Foundation crumbling may only require a patch up or it can be much more than just a cosmetic problem. Before performing a simple patch-up on the chipping and flaking concrete foundation, you should get a professional inspect the damage, to insure that it will not bring threat to your home’s foundation in the future.
The horrible site of your foundation chipping away slowly can get scary. This might be a serious problem like your foundation losing strength and stability or simply a superficial chipping that will require a patch up work.
Major Reasons Behind a Foundation Crumbling
There are many reasons behind a crumbling foundation of your home but the most common one is the sudden change in temperature. If you’re living in an area where the temperature drops below freezing point, your foundation can suffer and will require more regular inspections than houses in other areas with moderate temperature. In other cases, with time the concrete starts to deteriorate on its own, which is also known as spalling.
Water plays the most important role in damaging of the foundation. Whether it is liquid or frozen, water can do some serious damage when it hits the surface of your home. During gutter overflow or heavy rains, the foundation is the one that bears the most risk of getting spoiled. Water can also sweep in the foundation in form of vapors from home and the moisture can result in corrosion.
Common Ways to Repair Crumbling Concrete Foundation
As scary as it sounds, you have to take some necessary steps to repair your damaged foundation and prevent it from chipping and crumbling any further. There are some easy ways to repair a crumbling concrete foundation:
Filling the Basement
This is probably the least expensive and attractive option, which can counter small chipping problems in a foundation. Sand filling balances out the pressure from soil that is placed on the exterior walls, which stops the movement of the wall and prevents it from further damage.
You can insert a chute through an old window or any other wall opening and add some sand into the basement. Then you can spread it using a plate compactor and prevent more damage.
Pouring New Concrete (Interior Wall)
Fill the gaps with new concrete, which will require some professional help. The crew will construct a one-sided concrete form that will fill the old basement perimeter and the new concrete wall will be poured in! This might be an expensive procedure, but if the damage is far too extensive, damage control will rise up as well.
Pouring New Concrete (Exterior Wall)
This option is also expensive and will require more manual hours. Here you will create a trench around the foundation by digging the soil and concrete will be poured into this gap. This is a great option for situations when the existing foundation is not structurally sound. The wall should be supported during the dirt removal process. At the end, you will get a foundation that will not bear any additional weight, but will prevent the soil pressure from damaging the old foundation walls.
Pouring New Foundation
This is the most expensive option from all, as it will require forming a new foundation altogether. This is a case when your old foundation is beyond repair and there is nothing that can be done to repair it back to a healthy shape. This will require professional help, where your house will be removed, temporarily while the contractor repairs the damage.
Additional Tips:
While filling the foundation, always leave some crawl spaces that you can fill with sand. This is also essential for wiring and plumbing work, which will be required in a house in the future.
In case of pouring new foundation, you might not have to move out of the house as most contractors replace and repair one section of the basement at a time. This will not require a house-moving company and you can save money.
When you dig around the house to form an external concrete wall, the basement can get dangerously unstable. The soil that once supported the foundation will no longer be there, which requires you to take extra precautions while performing this method.
Foundation is the most important part of any house and if it starts to chip and deteriorate, it can lead to disastrous situations. To avoid any major damage and an expensive contractor bill, always keep a close tab on your foundation’s health and immediately call for professional support for investigation to catch the problem in time.