Foundation Work – Construction Flaws That Will Lead to Premature Foundation Repair

Posted on: 7 September 2018

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Relocating to a new home is an exhilarating experience. The thrill of new beginning coupled with possibly upgrading to owning your property can be quite a milestone for families. Nonetheless, you need to acknowledge that the integrity of the property is only as good as the foundation that it stands upon. While taking meticulous care of ensuring that your foundation is not exposed to undue damage is something all homeowners should prioritise, you should also keep in mind that in some cases your foundation problems are not your fault. Moreso, if you have purchased a prebuilt house whose construction you did not oversee. Below are a few of the construction flaws homeowners should know that would lead to premature foundation damage.

Expeditious curing of the concrete

You may assume that the faster a concrete foundation cures, the quicker home construction will be completed. And it is this reasoning that some property owners end up compromising their foundation and new owners are stuck with the repairs. When concrete experiences quick curing time, the concrete foundation becomes highly vulnerable to cracking. Once the house is erected, the added pressure aggravates these cracks, and you will soon notice signs of foundation decline manifesting on the property. So if you see jammed windows, cracks on walls and so on, it is likely that your foundation is already compromised due to construction flaws.

Uneven levelling of concrete slabs

When the concrete slabs that will make up the foundation are being laid, it needs to be done on a level surface. Therefore, before foundation construction can begin, the property needs to be graded adequately before the installation of the slabs. If the slabs are off-kilter, they will start to shift at a steady rate. As a result, the foundation also begins to move, and this will put the property at risk.

Concrete is either too wet or too dry

Contrary to popular belief, the mixing of cement is not a one size fits all approach. The reality is that the moisture ratio of the mixture should be determined per the unique environment that it is going to be poured. For instance, if the location experiences heavy rainfall on a regular basis, the concrete will have less moisture than usual so that it does not remain wet for an extended period. Alternatively, arid climates will need a higher moisture content so that the concrete does not dry out prematurely. If this was not prioritised when the foundation was being constructed, chances are the structure will experience problems such as cracking, shifting and so on.

For more information, contact your local foundation work service.