If the basement floor has cracks in it, or on the outside and inside walls of the home, what can it lead to? Can the house collapse?
In: 3
The main issue is water.
You don’t want water in your house.
Causes rust (further deteriorating), mould, general damage, and is incessant.
I think the whole house could shift if the cracks are bad enough. It could get progressively worse. I think the best case response would be to have an engineer (Independent and not associated with any foundation company) look at the house and assess it and give you a report so that you know for sure what is going on and what needs to be done.
House is unlikely to collapse (unless the cracking is REALLY extensive), but the real damage will come from water getting into the home. Short of a fire, water is the worst thing to happen to the physical structure of your house.
Everything from weakening the supporting rebar in your foundation, flooding the basement in “wet” periods (think snow melt), mould . . . there are just SO many bad things that can happen.
Two reasons:
First, it means that the soil around your house is shifting. The house is built to be level, and if parts of it start to sag at the foundation, that puts stress on the structure all the way up to the roof. That can cause problems later on, though not likely “the house has collapsed” (at least, not if it’s attended to in any even-unreasonable amount of time).
The second reason is water. Water getting in is problematic for several reasons. First, it’ll increase your risk of flooding. Water damage is bad, and fixing it usually means tearing out what’s damaged and starting over. Second, if you live in an area with a freeze/thaw cycle, water that gets in will freeze (and expand), then thaw (which lets more water in, which then freezes and expands…), eventually leading to significantly more damage. Lastly, it’s a health concern. Wet areas tend to be moldy areas, and if the cracks are large enough then insects or even rodents can squeeze in and get into the house.
The concrete floor in a basement does nothing for the structural integrity of the house, so cracks in the floor are no real concern.
As for the foundation walls:
Zig-zag, step shaped cracks that follow the mortar joints of the blocks are common and caused by uneven settling of the house. Not ideal but typically not a concern.
Vertical crack lines are also caused by uneven settling and not of very high concern
Horizontal crack lines are caused by the wall caving inwards and are the most concerning type of crack. Sometimes the wall can be braced with steel beams after a crack has formed but usually it just delays the inevitable. The only real way to repair a horizontal crack is to dig out the wall and replace it.
The main issue is water.
You don’t want water in your house.
Causes rust (further deteriorating), mould, general damage, and is incessant.
House is unlikely to collapse (unless the cracking is REALLY extensive), but the real damage will come from water getting into the home. Short of a fire, water is the worst thing to happen to the physical structure of your house.
Everything from weakening the supporting rebar in your foundation, flooding the basement in “wet” periods (think snow melt), mould . . . there are just SO many bad things that can happen.
The concrete floor in a basement does nothing for the structural integrity of the house, so cracks in the floor are no real concern.
As for the foundation walls:
Zig-zag, step shaped cracks that follow the mortar joints of the blocks are common and caused by uneven settling of the house. Not ideal but typically not a concern.
Vertical crack lines are also caused by uneven settling and not of very high concern
Horizontal crack lines are caused by the wall caving inwards and are the most concerning type of crack. Sometimes the wall can be braced with steel beams after a crack has formed but usually it just delays the inevitable. The only real way to repair a horizontal crack is to dig out the wall and replace it.
I think the whole house could shift if the cracks are bad enough. It could get progressively worse. I think the best case response would be to have an engineer (Independent and not associated with any foundation company) look at the house and assess it and give you a report so that you know for sure what is going on and what needs to be done.
Two reasons:
First, it means that the soil around your house is shifting. The house is built to be level, and if parts of it start to sag at the foundation, that puts stress on the structure all the way up to the roof. That can cause problems later on, though not likely “the house has collapsed” (at least, not if it’s attended to in any even-unreasonable amount of time).
The second reason is water. Water getting in is problematic for several reasons. First, it’ll increase your risk of flooding. Water damage is bad, and fixing it usually means tearing out what’s damaged and starting over. Second, if you live in an area with a freeze/thaw cycle, water that gets in will freeze (and expand), then thaw (which lets more water in, which then freezes and expands…), eventually leading to significantly more damage. Lastly, it’s a health concern. Wet areas tend to be moldy areas, and if the cracks are large enough then insects or even rodents can squeeze in and get into the house.
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