Reading what a foundation crack is actually telling you

Not every crack in a basement wall is a structural problem, and not every dry basement is sound. ADH Canada Inc. investigates foundation issues in houses and buildings across the Greater Toronto Area and repairs them according to what the investigation finds. The first job is diagnosis, because a leak treated as a crack and a crack treated as a leak both come back.

Diagnosis before repair

An assessment looks at the crack pattern and whether it is widening, the direction and amount of any movement, the soil and grading around the building, where downspouts discharge, the condition of the weeping tile and the sump, and the interior signs — sticking doors, sloping floors, separated trim, efflorescence or staining on the wall. Horizontal cracking with inward bowing means something different from a vertical shrinkage crack near a window opening. Where movement is active or the structure is affected, a structural engineer is brought in and the repair is carried out to their sealed drawings.

• Crack injection with epoxy or polyurethane for non-structural concrete cracks
• Exterior excavation, membrane and drainage board, with weeping tile replaced as needed
• Interior perimeter drainage tied to a sump pit where exterior excavation is impractical
• Sump pump installation, including a battery backup for power outages
• Underpinning and bench footings to lower a basement floor or stabilise a footing
• Window well, walkout and grading corrections to move water away from the wall

Water, drainage and lowering a basement

Most wet basements in this region are a water management failure rather than a foundation failure. Grading that slopes back toward the house, downspouts discharging at the wall, a blocked or collapsed weeping tile, and clay soils that hold water against the foundation account for a large share of what we are called about. Those are fixed at the source before anything is sealed on the inside.

Underpinning to gain basement height is a different undertaking. It is done in engineered sections, requires a permit and inspections, and needs the drainage and waterproofing designed as part of the same job. It also affects everything above, so the mechanical, the stair and the eventual finishing should be planned alongside it rather than after.

Request a quote or contact us to have a crack, a leak or a settling floor looked at.