Cracking Foundation

At my house, the foundation is noticably cracking, havent noticed it spreading, but the point is that something caused it to start cracking. The ground around it I believe has been sunk down durring the time that we have lived here. I mean the ground has actually sunk down, it isnt at the level it used to be in numerous places. Whenever I am able to I will take pictures to show what I am trying to describe. What I was thinking about doing was patching all the cracks and holes all throughout the foundation and concrete in between the bricks of our house.

Then just for safe measure, although I really dont know if this would help out any, I wanted to add support all around the foundation. Basically I was thinking about digging about 6 to 8 inches wide and 8 to 12 inches deep into the ground, and then filling the newly dug trench with concrete. The concrete would come out above the ground maybe 6 inches. I really dont know if this would do anything, I dont know if the house is just settling, or if it is becoming uneven under the foundation. Either way I definatly dont have the money to have someone come out and fix the foundation, if there was a problem like that.

Dont really know if this would do anything, sorry if it seems like a really stupid idea, I really dont know much about home repair, Im trying to learn. Thanks for any answers.

Hey David:
It is the nature of masonry construction to crack but it is no problem unlesss the house shows settling and distortion. It would be a good idea to caulk the existing cracks but save the concrete; it wouldn't change anything.
The sinking ground usually is caused by building on fill dirt improperly coompacted, over a landfill, a coal mine caving in, an underground river, a weak salt dome or several other reasons. They are all called subsidence and can become quite dangerous. We have a lot of underground coal mines in Western Kentukcy and, over the years, they begin to fall in; sometimes taking the surface with them. Large "sink-holes" open up that seem to have no bottom. You can test your land surface by using a 10' steel reinfrocing rod to see how far you can push it into the dirt. If you find a spot that has no resistance, it indicates an open cavern. This is not a conclusive test but will give you an idea of underground conditions.
If you find a cavern, you need to call the state or county authorities and report it. Don't let me alarm you though, if there were serious subsidence the house would be showing distrotions like a brick wall falling away from the house.
Glenn

Alright, thanks for the information. There really is no signs of the house falling or sinking when you put it like that. So I guess all is good, and I can just chaulk up the cracks and make it look nice again. Also is there like a paint or something I can put over the foundation, mainly for cosmetic purpses, but also maybe keep moisture out of it. If nothing can really hurt the foundation, then I would still like to paint it, just to make the house look better, what kind of paint do I use?

Hey David:
There are several different caulks available; some look like mortar in the brick joints, several colors and clear. Tell the sales person you plan to paint the foundation so they will sell you a paintable caulk; silicone is unpaintable.
Any latex paint will do for the foundation; I get mine at Wal-Mart.
Glenn

Thanks for the reply and advice, I will do that, maybe I will be able to take before and after pics of the work I do around the house, this way people can tell me if I did something wrong, so that I can go back over and do it again. I love the feeling I get when I fix something that is broken, rebuild or upgrade anything that needs it and get it looking new or better than new. I have experience with cars and motorcycles, now I get to try my hand at a house.