Is your House Settling with Cracks?
Settling houses often have cracks in the drywall above doors, ceilings, and bricks. To fix the foundation requires a strong understanding of the building construction, the causes of the settlement, and foundation repair options.
When a house is settling, cracks begin to form because voids are created. One part of the house is staying still, while another part of the house is dropping. The crack opens and expands as one part of the house settles faster than another.
The challenge with diagnosing houses with settlement is to determine exactly what is settling because there are multiple building components that could be the source of the settling. Since many things could be going wrong, a professional assessment is recommended.
For help with foundation settlement in the greater Hampton Roads, VA / NC region, learn more about BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair at our Home Page,About Us Page, orRequest A Free Quote Page.
Top 10 Causes of a House Settling, with Cracks in the Drywall or Brick:
- Floor supports, aka piers, are settling
- The exterior foundation has cracks and is settling
- Floor joists are sagging
- Support beams, aka girders, are bowing
- The heaviest weight in a home is not supported on top of the proper supports
- Joists or beams are moist and crushing under the weight of the home
- Walls were installed in between floor joists
- Partition walls were installed ‘Mid-Span’ between beams
- The house is shrinking due to a decrease in moisture
- The house is swelling due to an increase in moisture
While this list may seem long, a building expert trained in foundation repair should be able to identify the specific causes of the house settling and construct a plan that will halt futuresettlement.
Since there are so many causes of houses settling, there are many repairs. The main focus should be to permanently stabilize the house in the areas that are settling and control moisture.
Top 10 Recommended Repairs for Settling Houses Include:
- Add floor supports, aka Titan Crawl Jacks
- Add new beams as needed
- Sister floor joists
- Replace beams
- Reinforce beams
- Foundation push piersfor cracked exterior footings
- Custom structural repairs, including removal and replacement of floors
- Control the moisture from crawl space flooding
- Control the moisture from the damp earth
- Control the moisture from outside humidity
These are only a few of the most common repairs we recommend, but we do not condone a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Every house and crack should be diagnosed and assigned a repair solution based on the unique circ*mstances of that individual home, along with the homeowner’s preferences.
Inspecting Your Home for Settling and Cracks:
Our Expert Advisors are trained to identify the causes and best repair options for your home. If you’re concerned about the integrity of your home, we offer free, no-obligation inspections and estimates. When we inspect your home, we explain the problems and solutions and explore multiple options to find the best solution for you.
Why Choose BAY to Fix Your Foundation Settlement?
BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair is your one-stop solution for foundation settlement in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Suffolk, and the surrounding region. Our expert teams have over 400 collective years of experience fixing homes in the Hampton Roads, VA & NC region.
Our staff includes engineering experts, repair specialists, and a full support team ready to deliver exceptional customer service and a fast turnaround of your project. This is why BAY Crawl Space can offer great long-term warranties on the installation and materials for your repair.
You can learn more about BAY’s foundation settlement solutions by taking advantage of our free crawl space and foundation inspection. Your inspection will give you a much better understanding of the issues at hand, along with your best options for repair.
ContactBAYCrawl Space&Foundation Repairtoday by filling outour online form or call 757-460-0444 for a free inspection.
About BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair
BAY is an award-winning crawl space and foundation repair contractor. We’re proud to service an 80-mile radius around our Norfolk, VA headquarters, Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm.
BAY is best known for having amazing reviews (quality & quantity), superior expertise, special methods, and affordable pricing options. We have the ‘Best of the Best’ on our team. Our All-Star Team delivers great customer experiences and the best quality for a great price.
Our reputation in the Hampton Roads community is with homeowners, engineers, city permitting offices, home services professionals, and online as a crawl space foundation repair contractor is outstanding.
Reviews Summary & Links
We have ranked #1 for crawl space repair in Hampton Roads for 8 years (Google: 2015-2023), ranked top 5% in the USA with Super Service Awards for 5 years (Angi: 2017-2022), were voted Best of Foundation Repair locally for 6 years (CoVA BIZ 2018-2023), were voted “Best of the Best” nationally in 2020 for the foundation repair category, and won the “Best Places to Work” award (CoVA BIZ).
FAQs
If you have horizontal or vertical wall cracks, “stair-step” or diagonal cracking, bulging, buckling foundation walls or pushing in at the bottom or top of the wall, you may need foundation repair.
When should I be concerned about settlement cracks? ›
If you have horizontal or vertical wall cracks, “stair-step” or diagonal cracking, bulging, buckling foundation walls or pushing in at the bottom or top of the wall, you may need foundation repair.
Does house settling cause cracks? ›
Building materials can expand and contract as temperatures fluctuate, too. One sign of house settling is narrow hairline cracks that don't change over time. These tiny cracks are generally harmless and can be easy to patch.
When should I worry about my house settling? ›
A little house settling is can be normal. If, however, cracks, bowed ceilings, or sticking doorways have you worried, the best thing you can do is get to a professional to take a look at your foundation.
What causes settlement cracks? ›
Settlement can be caused by expansive soils, which shrink when they are dry, soil washout due to heavy rain, or the compression of poorly compacted, loose fill-soil. Soil Pressure and Hydrostatic Pressure: Both expansive soil and over-saturated soil can put a large amount of pressure against your foundation wall.
How can you tell if a crack is structural? ›
Some signs that may indicate that a crack is structural in nature may be that the crack is ⅛” or larger, a crack is horizontal in direction, the crack has shifted forward, one side of a crack projects out further than the other side of the crack, a wall is bowing, and there may be stair step cracks in the mortar ...
How to tell the difference between house settling and foundation problems? ›
But how can you tell if settling is within normal range or a sign of a more serious problem? It often depends on the severity of the issue. For example, small cracks tend to be cosmetic. However, significant cracks wider than 1/8 inch can signal foundation problems.
How much house settling is too much? ›
This is not a cause for concern if the sinking is uniform. However, once the house sinks further than a few inches or is sinking unevenly, that is when foundation issues occur. Due to rising and falling temperatures, the soil around your home may expand and shrink, which can cause more foundation movement than normal.
Should I buy house with settlement cracks? ›
Foundation cracks can pose serious threats to the structural integrity of a building. These cracks can compromise the stability of the foundation and potentially lead to more severe issues. Additionally, foundation cracks can allow water to seep into the building, resulting in water damage and mold growth.
What cracks indicate foundation problems? ›
Vertical cracks are often the result of foundation settling and are usually the easier to repair. However, vertical cracks should not be dismissed and it's recommended to schedule an inspection to evaluate the problem. Horizontal cracks usually indicate more severe issues with a foundation's integrity.
Top 10 Recommended Repairs for Settling Houses Include:
- Add floor supports, aka Titan Crawl Jacks.
- Add new beams as needed.
- Sister floor joists.
- Replace beams.
- Reinforce beams.
- Foundation push piers for cracked exterior footings.
- Custom structural repairs, including removal and replacement of floors.
If your foundation is settling into the soil beneath it, experts consider anything more than 1 inch for every 20 feet as too much. Here's how professionals determine that. 1% for tilt – A tilt of 1% is when your foundation slope exceeds a rise or fall of one inch in a span of 100 inches.
Will a house ever stop settling? ›
Typically, a new house settles during its first three years of existence. House settling shouldn't cause major issues — just cosmetic ones, such as a thin crack where the wall meets the ceiling, which can be patched up with a bit of spackle.
How to fix settlement cracks? ›
The Best Repair Option for Foundation Settlement Cracks
' Foundation push pier repairs involve a heavy steel bracket supporting the bottom of the broken footing and galvanized steel pipe sections, driven into the ground until the steel pier reaches stable, strong soils.
Do builders fix settlement cracks? ›
Normal Changes You May Notice as a Result of Settling
Common settling changes can include hairline cracks in the walls near the ceiling, small foundational cracks, and air gaps where you feel either the loss of cool air in summer or warm air in winter. Hairline cracks can be patched up by you or the builder.
How common are settling cracks? ›
A 1/16-inch crack is quite common when a home starts to settle. These hairline cracks should be vertical and should be between 2-6 inches in length. Having horizontal and diagonal cracks of any size will indicate that you have more than just the “normal” settling.
How do you know if foundation cracks are serious? ›
Wide cracks, growing cracks, or cracks accompanied by other signs of a foundation problem may warrant a professional inspection. These cracks may be caused by uneven settling of the soil beneath the slab, moisture fluctuations, poor soil compaction, or tree root growth.
What do normal settlement cracks look like? ›
A 1/16-inch crack is quite common when a home starts to settle. These hairline cracks should be vertical and should be between 2-6 inches in length. Having horizontal and diagonal cracks of any size will indicate that you have more than just the “normal” settling.
What house cracks should I worry about? ›
They can vary in length, width and direction. Typically, larger cracks (those bigger than 15mm in width) are a cause for concern, as they could point to structural issues. You'll want to get these inspected by a structural engineer.
How do you know if concrete crack is serious? ›
Concrete cracks in foundation walls or slabs that allow the seepage of moisture are serious and require attention. A concrete crack that fills with dirt, resulting on maintenance sanitation issues is a serious crack. A crack width greater than 3.2 mm on a foundation exceeds the allowable width.
