IT’S TIME TO STOP EXPECTING REGULAR TROUBLE AFTER A RAINY AUTUMN OR SNOWY WINTER…
Cracked walls and uneven floors are often symptoms of the problem. Many structural problems are due to unstable soil conditions or sagging. To tackle these problems, it is important to understand not only the visible effects on a building or structure, but also what is going on in the soils. Different types of soils cause different problems, and require different solutions. Having an expert who knows what to do can ensure that when you solve one problem, you don’t cause another.
Misunderstanding the situation can lead to disastrous results. As an example, one residential house was damaged after the owner installed decorative paving tiles as a revetment around the perimeter of the house over a layer of lime-sand mortar while doing a major repair. The house was built on a heaving (swelling) clay base. Atmospheric water was seeping through the revetment, saturating the clay at the foundation base. Due to the heaving effect, the clay was unevenly lifting different parts of the building. As a result, the site improvement caused significant damage to the building as the type of base soils was not taken into account when choosing the solution.