The Impact of Foundation Wall Cracks on Your Home

The stability of your foundation plays a huge role in the overall structural stability of your home. If your foundation has cracks in it, it can lead to very big, expensive issues in the future. It’s important to address any foundation wall cracks as soon as you notice one. 

What Causes Foundation Wall Cracks?

As the soils in the ground get wet, they can expand and put massive amounts of pressure on your foundation walls. Your walls can start to bow inward and eventually crack from all the pressure. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if your foundation is experiencing any damage, but here are a few telltale signs: 

• Cracks can be large or small, horizontal or vertical
• Cracks can appear in a stair-step pattern
• Foundation walls are bowing or bulging
• Pushing in at the bottom or top of the wall

Sometimes concrete walls can develop small cracks as they cure, which are typically nothing to worry about. If you notice bigger cracks that continue to grow over time, this is usually a sign of foundation wall failure. 

How to Repair Wall Cracks

Depending on your home’s situation, there are many different repair products for foundation wall cracks. Our specialist will assess your foundation and recommend the best possible solution for repair. Foundation piers are typically a good solution to fix foundation settlement issues, while a wall anchor system can help solve problems created by expansive soils.  No matter what type of foundation problems you’re facing, our experts at MidAmerica will help you repair them. 

1. Concrete Curing

As new concrete cures, it’s very common to see small cracks form during the curing process. These are typically very small cracks and are usually nothing you need to worry about. They resemble hairline cracks and usually do not continually get bigger over time. It’s important to keep an eye on these and call in an expert if you notice the cracks getting bigger. 

2. Settling Foundation

If your foundation is settling into the ground, you’ll begin to notice cracks in your foundation walls. These cracks will continually get worse over time as your foundation continues to sink into the ground and can result in serious safety issues for your home. 

3. Expansive Soils

As soils around your foundation become wet, they can expand and put massive amounts of pressure on your foundation walls. As this pressure builds up, it can cause your walls to bow and bulge, and eventually crack. This can cause extensive damage to the structure of your home and make it unsafe. 

Foundation Piers

Foundation piers are a very common solution to address most foundation problems. If your home is settling, they can be installed deep into the ground to stabilize your foundation and potentially lift it back into place. There are two different types of piers: push piers and helical piers. Both piers are installed deep down into the ground to reach load-bearing soil in order to support the weight of your foundation. Our foundation specialist will help you determine which type of pier is best to use based on your soil conditions. 

Wall Anchors

If your foundation walls are bowing or buckling from pressure put on them by expanding soils, wall anchors are a great way to stabilize your walls and restore your home’s structural stability. The anchors are installed deep into the soils behind your walls and are able to straighten the walls back into place. 

Other Symptoms of Foundation Failure 

While wall cracks are typically the most common sign of foundation failure, there are many other symptoms to look out for. 

Other common signs of foundation problems include uneven or sagging floors, sticking doors and windows, floor cracks, or bowing walls. If you have a crawl space, you may notice the ceiling of the crawl space start to sag, which can also result in sinking floors inside your home.