Without a good foundation, a home is not worth owning. Unfortunately, due to the constraints that are placed on builders in the modern day era of home construction, when it comes to foundations there are several problems that crop up and that need to be recognized for what they are; “construction defects”. Although these may or may not be the result of poor workmanship, having a crack in the foundation is considered nothing less than a construction defect.
When most of us think about the foundation, we tend to think of the part that we can see that sits above the ground, but there is another part of the foundation that is just as important even though we cant see it and that’s the footings. Cracks in the foundations are often caused by poor footings or in some cases, no footings at all. Old brick foundations generally have no footings as a rule and for that reason it will be possible to find some foundation defects when you’re shopping for an older home with a brick foundation.
Remember that one of the biggest problems as far as a foundation is concerned, is one where the structure is built without reinforcing steel. Concrete without steel is worthless in the construction trade and steel wire mesh or some derivative of it is required by law for most concrete foundations. Without this reinforcement, concrete will crack and break apart. One of the more obvious construction defects is a cracked and crumbling foundation that is relatively young—this situation is often an indication that the concrete was not reinforced properly.
Still there’s another kind of construction defect that builders can fall prey to when they’re building a foundation, and that’s selecting the wrong site in the first place. Any experienced builder will tell you that’s there more to it than just looking for a nice place to build, the soil itself will often determine how sturdy the foundation is. Remember that the less you modify the soil the less chance you’ve got of having a catastrophic earth slide. There’s a quick test that you can try as well. Walk around the site that you’re about to select and look for large radial cracks that run opposite to the slope. If you see any of these, you’ll know that the place that you are considering is prone to slides.
Of course no matter how well a foundation is reinforced, building on a hill side that’s prone to slides is a recipe for disaster. There are several things that you can do to avoid some of the more common construction defects, but one of the other remedies is knowing what to do when you’ve found a crack. One method is to drill holes in the foundation and bolt a heavy piece of steel strapping to it.
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