How to Repair Cracks or Settlement in Poured Concrete Slabs & Floors
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How to repair cracked concrete floors
Types of cracks that occur in concrete slabs, shrinkage cracks, settlement cracks, frost heaves
Causes and problems of floor slab cracking
Slab on grade construction or "patio home" construction cracks
Questions & answers about how to repair cracked or settled concrete slabs, floors, or foundations

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This article describes methods for repair of cracks that occur in poured concrete slabs or floors and explains the need for accurate crack cause diagnosis and impact on structure before repairs are attempted. . Cracks in concrete floors or slabs occur in poured concrete slabs may be found both in basement and in slab on grade or "patio home" construction and have a variety of causes and cures that we discuss here. This website describes how to recognize and diagnose various types of foundation failure or damage, such as foundation cracks, masonry foundation crack patterns, and moving, leaning, bulging, or bowing building foundation walls.

Types of foundation cracks, crack patterns, differences in the meaning of cracks in different foundation materials, site conditions, building history, and other evidence of building movement and damage are described to assist in recognizing foundation defects and to help the inspector separate cosmetic or low-risk conditions from those likely to be important and potentially costly to repair.

Readers should also see FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS and see SINKING BUILDINGS where we include case histories of both building settlement and slab cracking, heaving, settling: diagnosis and repair. Also see How to Diagnose & Evaluate Foundation Cracks since those pages also assist in distinguishing among types of cracking in concrete foundations (vertical supporting walls and footings).

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Repair Methods for Cracks in Concrete Slabs & Floors

Accurate Diagnosis of Slab Crack Cause, Impact on Structure, Repair Needs

Before attempting to choose a repair method for concrete floor slab cracks,

Diagnose the cause of the slab movement and cracking. Only by an accurate diagnosis of the cause of cracking or movement in a floor slab can we be assured that the crack repair will be durable and appropriate. In fact some types of floor cracks, such as hairline concrete shrinkage cracks may not need repair at all.

In contrast, a concrete slab may have settled over poorly-compacted or washed-out fill (such as in some garages) without cracking (tipping instead), but repair may still be necessary to correct slope, provide drainage, or to prevent further settlement or even collapse.

Types of Cracks in Slabs

Each type of basement slab, floor slab, or slab on grade crack is discussed and described in articles at this website. Understanding the differences among these concrete crack types is an important first step in diagnosing their cause and their significance to the structure.

Shrinkage cracks in a slab are unlikely to be of any structural concern but can be a source of water entry or radon entry in buildings and may form a tripping hazard. The photo at left shows a typical concrete slab shrinkage crack. Details are at Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs. Also see SHRINKAGE vs EXPANSION vs SETTLEMENT.
Settlement cracks in a slab indicate inadequate site preparation, such as failure to compact fill on which a slab was poured. See Settlement Cracks in Slabs for details.
Frost heaves or expansive soil damage can cause substantial damage to basement, crawl space, or garage floor slabs in some conditions. See Frost Heave/Expansive Soil Cracks in Slabs for details.

List of Slab Crack Repair Methods Articles

Please see the individual slab crack repair articles listed below

Control Joint Cracks in Concrete - adding control joints may be necessary to reduce further slab cracking if the joints were omitted in the original construction
Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection - non-structural cracks (often the case with poured floor slabs) may simply need to be sealed in floors (or walls) to stop leaks
Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To - more poured concrete crack sealing methods
Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors - so how bad does a crack have to be in order to decide that repair is necessary?

Cracks come to the job along with the concrete, riding in the same truck! At a Journal of Light Construction conference (Boston 1985) a lecturer informed us that "Every concrete truck that comes to your job to pour a slab has at least four cracks in it. It's up to you to either provide control joints, or not. If you leave out control joints the cracks will occur in a messier pattern at natural stress points in the slab."

The bad news about typical floating slab construction (where the soil is not compacted) is that anything that causes the soil to settle risks slab cracking and settlement. Flooding, leaks, or simply poor handling of roof and surface runoff can send water under a building where it causes loose soil to settle.

The good news about cracks in floating slab construction is that the damage is to the floor, not to the structure that is supporting the building. Only if you see a floor slab crack that continues up in the foundation wall where the crack meets the wall would the structure be obviously involved.

More good news: if there is significant soil settlement under a floating slab, the slab is likely to break and follow the settling soil downwards; a sudden precipitous collapse of a floating slab is less likely than the next case we describe.

Standards for Repair of Cracks in Concrete Floors

The same standard provides that cracks in slab-on-grade floors shall not exceed 1/16" in width or in vertical displacement. The same standard provides that cracks occurring in control joints in concrete slabs are normal and acceptable. [We suggest that this last criteria should apply to crack width but not to vertical displacement.

See Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors for details.

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Questions & answers about how to repair cracked or settled concrete slabs, floors, or foundations

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SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
  Control Joint Cracks in Concrete
  Freezing & Water Damage
  Frost Heave/Expansive Soil Cracks in Slabs
  Settlement Cracks in Slabs
  Settlement Cracks vs. Frost Heaves
  Settlement Cracks vs. Shrinkage Cracks
  Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs
  Shrinkage Cracks Along Foundation Walls

SLAB CRACK REPAIR
  Control Joint Cracks in Concrete
  Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection
  Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To
  Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors
  Vertical Foundation Movement Repairs

Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education including the ASHI-adopted Home Inspection Training Program (home study course), publications such as the Home Reference Book, report writing materials including the Horizon report writer, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeling Industry, National Association of Home Builders Remodelers Council, NAHB Research Foundation, 1987.
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeler, N.U. Ahmed, # Home Builder Pr (February 1991), ISBN-10: 0867183594, ISBN-13: 978-0867183597
"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
Thanks to reader Michael Witten for technical editing, October 2010
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, professor, school of structures division, UIUC - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture. Professor Wickersheimer specializes in structural failure investigation and repair for wood and masonry construction. * Mr. Wickersheimer's engineering consulting service can be contacted at HDC Wickersheimer Engineering Services. (3/2010)
*These reviewers have not returned comment 6/95

How to Identify & Evaluate Shrinkage Cracks in Poured Concrete Slabs

Please see the main text version of this article at Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs

We discuss the recognition and significance of concrete shrinkage cracks in detail at Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs. Just below you can read a summary of this topic.

Photograph of a classic shrinkage crack in poured concrete.

Shrinkage cracks in poured concrete are easily recognizable and can be distinguished from other types of cracks that occur later in the life of a foundation wall or floor slab.

The photograph of cracks above were taken of shrinkage cracks in a concrete slab floor in a home built in 2006. The cracks in this case ranged in width (measured across the crack) from "hairline" (less than 1/16") to about 3/32" in the basement floor slab of this particular home. They may appear larger.

What is unique about shrinkage cracks in concrete is that they usually appear to be discontinuous, as shown in this photo. The crack will meander along in the concrete, taper to a stop, and then continue beginning in a parallel line to the first crack, meandering again through the concrete. This is characteristic of concrete (or mud) shrinking while giving up its moisture.

You can see the shrinkage of even a perfect concrete floor slab with no visible cracks in the field of its surface if the floor was poured inside of an existing foundation. Look for the gap between the edges of the slab and the foundation wall? Look also for the stains or concrete debris on the wall at the slab level? These confirm that at the time the slab was poured it was touching the wall.

Shrinkage Cracks in a Basement or other Slab May Be Severe and May Combine with Settlement

Depending on the mix and pour conditions as well as the site work preparation significant concrete shrinkage cracks can appear in a basement slab. On occasion we may also see vertical dislocation in a floor slab crack, that is, one side has settled or tipped away from the other side of the cracked concrete.

Our photographs above show shrinkage cracking and ensuing minor settlement cracks occurring in the same poured concrete basement floor. We suspected that site drainage defects or possibly nearby site blasting for additional construction contributed to the 1/16" to 1/8" vertical dislocation across some of the cracks in this floor where the cracks were about 3/16" wide.

Slab Cracks may Permit Basement Water Entry or Radon Gas Entry

Happily the building owner at the site where we made the photos above did not report water entry through these openings, though it certainly might be expected as the home ages and its footing drains stop working, particularly if surface runoff and roof runoff are not kept away from the building.

Photos of Concrete Floor Slab Shrinkage Points of Origin

The photo at left shows some concrete shrinkage cracks that are larger than usual. Note that these cracks begin at building foundation wall inside projection corners - a condition that probably creates stress points as the slab cures.

If you click on and enlarge the photo you can see clear evidence that the cracks are discontinuous, multiple, and very roughly parallel in this area - good evidence that they were caused during the concrete curing process and not by a later event which "broke" the slab.

When we see combined slab shrinkage and slab settlement condition we suspect that the concrete pour not only allowed for excessive shrinkage, or perhaps shrinkage without control joints, but also the pour was made on top of poorly prepared soils. For example if a slab is poured on poorly-compacted soil, after shrinkage cracking occurs, we may see uneven settlement among sections of the cracked slab.

Settlement cracking following shrinkage cracking may also occur. In both of these cases we anticipate that significant horizontal dislocation in a poured concrete slab should be small unless steel reinforcement was omitted or was improperly installed. Since some contractors use a fiber-reinforced cement and may omit steel reinforcement in floor slabs, this condition may occur.

How to Inspect & Evaluate Cracks at Control Joints in Concrete

We discuss the recognition and significance of control joints in poured concrete slabs in detail at Cracks at Control Joints in Concrete. Just below you can read a summary of this topic.

Photograph of a concrete slab control joint

Photograph of a cracked concrete slab, cracks at a control joint

The first photograph shows an expansion joint in a basement floor slab. Notice that we do not see other cracks in this slab. Shrinkage cracks that occur at control joints such as shown in the second, close up photo here, are occurring where they are supposed-to, although the width of this particular crack was surprisingly large. These cracks are not normally a defect in the slab but may be a source of water or radon entry into the building and may need to be sealed. Use a flexible sealant.

Settlement Cracks in poured Concrete Slabs

We discuss the recognition and significance of settlement cracks in poured concrete slabs in detail at Settlement Cracks in Slabs. Just below you can read a summary of this topic.

Photograph of a cracked concrete slab, cracks around a Lally column

Settlement cracks in a conventional concrete floor slab which has been poured inside a separate foundation wall (and often resting at its edges on the building's foundation wall footings) are usually not connected to the foundation wall and are not supporting any structure [except possibly Lally columns, discussed next].

These cracks may not be a structural concern, but there are cases where a serious hazard can be present, such as garage floor cracking when the floor was poured over soft, loose, inadequately-compacted fill and where the floor slab was not pinned to the garage foundation walls. Soil settlement under a garage floor, perhaps aggravated by groundwater which can increase soil settlement, can lead to first hollowing-out of space below the floor and second, sudden collapse of the floor structure.

We have used a heavy chain, dragging it across the garage floor and listening to changes in the sound it produces, to find areas of significant soil voids below the floor. The pitch of the chain noise drops significantly when passing over a void below the concrete.]

Settlement cracks in a concrete floor around a supporting Lally column might be indicative of a serious problem such as building settlement if the columns are settling. Independent footings may have been provided supporting Lally columns in the building interior and those may be settling independently of the floor slab which may have been poured around and even over them (See photo above). But beware, where slab thickness and local building codes allow, supporting columns may bear directly on a poured floor slab without their own (deeper) pier or footing. In that case floor slab cracking and settling can cause column movement and may be a structural concern.

Settlement cracks in a monolithic slab or floating slab floor may be more serious, depending on their extent since in this case the edges and other portions of the slab are, unlike the cases above) expected to support the upper portions of the building structure.

A monolithic concrete slab is one which includes the building footing as part of the slab, created in a single continuous pour of concrete.

A floating concrete slab is one which is poured at a (generally) uniform thickness on the ground without a separate footing. [Beware, in areas of wet soils, expansive clays, freezing climates, or unstable soils, floating slabs may be exposed to extra stresses and may tip or crack. Proper site work and drainage are important as is proper engineering design of such structures.

Frost Heaves or Expansive Soil Cracks in Poured Concrete Slabs

We discuss the recognition and significance of frost heaving damage and cracks in poured concrete slabs in detail at Frost Heave/Expansive Soil Cracks in Slabs. Just below you can read a summary of this topic.

Photograph of a cracked concrete slab from frost damage

Frost heaves or expansive soils damage to building floor slabs can range from minor to extensive in buildings depending on soil and weather conditions, site preparation, and slab construction details, as we elaborate here.

The photograph above shows a rather straight crack across a garage slab near the garage entry door. What is happening here and why is this particular crack straight if it's a frost or soil heave crack?

In freezing climates building foundations include a footing which extends below the frost line. This is true for both the occupied space as well as garages. When a concrete slab is poured either abutting the top of such a foundation, or poured extending over the edges of such a foundation, there is risk of cracking across the concrete at the interior edge of the buried footing.

The combination of water under a garage floor (watch out for driveways and sites that slope towards the garage or home) and freezing can cause the portion of the slab which rests directly on the soil to move up and down during freeze/thaw cycles. Since a garage is often colder near the garage entry door than in other areas, there is extra risk of these cracks occurring there, but they can occur anywhere. When there is freezing and heaving of a slab, particularly one which omitted reinforcing steel, or did not extend the steel over the footing, these garage floor slab cracks may appear during freeze/thaw cycles.

Similar floor slab damage might occur in areas of expansive clay soils if the proper moisture level is not maintained.

Basement floor heave patterns - frozen floor drains: Basement floors can be frost heaved in other patterns in buildings which are unheated or which lose heat. We have found basement floor slabs broken and heaved above buried drain lines which ran below the basement floor of a home which remained unheated during freezing weather.

A clogged drain sitting full of liquid combined with prolonged freezing weather was the culprit in most of these cases. The heaved concrete was raised following exactly the path of the frozen (and burst) buried, clogged drain line. This problem can be epidemic in older homes which were constructed using a downspout drain line extending below the basement slab.

Basement and garage floor random heave and crack patterns: Cracked and heaved concrete or settled concrete can occur in more random patterns in any concrete floor where there has been frost heaving, soil contraction/expansion, or simple soil settlement, as shown in this photograph.

Garage or basement floor sloped or semi-uniform settlement may also produce a tipped floor even if the concrete is not cracked, or the floor may settle uniformly. This condition occurs if the concrete was reinforced by steel or fiber cement, but was poured inside of a separate concrete or masonry block foundation. We see this condition more often in garages in which the slab was reinforced but poured on poorly-compacted soil. The problem may be worst if in addition to poor compaction, water runs under the slab, causing additional or more rapid soil settlement.

My first construction job (for pay) was to rake level the backfill soil that the contractor had dumped inside of the newly-completed garage foundation in a series of homes. No compaction of any kind was performed. When a lot of fill, several feet or more in depth, was required to bring the slab to the desired height, there was a good chance that the slab would settle or tip in the future.

Garage slabs which were poured inside of the foundation walls but which were pinned to the foundation sides (typically using re-bar set into holes punched into the masonry block foundation), the slab was resistant to settlement or movement even if there was modest soil settlement below.

In a garage where the slab has settled you can often spot the original level of the slab and thus can measure the amount of settlement. Look for a concrete line above the level of the top of the slab and found along the masonry block or poured concrete foundation wall. we have seen this line ranging from a fraction of an inch to six to eight inches above the current level of the slab!

Standards for the Acceptance or Repair of Cracks in Concrete Floors in New Construction

Settlement cracks may form a tripping hazard even if they are not traced to a structural concern. While there are few construction acceptance standards for floor slab cracking, one, "Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeling Industry" NAHB, , recommends that cracks in basement floors which exceed 3/16" in width or 1/8" in vertical displacement should be repaired. The same standard provides that cracks in slab-on-grade floors shall not exceed 1/16" in width or in vertical displacement. The same standard provides that cracks occurring in control joints in concrete slabs are normal and acceptable. [We suggest that this last criteria should apply to crack width but not to vertical displacement.]

FOUNDATION DIAGNOSIS Chapter Index

Use links just below or 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.

FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS
  How to Measure Foundation Movement
  Example of Measuring Foundation Bulge
FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION TYPES
FOUNDATION CONTRACTORS, ENGINEERS
FOOTING & FOUNDATION DRAINS
FOOTINGS EXPOSED, Repair Methods

FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE
  BRICK FOUNDATIONS & WALLS
  BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION?
  CRAWL SPACES
  EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS
  FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION TYPES
  FOUNDATION INSPECTION METHODS
  FOUNDATION FAILURES by TYPE & MATERIAL
  FOUNDATION FAILURES by MOVEMENT TYPE
  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
    Thermal Expansion Cracking of Brick
    VERTICAL FOUNDATION CRACKS
  FOUNDATION BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS
  FOUNDATION DAMAGE REPORTS
  FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY
  FOUNDATION INSPECTION STANDARDS
  FOUNDATION MOVEMENT ACTIVE vs. STATIC
  FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS
  PIER or PILE FOUNDATIONS
  SITE FACTORS AFFECTING FOUNDATIONS
  SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
  SLAB CRACK REPAIR

FOUNDATION FAILURES by TYPE & MATERIAL
  BLOCK FOUNDATION & WALL DEFECTS
  BRICK FOUNDATION & WALL DEFECTS
  BRICK STRUCTURAL WALLS Loose, Bulged
  Brick Thermal Expansion Cracking
  BRICK VENEER WALL Loose, Bulged
  BRICK WALL DRAINAGE WEEP HOLES
  CONCRETE 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

FOUNDATION FAILURES by MOVEMENT TYPE
  BRICK FOUNDATIONS & WALLS
  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
  SETTLEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS
  SHRINKAGE CRACKS in CONCRETE
  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

FOUNDATION INSPECTION METHODS
FOUNDATION INSULATION OPTIONS
FOUNDATION MATERIALS, Age, Types

FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS
  Bulged foundation Repairs
    Pilasters for Repair of Bulge, Cracks
    Reinforcing Steel I-Beams for Wall Bulge
    Foundation Anchors for Foundation Movement
    Reinforcing Sister Walls for Foundations
    Cables for Repair of Foundations
    Reconstruction of Bulged Cracked Foundations
  Crack Repair Methods
  FOOTINGS EXPOSED, Repair Methods
  Horizontal Movement Repairs
  Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection
  Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To
  Shrinkage Crack Repairs
    How to Seal Cracks in Concrete
    Polyurethane Foam Injection
  SLAB CRACK REPAIR
  Vertical Foundation Movement Repairs

FOUNDATION SETTLEMENT
FOUNDATION WATERPROOFING

SINKHOLES, WARNING SIGNS
SINKING BUILDINGS

SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
  Control Joint Cracks in Concrete
  Freezing & Water Damage
  Frost Heave/Expansive Soil Cracks in Slabs
  Settlement Cracks in Slabs
  Settlement Cracks vs. Frost Heaves
  Settlement Cracks vs. Shrinkage Cracks
  Shrinkage Cracks in Slabs
  Shrinkage Cracks Along Foundation Walls

SLAB CRACK REPAIR
  Control Joint Cracks in Concrete
  Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection
  Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To
  Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ^® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
The Journal of Light Construction has generously given reprint permission to InspectAPedia.com for certain articles found at this website. All rights and contents to those materials are ©Journal of Light Construction and may not be reproduced in any form.
Appliances and Home Electronics, - energy savings, U.S. Department of Energy
Avongard foundation crack progress chart for structural crack monitoring
Basement Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039
The Circular Staircase, Mary Roberts Rinehart
Construction Drawings and Details, Rosemary Kilmer
Crawl Space Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Diagnosing & Repairing House Structure Problems, Edgar O. Seaquist, McGraw Hill, 1980 ISBN 0-07-056013-7 (obsolete, incomplete, missing most diagnosis steps, but very good reading; out of print but used copies are available at Amazon.com, and reprints are available from some inspection tool suppliers). Ed Seaquist was among the first speakers invited to a series of educational conferences organized by D Friedman for ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, where the topic of inspecting the in-service condition of building structures was first addressed.
Design of Wood Structures - ASD, Donald E. Breyer, Kenneth Fridley, Kelly Cobeen, David Pollock, McGraw Hill, 2003, ISBN-10: 0071379320, ISBN-13: 978-0071379328
This book is an update of a long-established text dating from at least 1988 (DJF); Quoting:
This book is gives a good grasp of seismic design for wood structures. Many of the examples especially near the end are good practice for the California PE Special Seismic Exam design questions. It gives a good grasp of how seismic forces move through a building and how to calculate those forces at various locations. THE CLASSIC TEXT ON WOOD DESIGN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE LATEST CODES AND DATA. Reflects the most recent provisions of the 2003 International Building Code and 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction. Continuing the sterling standard set by earlier editions, this indispensable reference clearly explains the best wood design techniques for the safe handling of gravity and lateral loads. Carefully revised and updated to include the new 2003 International Building Code, ASCE 7-02 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, the 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction, and the most recent Allowable Stress Design.
Building Failures, Diagnosis & Avoidance, 2d Ed., W.H. Ransom, E.& F. Spon, New York, 1987 ISBN 0-419-14270-3
Domestic Building Surveys, Andrew R. Williams, Kindle book, Amazon.com
Defects and Deterioration in Buildings: A Practical Guide to the Science and Technology of Material Failure, Barry Richardson, Spon Press; 2d Ed (2001), ISBN-10: 041925210X, ISBN-13: 978-0419252108. Quoting:
A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.
Guide to Domestic Building Surveys, Jack Bower, Butterworth Architecture, London, 1988, ISBN 0-408-50000 X
"Avoiding Foundation Failures," Robert Marshall, Journal of Light Construction, July, 1996 (Highly recommend this article-DF)
"A Foundation for Unstable Soils," Harris Hyman, P.E., Journal of Light Construction, May 1995
"Backfilling Basics," Buck Bartley, Journal of Light Construction, October 1994
"Inspecting Block Foundations," Donald V. Cohen, P.E., ASHI Reporter, December 1998. This article in turn cites the Fine Homebuilding article noted below.
"When Block Foundations go Bad," Fine Homebuilding, June/July 1998
Energy Recover Ventilation Systems for Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy
Energy Savings Methods: Whole House Systems Approach, U.S. Department of Energy
Historic Preservation Technology: A Primer, Robert A. Young, Wiley (March 21, 2008) ISBN-10: 0471788368 ISBN-13: 978-0471788362
Log Homes: Minimizing Air Leakage in Log Homes, U.S. Department of Energy
Log Homes: Controlling Moisture in Log Homes, U.S. Department of Energy
Log Homes: Log Home Design, U.S. Department of Energy
Moisture Control in Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy
Moisture Control in Walls, U.S. Department of Energy
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeling Industry, National Association of Home Builders Remodelers Council, NAHB Research Foundation, 1987.
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeler, N.U. Ahmed, # Home Builder Pr (February 1991), ISBN-10: 0867183594, ISBN-13: 978-0867183597
Natural Ventilation for Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy
R-Value of Wood, U.S. Department of Energy
Spot Ventilation for houses, U.S. Department of Energy
Slab on Grade Foundation Moisture and Air Leakage, U.S. Department of Energy
Straw Bale Home Design, U.S. Department of Energy provides information on strawbale home construction - original source at http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10350
More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series), Chris Magwood, Peter Mack, New Society Publishers (February 1, 2005), ISBN-10: 0865715181 ISBN-13: 978-0865715189 - Quoting:
Straw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder’s personal space needs, esthetics and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on “selling” the dream of straw bale building, but don’t adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. Moreover, since many developments in this field are recent, few books are completely up to date with the latest techniques.
More Straw Bale Building is designed to fill this gap. A completely rewritten edition of the 20,000-copy best--selling original, it leads the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues: finding and choosing bales; developing sound building plans; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance; and special concerns for builders in northern climates.
"Vapor Barriers or Vapor Diffusion Retarders", U.S. DOE: how vapor barriers work, types of vapor diffusion barriers, installing vapor barrier
Ventilation for energy efficient buildings, Purpose, Strategies, etc.,

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