What does it mean when people say a building is settling?

When people say a building is settling, they mean the house has shifted downward into the soil under it. Some of that is normal in the first few years after a build. The kind that matters is when one part drops faster than the rest, called differential settlement, and it pulls the structure out of square. That second kind is what cracks foundations and sticks doors.

Every house presses down on the ground. The ground gives a little. If it gives evenly, you barely notice. The trouble starts when it gives unevenly.

Here in New Hampshire a big driver is the dirt right next to your foundation. When the house was built, a trench got dug, the walls went up, then that loose soil got pushed back in. That is disturbed backfill. It is looser than the packed ground around it, so it drains slowly and holds water. Wet, loose fill compresses over time. One corner sinks. The wall above it follows.

Frost makes it worse. NH winters freeze the ground, the soil expands, and it can push a foundation wall inward. Then it thaws and shifts again. Year after year, that movement adds up.

How to tell normal from a problem

A little settling is fine. A hairline crack the width of a pencil line in poured concrete is often just the wall curing. You do not need us for that.

Watch for the signs that say the movement is ongoing:

• Cracks wider than a quarter inch, or cracks that are wider at the top than the bottom.
• Stair-step cracks running through block or brick.
• Doors and windows that stick or won’t latch.
• Floors that slope or feel bouncy.
• Gaps where the trim meets the ceiling or floor.
• A horizontal crack across a foundation wall, which can mean soil pressure is bowing it in.

One crack you can ignore. Several of these together mean call somebody.

What actually fixes it

The fix depends on what moved and why. We come look first, free, then tell you which one you need.

If a footing has dropped, the answer is usually piers. We drive helical piers down to firm soil or bedrock and transfer the weight off the bad fill. Pier cost runs $2,700 per pier for the first three, then $2,200 per pier after that depending on how many and how deep. We self-perform these in-house and they carry a 25-year engineered warranty.

If a wall is cracked but stable, crack injection seals it with epoxy or polyurethane. That runs $1,000 to $3,000 and carries a 10-year warranty.

If a wall is bowing from soil pressure, carbon-fiber straps hold it. Straps run $850 each with a 25-year warranty. For more push, a power brace runs $1,300 per brace.

If a girder or floor framing has sagged, lally columns and floor support level it back up. That runs $1,300 to $2,500.

For a full foundation-wall rebuild, we don’t quote that sight unseen. We price that after we see it.

Plenty of “settling” cracks are old and done moving. If yours hasn’t changed in years and stays dry, you may not need any of this yet. The way to know is to measure it and watch it. That is part of what the free inspection is for.

What you can do now

Keep water away from the foundation, since wet backfill is what compresses. Clean your gutters. Add downspout extensions so water drops six feet from the wall, not at the base of it. Grade the soil to slope away from the house. None of that reverses settling that already happened, but it slows the cause.

For more on why this happens, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program explains foundation and soil behavior at basc.pnnl.gov [verify]. If you’re worried about insurance, the Insurance Information Institute covers what home policies do and don’t pay for foundation movement at iii.org [verify].

If the movement is at a wall, our structural and foundation repair and foundation repair pages walk through each fix. For piers, see helical piers. For floor sag, see supplemental support and sill replacement. Every repair is backed by the 603 guarantee.

Talk to us

If you’ve got cracks you’re watching, call us at 603-610-1770 or book your free inspection. We’ll measure what’s moving, tell you if it’s nothing, and give you a written quote within 24 hours if it isn’t.

Related questions

Is foundation settling covered by homeowners insurance? Usually not. Most policies exclude earth movement and gradual settling. The Insurance Information Institute explains the standard exclusions at iii.org [verify]. Check your own policy.

How do I know if a foundation crack is serious? Width and shape tell you a lot. Hairline vertical cracks are often just curing. Cracks wider than a quarter inch, stair-step cracks, or horizontal cracks across a wall are the ones to get looked at.

Can settling be stopped? Yes, when you fix the cause. Piers stop a dropping footing by transferring the load to firm soil. Keeping water away from the foundation slows the disturbed-backfill compression that drives a lot of NH settling.

Does 603 build new foundations? No. We repair foundations, we don’t pour new ones. If your existing foundation has settled or cracked, that’s our work, and we price it after we see it.