Why do foundation problems occur in my house and not all my neighbors have the same problems?

There are many possible causes of foundation settling. Some of those causes may affect entire neighborhoods, while others may be site-specific. Some examples that may be site specific are poor drainage, poorly compacted fill placed directly under the foundation of the house, varying moisture levels due to irrigation, runoff or plumbing leaks, vegetation planted near the foundation, improper structural design, etc

Building failure can often be the result of several conditions and cannot be explained with 100 percent certainty. A thorough geotechnical evaluation with ground boreholes can help identify the cause, but it does nothing to mitigate the symptoms. The FSI push spring can stabilize the structure regardless of the cause.

If my house has settled 1 1/2 inches why am I not seeing more damage to the interior?

There are a couple of possible reasons for this. Most commonly, the wood framing and interior finishes are made of more flexible and flexible materials than rigid concrete foundations. Also, when a house settles, the wood frame portion often does not settle as quickly as the foundation. In other words, the house has not yet reached the foundation and is slightly suspended on the foundation. The frame will eventually buckle and catch up with the movement of the base.

Understanding the underlying causes of foundation settlement is an important step for every engineer to design a suitable solution for the home. A good resource to start learning about foundation repair is a book called Foundation Technology, A Guide to What Goes on Under Your Feet, which has sections on soil conditions throughout the Front Range, as well as lists of Helpful verification, solution sections, and soil mapping.

Visit www.foundationtechnologyebook.com or contact our office for your copy of the 3rd edition in print.