Movements of the ground can often result in displacement of house foundations. This can cause damage or cracking to the house. There are five main causes of foundation movement:
- Subsidence or settlement; due to consolidation or collapse of the soils beneath the foundations.
- Shrink-swell effects; resulting from the wetting or drying of clayey soils that causes the clay to shrink when dried or swell when wetted up. Leaking drains or trees can contribute to this effect.
- Ground instability; due to slope movement.
- Bearing capacity failure; due to inadequate strength in the foundation soils.
- Liquefaction induced settlement; due to liquefaction of loose sands induced during earthquakes
We can provide a geotechnical assessment of the ground conditions around the building to determine the causes of the settlement and make recommendations for remediation.
If you require a geotechnical engineer for building settlement or would like further information, please contact us.
