foundation

Causes of foundation deformation

Before starting the repair of the foundation structure, it is necessary to determine the reason why the foundation cracked and choose the right one. effective method elimination of violations. Most common causes, due to which the foundation could burst, there may be the following factors.

Technological reasons

If during the construction work on the foundation structure, violations of the mandatory technological process are made, then all these errors will lead to destructive deformations. Therefore, it is so important to properly reinforce the base, consistently mount the formwork system, and choose the right grade. concrete mix, take into account the depth of freezing and the level of groundwater in the area.

Operational reasons

Another reason for the opening of cracks in the foundation may be a violation of the mode of operation of housing construction. For example, on an existing foundation one-story house the homeowner decided to build a second floor add-on. This increase in load can adversely affect bearing capacity the foundation structure and on the foundation of the house there will be significant damage.

Increased humidity in the basement of the building and the lack of drainage from the building - all these factors can be attributed to the operational causes of cracks.

Structural reasons

The scheme of the occurrence of foundation cracks

At the design stage of the building, it is necessary to conduct a geological study of the soils of the foundation of the building plot, to correctly calculate the load on the foundation structures. If for some reason such miscalculations are made, then significant deformation changes in the base structures can certainly occur.

Crack observation

When a crack appears on the foundation, experts advise to monitor the change in the size of the crack gap, whether it will increase over time. The process of identifying the nature of crack destruction occurs in the following order:

An open crack should be carefully cleaned of plaster residues, dirt and dust.
Small gypsum beacons are installed with a thickness of not more than 5 mm with a certain step. After that, we monitor their condition.
If within two or three weeks the lighthouses did not crack and new deformations did not appear, then nothing threatens the foundation structure and the crack on the surface most likely formed from the shrinkage of the building.

A video tutorial for installing beacons can be seen:

Repair of simple cracks

Repair of simple cracks from shrinkage is carried out in several steps:

First, the crack cavity is cleaned of dust and washed with water.
After a dry crack, the entire possible depth is covered with a primer for outdoor use.
The crack cavity is filled with special sealants or cement mortar with a cement grade of at least 500.

Clearing a simple crack

Crack Repair Methods

Methods for repairing foundation cracks are selected depending on the type of materials of the main walls of the building. For stone, brick or wooden walls there are special schemes for sealing cracks:

Strengthening the foundation of a stone or cinder block house is carried out with reinforced concrete clips, which are mounted on both sides of the foundation.
Foundation wooden house rarely covered with deformation cracks. But if this happened, then you can use the jacks to raise wooden building, having previously freed all rooms from furniture.
When strengthening foundations brick houses it is possible to use two methods: pour the basement wall with a concrete mixture along a metal frame previously installed around the entire perimeter or install bored injection piles. The second method is very effective, in this way it is possible to restore an almost destroyed foundation, but the price of such a strengthening is quite high.

Video example of strengthening the foundation of a wooden house:

Ways to strengthen the base

Before strengthening the foundation, if there are cracks on the walls, it is necessary to choose the most appropriate method to eliminate the occurrence of deformations. Modern building technology sealing cracks in the foundation give the best recommendations on what to do in such cases. The following methods of strengthening the foundation are usually used.

New outsole reinforcement

First, the bursting foundation is pre-cleaned of dirt and dust, the cracks are filled with repair mortar. Under the deformed section of the structure, a small trench is dug in a checkerboard pattern, not more than 60 cm wide, to a depth of 200-300 mm below the base of the foundation. The open base of the foundation must be filled with concrete mixture and carefully compacted.

After backfilling and compacting the soil, thus strengthening the base section, it is possible to repair the next cracked section after a distance of 60 cm.

Reinforcement with special piles

The pile method of strengthening a cracked foundation is the most effective way. There are several types of piles according to the method of their installation:

Screw piles. The simplest and most common form of strengthening cracked foundations that does not require special skills. The design of the pile has the form of a pipe with helical blades at the end. During installation, the pile is screwed into the ground, only the tip remains visible on the surface.
Bored piles have a hollow structure 2 m high, into which metal reinforcement is inserted and after that the entire cavity is filled with concrete. Before the installation of bored piles, wells are drilled in increments of 1.5 to 2 m.
The use of a driven method of installing piles is not suitable for a dilapidated structure, since the walls of the building can crack from the blows of the pile driver.

Strengthening the foundation with screw piles

Additional reinforcement when strengthening the base

Reinforcement of a broken foundation by the method of additional reinforcement consists in tying the entire basement part of the structure with a reinforcing mesh of longitudinal and transverse metal fittings, installation of formwork and pouring concrete mixture of grade not lower than 200. This technology foundation strengthening is the most popular and less time-consuming than other methods.

When foundation cracks appear, you should carefully study the recommendations and instructions for their elimination. Of course, it is always more difficult to repair than to build, so it is better not to make mistakes and not violate the technological building process. Then there will be no need to strengthen the foundation.

All cracks that appear on the foundation of the house indicate that the foundation of the structure needs to be strengthened or repaired. But in order to do so with my own hands, you need to know about the reasons for the destruction of the base, as well as how exactly it is necessary to carry out restoration work

Why are cracks dangerous?

If the foundation of the building is cracked, it is necessary to immediately begin work on its restoration. If this is not done, after a while, due to the skew of the house, the doors and windows will begin to jam. If the house is made of brick, the crack can spread to the wall, causing the entire structure to collapse. That is why it is necessary to start work on strengthening the base as soon as possible.

Before starting restoration work, it is worth determining the type of crack. To do this, it is enough to clean it from dust and rinse with water. After that, you need to install a beacon on the fault. The date of fixing is applied to it. This is necessary to determine the rate of destruction of the base. If the lighthouse remains intact for two weeks, the crack can simply be sealed with concrete. If the lighthouse breaks, it is necessary to begin work to strengthen the base.

Usually, cracks begin to appear in winter or spring, since it is at this time that an incorrectly created foundation begins to rise or settle unevenly. It is worth remembering that the foundation can burst due to many reasons, so you need to think about this problem at the design stage of the house.

Causes of faults

Before starting restoration work, it is necessary to determine the cause of the destruction. If these actions are neglected, even after repair, the base will gradually collapse. The causes of destruction can be divided into several groups:

Technological. An example is the creation of the foundation of a house with violations of reinforcement or installation of formwork. Also, errors include choosing the wrong brand of concrete. A technological error is also considered to be laying the foundation above the groundwater level.
Operational. Such mistakes are made already in the process of using the constructed structure. For example, an increase in the load on the foundation as a result of the creation of a second floor. Also a violation is an increase in humidity in basement or poor installation. drainage system near the house.
Structural. An example is the compilation of incorrect calculations during the design of a structure. Often the foundation begins to collapse ahead of time due to the fact that geological studies were not carried out before the start of construction.

Important! In order not to encounter the described problem, before building a house, it is necessary to accurately calculate the load on the foundation.

Types of cracks

Cracks in the foundation of a wooden house, which can occur on the foundation, are divided into several types:

Hairy. Such cracks are subtle and have a thickness of not more than 3 mm. Their presence only indicates a change in the outer layer of the base. Such flaws can be corrected quite easily.
Horizontal. Such defects do not affect the integrity of the foundation.
Shrinkage cracks. Such defects occur when the rules for creating a foundation are violated.
Vertical. It is these cracks that are a sign that the foundation needs to be repaired. Often they appear under the influence of groundwater on the base or due to heaving of the soil.

How to fix the problem

If you notice that the foundation of the house has cracked, you need to start strengthening it as soon as possible. Such work is carried out as follows:

first, with the help of a jack, the sagging parts of the base are raised to the design level;
after that, pits are drilled, the diameter of which is from 20 to 40 cm;
the resulting void is filled with liquid glass, cement milk or hot bitumen.

This reduces the permeability of the soil, which will make the soil more stable. The described method of strengthening can only be used when using special equipment, so for such work it is necessary to hire professional builders.

Strengthening the foundation of a stone house

The main task of repairing the base of the house is to stop the process of settlement of the structure. therefore, it is impossible to dig under the foundation without securing it. A strengthening method is often used, in which a reinforcing concrete belt is erected from all sides. Such work is carried out as follows:

A trench is dug along the tape base of the house, the width of which is approximately 45 cm. During such work, it is impossible to expose the sole of the foundation.
After that, the foundation is cleaned of dirt and dust. In this case, all cracks must be embroidered with a spatula.
Then the falling off parts of the old foundation are removed.
At the next stage, the concrete surface is treated with a primer. It is worth remembering that you need to choose deep penetration compositions.
After that, holes are drilled in the foundation. The distance between them should be about 60 cm.
Anchors are hammered into the created holes, which are subsequently welded to reinforcing cage. The diameter of the reinforcement should be approximately 12 mm.
At the last stage, the concrete mixture is poured into the created trench. In order for the concrete solution to be evenly distributed along the trench, it is necessary to use a construction vibrator. This also helps to fill the cracks in the old foundation. If this stage of work is neglected, voids may remain in the concrete, which will subsequently cause the foundation to collapse.

Backfilling of the soil occurs only after the concrete has completely cured. If the cracks are not caused by subsidence or deformation of the foundation, they can be repaired with mortar and plastered.

It is worth remembering that if the work is carried out with an error, the foundation will quickly begin to collapse even if there are additional reinforcing structural elements.

Repair of the base of a wooden house

The cracked foundation of a wooden house can be strengthened quite simply, since such structures can be lifted with a jack and installed on temporary supports. But it is worth remembering that if bottom logs rotten, the structure cannot be raised.

If the crowns are unreliable, rotten areas are cut out in them, after which the house is raised. After that, you can restore the foundation in one of the common ways. Often, owners of country houses install a concrete band around the base. You can also dig under the base and pour concrete pillars. This will make the foundation resistant to significant loads.

It is worth remembering that before you raise the house, you need to disassemble part of the roof in the place where it connects to chimney. For such work, it is better to invite professional builders.

Reinforcement with piles

In some cases, it is not possible to increase the density of the soil under the building. In such a situation, it is necessary to strengthen the foundation with piles:

If the house is wooden, the whole structure rises to temporary supports, after which the caps are tied with a grillage. After that, the structure is lowered onto a new foundation.
In the case when it is necessary to strengthen the base without raising the house, "bulls" are used. They are piles that are driven obliquely with different parties angle. Beams are welded onto the heads of these elements, which will serve as a support for the structure.

When using piles, it is worth remembering that their length must be sufficient so that they rest against solid ground.

Monolithic slab repair

Monolithic foundations are destroyed quite rarely, but with certain conditions it is possible. In the event of a serious crack on such a base, it can only be replaced with a new slab. No way can stop the destruction monolithic foundation if it is already starting to deform.

Conclusion

If it is impossible to completely replace the foundation for any reason, the walls are strengthened and the old sections of the slab are removed. In these places, concrete mortar is poured, which helps to temporarily maintain the integrity of the structure. can also be installed as supports concrete blocks or piles.

Foundation for a private house
How to sheathe the foundation of the house outside
Pile foundation with grillage
Strengthening the foundation of a private house

Strengthening the foundation of a private house is necessary in two cases:

the foundation or wall of the house has cracked;
the house is to be reconstructed with an increase in its mass, for which the existing foundation is not designed.

The first case is obvious. If there is a crack in the foundation, it means that something has not been done correctly, and the situation must be urgently corrected. And the second one is not so critical, but requires minimal preliminary calculations.

But situations are different.

As cracks are different, so are their consequences.

In this case, there is nothing to save, but such catastrophic consequences, as a rule, if it is not the result of a serious earthquake, are preceded by primary signals in the form of small, sometimes barely noticeable, foundation cracks.

There was a crack in the wall. How to react, is it necessary to immediately strengthen the foundation?

The formation of small cracks on the wall does not mean at all that you have problems with the foundation.

Often such cracks appear on houses made of gas silicate blocks or using other cellular concrete technologies and may be associated with a violation of their laying technology or even their production technology.

The material itself has a high moisture absorption, which leads to too active drying of the plaster and increased cracking.

Large waterlogging of the blocks due to poor waterproofing can also lead to these consequences.

And on other buildings, it is often not the wall that cracks, but the finishing layer. Therefore, first of all, examine the basement. And if everything is in order with him, continue monitoring until you are finally convinced that the finish is cracking or symptoms of obvious weakness of the base appear.

If this happened, we propose the following algorithm of actions.

Identification of destruction processes

1. We cut the crack by removing the plaster around it.

2. At certain intervals, we install plaster beacons 3-5 mm thick and observe their behavior.

3. If after 2-3 weeks of observation not a single beacon cracks, you can sleep peacefully, and in between sleep choose a way to fix the problem.

But at the same time, it is desirable to extend the observation period to several months, and it is even better to survive the off-season in order to exclude the cause caused by the seasonal rise in groundwater.

But, first of all, about natural causes. Few people know, but any, even a monolithic brick house, shrinks within 1 to 5 years from the moment of construction, therefore it is possible to plaster and install windows and doors in it after at least 1 year, or even more, which is often violated . Possible uneven shrinkage due to differences in formulation or ingredients masonry mortars, and the brick itself. It is in this case that cracks can occur and the foundation has nothing to do with it.

If the reason is precisely in it, and you are convinced of this, do the same procedures with beacons with it. Perhaps this is a one-time slight subsidence due to the presence of small voids in the ground below it, which stopped after a slight subsidence of a part of the base.

So, what to do if the cracks formed in the wall and foundation do not grow for a considerable time?

Simple repair of cracks in the wall

If the cracking has not increased and the cracks are small:

Remove small fragments from it and dust as much as possible, if possible with a vacuum cleaner.
Treat to maximum depth with a deep penetration primer.
Fill the crack with a polymer or polymerized cement mortar sold in hardware stores.

For more complex methods, such as injection, it is better to invite specialists with the appropriate equipment and fixtures.

If the crack in the foundation increases, look for the cause.

Causes of destruction of the foundation and ways to eliminate them

They can be both local (sometimes banal) and global.

If you have long horizontal cracks in the basement, then the reason may not be in the foundation, but in the blind area that you connected to it, and which rises with frost heaving forces, transferring deformations to the outer part of the basement.

It is clear that it will need to be redone by installing a damper tape and repairing the base.

If you have a corner of the house that sags and there is a water drain pipe in this place, you can call yourself a bad word and start a point drainage device. In many cases, this will stop the process.

If your foundation is cracked visible reasons, should be in the place of the crack, as well as on the sagging corner, on both sides of it at a distance of about half a meter, make pits in the ground to a depth slightly below the level of the foundation.

If water appears in the pits, then immediately you need to take care of the device drainage system otherwise no strengthening of the foundation will save you. See how to do it here.

The foundation may crack if there are so-called. voids in the ground, unnoticed during construction, because few people carry out serious geodetic research during the construction of individual housing. This can also happen due to incorrect calculation of loads or a violation of the technology of its device.

In these cases, it needs to be strengthened.

How to strengthen the foundation with your own hands

How to strengthen the foundation if there is a crack in the wall? Let's make a reservation right away, we will describe the methods that you can apply on your own, without involving specialized organizations and to strengthen the foundation brick house, and strengthening the base of the old wooden structure. If none of them suits you, contact the professionals.

Let's consider the ways.

1. Tying the basement of the house.

It is used if the foundation has cracked in many places or before the reconstruction of the house with an increase in the load on its foundation.

At the same time, it is rarely possible to tie the foundation tape on both sides. The exception is strip foundations under wooden or frame houses, which can be completely evenly lifted on jacks.

In other cases, the foundation is tied from the outside. For this:

break through a trench along the foundation along the perimeter of the building to a depth below its occurrence by 150 - 300 mm, and if possible, then under it by 1/3 of its width;
make a drainage cushion from a layer of sand (up to 100 mm) and crushed stone (up to 100 mm);
perform spatial piping from reinforcement 10 - 12 mm, connecting it with the existing foundation by drilling holes in it and driving pieces of reinforcement;
expose the external formwork and pour concrete of grade not lower than M200.

A variant of such a strapping on the video:

2. Strengthening the foundation with a double-sided bench.

This method is also good when the entire building can be lifted.

Or it needs to be done in sections, gradually tearing off the foundation tape so that there is a constant support on the existing foundation.

This type of amplification can be done in two ways:

with the chasing of the existing foundation and the introduction of an unloading beam into the strobe;
bringing the beam under the foundation tape.

In any case, it is based on a monolithic reinforced concrete banquet, which is brought under the existing foundation strip, and several supporting and unloading beams, which are subsequently concreted from the outside along with the banquet.

3. Strengthening the foundation with screw piles.

For this:

tear off a section of the foundation that needs to be strengthened;
screw piles are screwed under it at an angle;
concreted both around the piles and under the foundation.

4. Strengthening the foundation with a reinforced concrete pad.

Most often, in this way, the sagging corner of the house is strengthened, although it is also possible to eliminate the cause of local subsidence of the foundation section, which was formed due to water or sewer leaks that were not detected in time.

Work order:

dig the foundation on both sides of the corner by at least a meter, indented from it by half a meter and deepening under it by half a meter;
arrange a drainage cushion as described above;
make a spatial frame of reinforcement of at least 10 - 14 mm with a connection to the existing foundation by drilling it;
concreted to a height slightly below ground level.

And here is the video. It is somewhat long, but informative, and most importantly: everything is done without errors.

Fixing cracks in a wall after a foundation repair

After strengthening the foundation or tying the base, the crack in the wall must be repaired. If it is small, you can use the method described above, as well as for sealing cracks in the foundation. And if it's too big, then:

fill the gap with a polymerized cement-sand mortar, you can tighten it with temporary (or permanent) screeds, filling the possible gap above the foundation with the same solution;

having driven the wall across the crack in several places, install hidden metal ties with pins into it deep into entire sections of the wall and seal it with the same polymer-cement-sand mortar.

Of course, it is better to eliminate the consequences of such a repair by combining it with finishing, or even insulating the facade of the house.

Dear readers, if you still have questions, ask them using the form below. We will be glad to communicate with you 😉

Sometimes cracks form in the foundation of a house. And the owners of the building quite reasonably begin to wonder what to do in a similar situation. Not in all cases, a burst foundation negatively affects the integrity of the building. But in most situations, repairing it will not be superfluous at all. Even if the cracks are still very small - hair.

What causes cracks in the base

If the foundation of the house cracked for some reason, it is recommended to repair the crack immediately. After all, if you do not eliminate the problem at the stage of its occurrence, the consequences can be the most undesirable. At best, windows and doors will begin to jam, and at worst, the crack will move to the wall of the building, and the latter will collapse in the shortest possible time.

To avoid problems, the first thing to do is to determine the type of crack. To do this, the crack should be thoroughly cleaned of accumulated dirt and dust and rinsed with water. After that, it is necessary to prepare a gypsum beacon. The date is applied to it when the foundation cracked (or when it was first noticed). The lighthouse is installed in a crack and observation begins. The behavior of the problematic area of the foundation should be observed over a sufficiently long period of time. If the beacon remains intact as a result, it means that the foundation did not crack through and through and the crack does not pose a great danger. For purely aesthetic reasons, it can be repaired with cement mortar and forget about the problem.

The beacon will also help to monitor whether the place of the foundation rupture is increasing. If this happens, then the foundation has cracked through and through, and something should be done immediately.

Most often, the foundation of the house begins to crack in the winter or spring periods. So, if the foundation of the house is installed incorrectly, in winter it will inevitably begin to rise unevenly, and in the spring it will also settle unevenly. For some period of time, the structure will successfully endure such overloads, but after a few years a vertical or horizontal crack will definitely appear.

Causes of base cracking

If the foundation of a brick or wooden house has cracked, you should figure out why this happened. There can be many reasons for cracking the base:

Technological reasons

The foundation that burst due to technical reasons was most likely incorrectly filled during the laying process. Another reason for the appearance of cracks can be incorrectly mounted formwork, deep freezing of concrete in winter, insufficient amount of used reinforcement, and much more.

Operational reasons

If the foundation suddenly cracked for an operational reason, most likely this happened due to the superstructure of the building. But in some cases, the bursting arch of the base is due to the lack of a drainage system around the house and an increase in the level of humidity in the basement.

Structural reasons

How to strengthen the foundation of a building

If you do not know how to strengthen the base of the building and what to do so that even hairline cracks do not appear on it, some useful tips are unlikely to be redundant.

Often, to strengthen the base of the house, the injection method is used using synthetic resin or ordinary cement.

For implementation this method it is necessary to drill a hole in the body of the foundation, the diameter of which is about 30 mm and keep a distance of about 0.5 m. The depth of the hole should be chosen depending on the size of the protective layer. The injector is immersed in the resulting wells and the space is filled with a solution under pressure. If there is a need to identify weakly bearing soils under the foundation of the house, it is additionally necessary to cement the soil under the foundation.

Elimination of gaps in pile foundations

Strengthening pile foundations and preventing their cracking is often done by converting from a pile foundation to a strip one. To carry out such an operation, concrete jumpers are installed. In some cases, such jumpers must be made to the full height of the base of the structure. This makes it possible in the foreseeable future to equip the basement without unnecessary difficulties.

Elimination of gaps in strip bases

If cracked strip foundation, in order to repair it, you will need to apply a whole set of recovery methods. In this case, it will not be enough to seal the cracked area with cement mortar, since this step will not solve the problem. It would be more expedient to strengthen the base with bored-type piles, the soil - with a drainage system and the arrangement of a heat-insulating blind area.

Piles, installed under the sole of the foundation of the house in the form of a support, reliably keep the foundation tape from subsidence. As for drainage, if everything is done correctly, it will contribute to an increase in the depth of freezing of the soil and thereby prevent the base from sinking over time.

Cracking can also be avoided by screeding the strip masonry. This technology uses the introduction of two special crutches directly into the body of the plinth, which are connected to each other by means of a clamp. This design works both as a screed and as a shock-absorbing element. In this case, the crack can be repaired directly with a concrete solution or strengthened with epoxy.

After the blind area, support or screed is installed, it is necessary to use a marker mark (flag), which will allow you to fix the condition of the cracked area. To do this, along the edges of the fault, you will need to attach a certain amount epoxy resin, on which an ordinary wire is pulled. If the thread does not break during the change of seasons, and the foundation of the house does not continue to sag, then the destructive process has been successfully prevented.

Elimination of slab break

If you need to close up a gap in the slab foundation, you should be prepared for the fact that the work ahead is dreary. The only good news is that this will have to be done only in an exceptional case, since the plates crack very rarely. But if the rupture of the plate did occur, a complete or partial replacement of the base will be required.

Long-term practice clearly demonstrates the fact that it is not possible to stop the destruction of the plate. Therefore, it will be necessary to dig under the slab, strengthen in those places where the split occurred, remove the damaged parts and re-fill the damaged area and mount pile or block supports.

Unfortunately, even such manipulations cannot give a 100% guarantee that the plate will not continue to collapse. Therefore, in some cases, it may be necessary to rebuild the house again.

Thus, it turns out that it is much easier to avoid the occurrence of base breaks than to deal with them.