A1 Foundation Crack Repair Blog

If you are a have bought a new home, call A-1 Foundation Crack Repair for a foundation inspection.  You don’t want to find water in your basement and then realize that it could have been prevented.  If you see cracks in the basement floor or walls of a home you are buying or selling, call a crack repair specialist.

 IF there are cracks in your cement floor or foundation walls, we can determine the underlying and the related defects and fix them. Why have stress every time it rains?

Believe it or not, concrete cracks or cracks in masonry, brickwork,  or plaster are not uncommon and can be found in many homes. And most of the time, these repairs can be made without the need for expensive foundation repair work.

Because there are often cracks in foundations, only a specialist can tell you if your crack needs to be fixed before more structural and water damage develops. Contact A-1 Foundation Crack Repair for assistance and an inspection.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |

Although most builders use poured concrete for foundations, there is still a spot for concrete block foundations. Also, houses built between the late 1930’s to the 70’s were often built with concrete block foundations. For home additions, or crawl spaces concrete block foundations are common and economical. But concrete block foundations have problems and show them in many ways.

White dust showing on the insides of your concrete block foundation is the lime in the concrete coming through as a result of moisture. Horizontal foundation cracks in the mortar joints, horizontal shearing on the bottom of the walls, stair-step cracks, tipping and bulging are also problems you see with concrete block foundations.

You might be able to evaluate your foundation problems depending on the direction of the crack.

Horizontal Cracks
Horizontal cracks in concrete block, field stone or brick foundations mean that your foundation is subject to lateral pressure. The ground around your house expands when it’s wet, and then contract when it dries. This type of foundation damage is usually serious.

Vertical Crack
This often means there are "settling" problems with your foundation. Usually, this is a result of unstable soil which causes your foundation to rise and/or fall in certain areas.  Foundation cracks will almost always result in additional problems.

For Foundation crack repair, contact A-1 Foundation Crack Repair.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |

Massachusetts is full of older homes, many are historic or antique. In these homes, we often consider wet or damp basements to be par for the course. When an older home has a field stone or concrete block foundation, we expect wet basements even more.

Unfortunately, no home is built to have a wet basement. The issues and problems that arise as a result are not always easy to recognize. Concrete floor cracks or basement wall cracks are almost never only on the surface. You should assume that the crack you see goes all the way through. Foundation and concrete floor cracks cause structural issues, property damage issues and mold.

Basement cracks need to be repaired, but understand that concrete on the crack and cosmetically sealing the crack is not going to do the trick. It could actually do more damage if water leaks are present because sealing it at the surface could cause pressure to build. Concrete is porous and pressure build up will only cause the water to find another way through.

Hire a professional to take care of all you basements cracks and leaks. Your home is most likely the biggest investment you will ever make. A1 Foundation Crack Repair is the best solution for cracks and leaks in your home’s walls and foundation. Call us as soon as you detect a problem.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |

Your home may be state-of-the-art and built by the finest builder, but guess what, even that perfectly made foundation can develop cracks. When your foundation develops cracks, your home has a problem.

Often foundation cracks develop from soil settlement, heavy rain, ice, and other ground movement. As the soil around your home moves, freezes, and defrosts cracking and shifting of your foundation is a result.

There are a few signs to watch for: bowing or leaning foundation walls, cracks in stair masonry, basement leaks or water stains, musty smells, windows and doors that are sticking and/or a leaning chimney.  

If your home has any of these symptoms, contact A1 Foundation Crack Repair if you're concerned about your foundation.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |

It is time to winterize your home. When winterizing your home, take a look around the foundation. See if any foundation cracks have formed. Very small cracks are fairly common.  Look for larger cracks or shifting of the blocks in a block foundation. Look all along the foundation to see if there are any cracks that need to be repaired.

What you are looking for are area where snow can and will build up. When that snow melts, the water can seep into your home and cause water problems and damage.

If you have brick along your house, do the same things. Look at all the brick and check out where the brick meets the concrete or the driveway. There may be cracks that need to be repaired.

Lastly, check all of your concrete floors in your garage or basement for cracks in the floors. If you find any cracks in your foundation or floors, contact A-1 Foundation Crack Repair before the winter snow hits.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |

Aging homes, homes with block foundations or homes with rock wall foundations often develop cracks or seeping water over time.

These types of foundations can have problems with cracking and shearing. Horizontal cracks in the mortar joints, horizontal shearing on the bottom of the walls, stair-step cracks in outside corners, tipping at the top of the wall, or even bulging are some of the problems with older home block and rock foundations.

Horizontal Cracks
Horizontal cracks in your foundation are caused by lateral pressure. Essentially, the ground around your house expands when it’s wet, and then contract when it dries causing cracks. This type of foundation damage is usually serious.

Vertical Cracks
Vertical cracks in your foundation means your home is having "settling" problems. Usually unstable soil conditions cause the foundation to rise or fall in certain areas. Often, settling problems can be seen in other parts of the home like door and window frames.
 
Weeping
Cinder blocks are made of lime, and overtime that lime “dissolves”. You can tell this by a white film on the interior was of the foundation. The “dissolving” lime makes the blocks more porous causing weeping in of moisture in your basement.

Contact A-1 Foundation Crack Repair for your basement waterproofing needs.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |

Here comes Hurricane Irene. If you have had basement flooding problems, or you are concerned you may get them with the projected rain in our forecast in the New England Area. Here are some ways to get ready, and prevent a flooded basement.

• Extend your downspouts away from your home in order to divert the water from your foundation. If you can, run them at least 3 to 5 feet away from your home.
• Clean your gutters of debris. The easier the water can flow down the roof to the gutters and then out the gutters, the better. Overflowing gutters is a prime way to allow water into your basement.
• If you are aware of foundation cracks, buy a foam spray at any hardware store and build a half circle barrier, 5 inches high, 3 feet on each side of the crack to retain the water, and give us a call.
• Be sure bulkheads are tightly closed and sealed.
• Board up windows, basement windows absolutely if you are in the area of a direct hit. If your basement windows are below grade, dig out the dirt from below your windows and replace with stone.
• If you have any dead trees or branches overhanging your home, try to remove those.
• With heavy rain, water doesn’t get absorbed into the ground. Therefore, water runs in rivers on the ground. Be sure that there is no debris on the ground that will divert water towards your home.
• You may want a sump pump ready to go and be sure it is working. If you have a wet dry vac, be sure that is available and ready to go.

Priority is that sump pumps are plugged in and that you are prepared for emergency water removal.

To be safe, if you have items of value in your basement, try to remove them to an upper level in your home or raise them up.

Most of all, prepare for the next hurricane.

If you have had water in your basement before, you will get water in your basement again. So it is important to learn from the mistakes and be ready for the next emergency.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink |