Cracks and Regina basements go together like peanut butter and jelly – you rarely see one without the other. Cracks are never a good sign, but they are pretty common and, depending on the type and severity of crack, can be nothing to worry about or a huge problem. Let’s look at a few different types of foundation cracks and what they can mean:

VERTICAL CRACKS

These are usually the least worrisome of cracks and quite common in basements, especially in Regina. They often happen within a few years after construction as the concrete foundation settles. The most common risk associated with vertical cracks is water seeping in during particularly periods of particularly heavy participation. These cracks can usually be fixed easily and permanently by injecting a flexible sealing material into the crack. Ensuring that rainfall is diverted from around your house will also prevent water from saturating the ground around your foundation and seeping through cracks.

HORIZONTAL CRACKS

Horizontal cracks are much more serious than the others because they usually mean your foundation is bowing, which can actually result in the collapse of your house! This can be caused by several factors including improper drainage and overly compressed backfill around your foundation. There are several solutions to remedy this, depending on the cause, but these cracks should be assessed by an experienced, licensed engineer and repaired by professionals.

DIAGONAL CRACKS

Diagonal cracks are usually caused by a change in the ground around your foundation, resulting in a corner of the house settling lower than the others. The repair usually calls for an injectable, flexible sealant, like with vertical cracks, but usually requires more. Discovering the cause of the crack will also help determine the best way to repair it. These cracks often appear quite wide on one end, and more narrow on the other.

STEP OR STAIRWAY CRACKS

You often will see this kind of ascending crack on the exterior of concrete block foundations. The cause is often the same as diagonal cracks and are treated in a similar fashion.

Our team can assess the cracks in your basement and determine the best way to repair them. Contact us for an assessment today.

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Anyone growing up in Regina has seen firsthand how structures and foundations can shift and sink in our soil. This can leave concrete basement floors broken and cracked, which can affect plumbing, flooring and more. The dry summer of 2017 certainly hasn’t helped matters, resulting in many basement floors throughout the city in need of repair or replacement. Here are a few things to consider when looking to repair or replace your basement floor.

Leave it to the experts

It may be tempting to tackle at least the concrete removal of your floor/concrete slab to offset the cost of the project, but this could end up costing you more in the long run. Improper floor removal can lead to serious foundation damage. Careful consideration needs to be made for underground pipes and radon removal systems, and things like water heaters need to be properly disconnected. Bring us in early to assess your floor and determine next steps, which can be removal and repouring, but can also be less costly patches or repairs. Removing and replacing a concrete slab is also something that should be done in a timely fashion. A concrete slab floor supports the overall foundation of your house and once a concrete floor is removed or compromised it can cause the bottom of your foundation walls to move inward, which will get worse over time. If you’re looking to remove and replace your floor on a D.I.Y., weekend-here, weekend-there schedule, you could cause a lot of damage to your foundation. Best to let the experts do the job properly and quickly.

Time for a change

Removing and repouring your basement floor is also a great time to reconsider the layout of your basement. If you’re thinking about moving the bathroom or updating your radon removal system, think about it now. It’s also a great time to update your sump pit/pump system and any older drains beneath the slab.

Storage solutions

Keep in mind, you’re removing the basement floor, which also means removing anything on the basement floor. Construction projects of this nature can be stressful enough without the addition of a sea of clutter to wade through. Renting a portable storage container for the duration of the project will help cull the clutter and keep your sanity intact.

The Textured Terrain team has years of experience tackling and taming Regina basements. Give us a call today to assess your basement floor.

The post Starting On The Ground Floor With Basement Repair appeared first on Textured Terrain.

To be sure, check the outside too. Move outside and check to see if your foundation is straight by sighting down the length of your foundation wall from each corner. The walls should be basically straight, both up and down and from side to side. Check for leaning walls with a level. A bulge or curve in either a block foundation or a poured concrete wall could signal that the foundation has shifted, or that the soil around your foundation may be expanding and contracting, putting pressure on walls. This can lead to a bigger problem.

If you see this happening call us immediately. That could mean that your foundation is weak. We will probe for concrete weakness and well as check the structural components like your basement, crawl space, posts and concrete supports, or piers. Posts should stand straight and be firmly planted underneath the beams they support. Bottoms of posts should rest firmly on concrete piers. But if they are not, you have a problem.

Textured Terrain specializes in foundation repair, specifically with:

• Damp proofing/waterproofing
• Wall straightening/bracing
• Cracked foundation repairs
• Underpinning
• Telepost adjustments
• Sump pits
• Knee walls/pony walls
• Grade beams
• Piles

At Textured Terrain, we identify potential problem spots before things get out of control. Call us today for a free estimate: at 306-533-8251. At Textured Terrain, we do concrete and we do it right! texturedterrain.dev

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The most common culprit is water. It can accumulate in the soil around the foundation, which expands the soil and puts pressure on walls and foundation footings, causing cracks to appear.

While getting caught in the rain isn’t fun for anyone, if you don’t have a proper foundation it can be a disaster for your home. If even a little bit of water enters throughout a damaged or cracked foundation, it can start a chain of events that leads to flooding, and mold and moisture damage, all of which leads to costly repairs.

The next step is to call in the experts. At Textured Terrain, we specialize in Foundation Repairs, specifically:

• Damp proofing/waterproofing
• Wall straightening/bracing
• Cracked foundation repairs
• Underpinning
• Telepost adjustments
• Sump pits
• Knee walls/pony walls
• Grade beams
• Piles

At Textured Terrain, we can make sure that your home has a solid foundation and is waterproof. Call us today for a free estimate: at 306-533-8251. At Textured Terrain, we do concrete and we do it right! texturedterrain.dev

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