FOUNDATION DIAGNOSIS
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS
FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION TYPES
FOUNDATION INSPECTION METHODS
FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL
Block Foundation & Wall Defects
Brick Foundation & Wall Defects
Brick Thermal Expansion Cracking
Concrete Poured Foundation Wall & Slab Defects
Cold Pour Joints
Shrinkage Cracks in Concrete
Holes & Penetrations
Settlement Cracks
Form Tie Marks & Leak Points
Other Concrete Wall or Floor Damage
Concrete Pre-cast Foundation Defects
Stone Foundation Defects
Wood Foundation Defects
FAILURES by FOUNDATION MOVEMENT TYPE
BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION?
BULGED vs. LEANING FOUNDATIONS
COMBINATIONS OF FOUNDATION MOVEMENT
Bulge & step cracks
Earthquake Damage to Foundations
Flood Damage to Foundations
Foundation Movement During Collapse
Other Foundation Step cracks
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS
Bulging, Leaning & Sliding Wall
Horizontal Foundation Creep
Horizontal Movement & step cracks in brick
Impact Damage to Foundations
Thermal Expansion Cracking in Brick
VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS
Diagonal Cracks in Concrete Foundations
Diagonal Step Cracking in Masonry
Differential vs. Uniform Settlement Cracks
Leaning or Tipping Buildings
Uniform Width vs. Tapered Foundation Cracks
Vertical Cracks
FLOOD DAMAGE TO FOUNDATIONS
FOUNDATION DEFECTS OF OMISSION
FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION
CRACK MONITORING Methods
DIAGONAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
HORIZONTAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
SHRINKAGE vs EXPANSION vs SETTLEMENT
Sinkholes & Building Damage
VERTICAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS
FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY
FOUNDATION DAMAGE REPORTS
FOUNDATION INSPECTION STANDARDS
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC
FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS
Bulged foundation Repairs
Crack Repair Methods
Horizontal Movement Repairs
Shrinkage Crack Repairs
Vertical Movement Repairs
SITE FACTORS AFFECTING FOUNDATIONS
SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
Control Joint Cracks in Concrete
Freezing & Water Damage
Frost Heave/Expansive Soil Cracks in Slabs
Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection
Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To
Settlement Cracks in Slabs
Settlement Cracks vs. Frost Heaves
Settlement Cracks vs. Shrinkage Cracks
Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs
Shrinkage Cracks Along Foundation Walls
Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors
WATER ENTRY in BUILDINGS
SUMP PUMPS GUIDE
WET BASEMENT PREVENTION
ADDITIONAL READING
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Here we discuss How to identify and diagnose Poured Concrete Foundation Wall & Slab Cracks, Movement, Settlement, Leaks, & Other Defects involving reinforced concrete foundations and concrete walls, such as damage due to shrinkage, impact, settlement, frost or water damage, and other causes.
Also see this close companion article: SLAB CRACK EVALUATION which discusses in detail the process of evaluating cracks, settlement, leaks, shrinkage, or other damage in poured concrete slabs, monolithic slab foundations, and concrete floors, and see FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION which discusses evaluating foundation damage by examining concrete crack size, shape, pattern, and location.
© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
Examples of structural & other failures in Poured Concrete Foundations: Cracks, Leaks, Movement, & Other Defects
How to Identify Cold Pour Joints in Concrete Foundation Walls
 Cold Pour Joints in concrete foundations which leave visible lines in the concrete foundation wall are not usually a structural problem but may in some cases form a dry joint which permits water leakage through the foundation wall.
Cold pour joints occur because of the time delay between subsequent "pours" into the foundation forms. An astute inspector, by noting the position, pattern, and slope of the cold pour joint, can probably determine the position from which the concrete was poured into the forms (the high end of the sloping lines) and the extent of delay between pours (evidence of water leaks through the joints indicates that enough time passed for the lower pour to solidify). Water leaks into buildings at cold pour foundation joints are discussed at Basement Foundation Leak Points - Leaks at Cold Pour Joints. |
Our photo (left) provides a closeup of a distinct cold pour joint in a concrete foundation wall of a 1980's home in New York.
Reader Wade Mariage has pointed out that cold pour joints may also occur due to the accumulation of form-release oil on top of a pour into oiled aluminum concrete forms. As Mr. Wade noted and we agree, even when the concrete crew "chuck" the "mud" (concrete) between pours to improve bonding of the subsequent pour and to reduce pour marks, these marks still often appear in the cured concrete. If the aluminum concrete forms are heavily oiled the cold pour mark may be still more visible.
Mariage asserts and we agree that normally a cold pour line is not a structural concern. Exceptions are wall leaks or failure of subsequent pours to bond well if the concrete actually sets between pours - unusual events in normal concrete construction.
Visual clues of cold pour joints give a history of construction sequence and timing: In the photograph above one can just make out the lines of boards used to construct the forms used to pour this foundation wall. The visual clues combine to suggest how this foundation wall was constructed and what happened later. The use of boards and somewhat rough workmanship suggest a "do it yourself" project, perhaps by a small builder or the homeowners themselves. Small contractors or homeowners might rent a cement mixer and mix small batches of concrete, perhaps not even a cubic yard at a time.
Because a fair amount of manual labor would be involved in mixing each small batch of concrete, it's possible that so much time elapsed between concrete pours that the lower pours had cured and hardened so much that subsequent concrete pours did not bond with their predecessors. This (speculative) history might explain why we see horizontal cracks in this concrete wall in a pattern which tracks, almost exactly, the cold pour joint lines in the wall. If the builder also skimped on reinforcing steel or wire in the wall that might be another factor in the development of these cracks in response to earth or frost pressure from outside after the wall was cured.
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The cold pour joints in this concrete foundation wall show us that the concrete truck made the first pour from the corner of this foundation wall. Concrete spread roughly evenly away (and sloping down) from each side of the foundation corner as the concrete was poured into the forms. The truck was probably nearly empty when it started this pour as we don't see much height of concrete below the cold pour joint. A full concrete truck probably made the second pour as we see no other cold pour joints up to the top of the foundation wall. |
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This interesting cold pour joint tells us that this wall was poured from its two opposite corners, leaving a vee-shaped cold pour joint in the center of the wall. Although we can see the dark line between the two concrete pours that formed this wall section, as there was no evidence of an actual crack and no water leakage in the wall, this cold pour joint, like the one above, is not a structural concern - it's cosmetic. Sometimes we can learn something subtle about how a home was constructed and how organized was the builder or mason contractor by observing these clues. |
How to Identify Concrete Shrinkage Cracks in Concrete Foundation Walls
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Concrete shrinkage cracks are not usually a structural problem but may permit water leaks through the foundation wall. Shrinkage cracks are often mistaken by owners and inspectors who, failing to observe the characteristic discontinuous path of the crack and its meandering path, mistake shrinkage cracks for structural damage. We discuss shrinkage cracks in great detail and provide diagnostic photographs of shrinkage and other types of concrete cracking in poured concrete floors and slabs at How to Identify and Evaluate Shrinkage Cracks in Poured Concrete and we provide further diagnostic guidance for concrete cracking at SHRINKAGE vs EXPANSION vs SETTLEMENT. The repair of shrinkage cracks (if repair is even needed) is discussed at Shrinkage Crack Repairs. |
How to Identify Recognize and Repair Holes and Penetrations in Concrete Foundation Walls
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Holes and penetrations in concrete foundations such as poorly-sealed openings left for piping for water or electrical lines or where form ties were broken off may form points of water entry into the structure but are not normally a structural concern. The "patched" holes shown in this photograph had been a source of chronic leakage and basement water entry since this home had been constructed about two years before this photograph was taken. While several unsuccessful attempts had been made to seal and patch this leak point in the concrete foundation wall, none of the repairs had tried using a suitable product sold for that purpose and the wall was still leaking. Of course the root problem was that surface water was not being directed away from the building outside. These holes were high enough on the foundation wall that it would be reasonable (and perhaps preferable) to seal the wall from outside before also re-grading to drain surface water away from the building. |
How to Identify Settlement Cracks in Concrete Foundation Walls
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Shrinkage cracks in concrete occur only during curing and will appear mostly in the first 28 days after a wall or floor is poured. If cracks noted and documented after this time continue to increase in length or width, some other cause is at work and further investigation is needed. The concrete settlement crack shown here appeared initially in this wall as a hairline fracture of less than 1/16" in width. The homeowner monitored the crack and watched it increase in width to nearly 1/2" over the following 12 months, leading to the correct inference that there was structural movement going on. In this case we traced the movement to uneven footing settlement which was aggravated by the combination of having placed the footing partly on bedrock, water from roof and surface spillage and runoff causing soil settlement (the contractor had not compacted the backfill under the footings), and by ongoing foundation blasting at a neighboring lot. |
- Concrete foundation damage from horizontal loading, vehicles, frost is less commonly seen than with unit-construction materials such as brick or masonry block but might occur under unusual conditions.
- Concrete foundation damage from unusual point loads
How to Identify Form Tie Marks and Leak Points in Concrete Foundation Walls
Concrete Foundation Form Tie leaks: Leaks at the location of concrete form ties used during construction of a poured concrete foundation are not normally a structural problem but they can be blamed for basement water entry. Form tie leaks occur in a poured concrete foundation wall where the form ties used to construct the foundation have left penetrations in the concrete walls. Form ties are wire or steel connections between the two vertical sides of the wood or steel concrete form. Concrete form ties are needed to prevent the forms from separating and bulging from the weight of the concrete poured into the form. The best solution to concrete wall form tie leaks is to keep water away from the foundation from outside. |
Other Types of Foundation Damage to Concrete Walls or Floors
- Leaning concrete foundation walls or structural walls due to: water, frost, or earth loading, vehicle passage too close to the wall, inadequate footings, soil undermining
- Concrete foundation wall cracks*: settlement, shrinkage, cold joints
- Concrete foundation spalling due to poor concrete mix, too much water, excessive working of the surface, pouring during cold weather without proper additives, roof runoff rain-splash erosion of the wall surface.
Articles on Repair of Foundations
For detailed information about foundation repair methods, including repairs to various kinds of cracks in concrete, see:
- FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS for our catalog of Foundation Repair Methods - Examples of Typical Foundation Repairs for various types of foundation cracks, leaks, settlement, movement, or other failures
- How to Seal Cracks in Concrete
- Shrinkage Crack Repairs
- Polyurethane Foam Injection for details of the procedure for using polyurethane foam to seal foundation cracks.
- Cracks at Control Joints in Concrete how we prevent shrinkage cracks in poured concrerte floors and walls
- SHRINKAGE vs EXPANSION vs SETTLEMENT
- Evidence of Foundation Shrinkage
- Evidence of Foundation Expansion
- Foundation Settlement: crack patterns, other evidence
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FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE - how to inspect and diagnose foundation problems, in-depth diagnosis, and evaluation of all types of structural and non-structural cracks in residential foundations [Brick, Concrete, Masonry Block, Stone]
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS - examples of earthquake-damaged building foundations
FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION TYPES - identify different foundation types, construction materials, effects of sequence of construction
FOUNDATION INSPECTION METHODS - what to look for when inspecting any building foundation
FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL- unique failure characteristics of each foundation material
Block Foundation & Wall Defects
Brick Foundation & Wall Defects
Brick Thermal Expansion Cracking
Concrete Poured Foundation Wall & Slab Defects
Cold Pour Joints
Shrinkage Cracks in Concrete
Holes & Penetrations
Settlement Cracks
Form Tie Marks & Leak Points
Other Concrete Wall or Floor Damage
Concrete Pre-cast Foundation Defects
Stone Foundation Defects
Wood Foundation Defects
FAILURES by FOUNDATION MOVEMENT TYPE -recognize & diagnose types of foundation damage by the nature of foundation movement
BULGED vs. LEANING FOUNDATIONS - distinction of foundation bulging from foundation leaning has important implications for stability
COMBINATIONS OF FOUNDATION MOVEMENT - the real world of foundation cracks and movement: often more than one force is at work
Bulge & step cracks
Earthquake Damage to Foundations
Flood Damage to Foundations
Foundation Movement During Collapse
Other Foundation Step cracks
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS - detection, causes, effects, evaluation of horizontal or lateral foundation movement; hillsides
Bulging, Leaning & Sliding Wall
Horizontal Foundation Creep
Horizontal Movement & step cracks in brick
Impact Damage to Foundations
Thermal Expansion Cracking in Brick
VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS - detection, causes, effects, evaluation of vertical foundation movement, differential settlement
Diagonal Cracks in Concrete Foundations
Diagonal Step Cracking in Masonry
Differential vs. Uniform Settlement Cracks
Leaning or Tipping Buildings
Uniform Width vs. Tapered Foundation Cracks
Vertical Cracks
FLOOD DAMAGE TO FOUNDATIONS - examples of flood damaged foundations, flood damage case analysis: were these cracks due to flooding?
FOUNDATION DEFECTS OF OMISSION - recognize things that were left out, like footings, reinforcement, soil compaction, during foundation construction
FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION- recognize & diagnose types of foundation cracks, movement, damage, by the size, shape, location, pattern of cracks
DIAGONAL FOUNDATION CRACKS - causes and significance of diagonal foundation cracks, varies by foundation type & material
HORIZONTAL FOUNDATION CRACKS - causes and significance of horizontal foundation cracks, varies by foundation type & material
SHRINKAGE vs EXPANSION vs SETTLEMENT - which foundation materials shrink, which expand, & their characteristic crack patterns
Sinkholes & Building Damage - sinkhole recognition, significance, cause, underlying geology, areas where sinkholes are worst
VERTICAL FOUNDATION CRACKS - - causes and significance of vertical foundation cracks, varies by foundation type & material
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS - procedure for documenting the amount of lean or bulge in a foundation or other building wall
FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY - rules of thumb for deciding how much foundation movement requires further action
FOUNDATION DAMAGE REPORTS - how to report foundation inspection results and damage
FOUNDATION INSPECTION STANDARDS - definition of scope of what a foundation inspector
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC - determine if foundation movement was a one-time event or an ongoing problem
FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS - catalog of methods used to repair damaged foundations and masonry building walls
Bulged foundation Repairs
Crack Repair Methods
Horizontal Movement Repairs
Shrinkage Crack Repairs
Vertical Movement Repairs
SITE FACTORS AFFECTING FOUNDATIONS - drainage, rock, soil compaction, slope or grading, bedrock, sloping bedrock, proximity to roads
SLAB CRACK EVALUATION - recognize and diagnose different types of slab or concrete floor cracks and movement
Control Joint Cracks in Concrete - what are control joints, why they are needed, what happens when they're omitted; are they structural?
Freezing & Water Damage - recognize frost and water damage to concrete slabs, distinguish from other crack types
Frost Heave/Expansive Soil Cracks in Slabs - distinguish between frost damage and expansive clay soil damage to slabs
Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection - stop basement or crawl space leakage
Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To - products and methods used to seal or repair cracks in poured concrete walls, foundations, floors, & slabs.
Settlement Cracks in Slabs - recognize slab settlement, assess risk, assess potential impact on structure
Settlement Cracks vs. Frost Heaves - how to tell the difference between frost heaves and foundation settlement; does it matter?
Settlement Cracks vs. Shrinkage Cracks - critical identification of shrinkage cracks (non-structural) compared with foundation movement
Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs - causes, prevention, assessment of concrete slab shrinkage cracks
Shrinkage Cracks Along Foundation Walls - why do we see a gap between a poured concrete slab and its abutting foundation wall?
Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors - when does a floor or slab crack need to be repaired? why?
WATER ENTRY in BUILDINGS
SUMP PUMPS GUIDE - how a sump pump can avoid foundation damage and reduce building water entry
ADDITIONAL READING
- "Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
- Sal Alfano - Editor, Journal of Light Construction*
- Thanks to Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for technical critique and some of the foundation inspection photographs cited in these articles
- Terry Carson - ASHI
- Mark Cramer - ASHI
- JD Grewell, ASHI
- Duncan Hannay - ASHI, P.E. *
- Bob Klewitz, M.S.C.E., P.E. - ASHI
- Ken Kruger, P.E., AIA - ASHI
- Aaron Kuertz aaronk@appliedtechnologies.com, with Applied Technologies regarding polyurethane foam sealant as other foundation crack repair product - 05/30/2007
- Bob Peterson, Magnum Piering - 800-771-7437 - FL*
- Arlene Puentes, ASHI, October Home Inspections - (845) 216-7833 - Kingston NY
- Greg Robi, Magnum Piering - 800-822-7437 - National*
- Dave Rathbun, P.E. - Geotech Engineering - 904-622-2424 FL*
- Ed Seaquist, P.E., SIE Assoc. - 301-269-1450 - National
- Dave Wickersheimer, P.E. R.A. - IL*
- Wade Mariage, Project Coordinator,
K-Wall Poured Walls, Inc.,Traverse City, MI - 231.943.4727-Office
213.943.4679-Fax www.k-wall.com - *These reviewers have not returned comment 6/95
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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
FOUNDATION CRACK EVALUATION discusses detail the process of evaluating foundation cracks and signs of foundation damage by examining the crack size, shape, pattern, and location.
FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS explains a simple method for determining how much bulge or lean is present in a foundation or wall,
FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC helps determine if the foundation movement is ongoing,
FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY discusses how we decide the severity of foundation damage and the urgency of further action.
FAILURES by FOUNDATION TYPE & MATERIAL describes the types of foundation damage, cracks, leaks, or other defects associated with each type of foundation material (concrete, brick, stone, concrete block, etc.).
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