What are the signs of Foundation Heave?
Foundation heave is the uplift movement of the soil layer. It occurs when the expansive soil layer has been saturated with water and provides pressure on the building’s foundation. The signs and symptoms of the foundation heave should be controlled at an early stage to prevent the pressure of the foundation heave. This helps to avoid severe damage to the building foundations.
Signs of Foundation Heave
The signs that have been seen in the case of occurring foundation heave are:
Foundation slab’s crack
The crack in the foundation slab is a clear sign of foundation heave. This type of crack often forms while the slabs are lifted or separated. This crack can be big or small in size. The early identification of this crack can be achieved by checking the foundation on a regular basis.
Crack in walls
The drywall cracks have been often observed which is the most unmistakable sign of the heave in the foundation. This type of crack is visible on the floors along with the building walls. These types of wall and floor cracks can occur in different patterns including horizontal cracks or stair-step cracks. Horizontal cracks are usually seen in the concrete wall and stair-step cracks occur in the brick wall. Floor cracks have also appeared overnight. This floor crack indicates that the soil under the building foundation is getting swelled which pushes the foundation upward resulting in the floor crack.
Lifted Flatwork
Concrete, which is 4 to 6 inches thick and uniform is referred to as flatwork. In the case of the lifted flatwork, it can occur inside the house and can be managed to hide under the area rugs and carpets.
Off-Center Frames
There is constant pressure on the foundation of the house which transferred into the wooden structure of the building thus affecting the building structure. This results slanting of the building framework.