For most of us, our house is our biggest asset and one of the most important things in our life. Unfortunately, not everything lasts forever, and houses are one of them. Small things such as a crack in a wall or ceiling can be a tell-tale sign that your house is under stress. If left unattended, foundation movement can be a major and costly exercise to repair.

However, if we, as engineers, were to design a house and be totally resistant to foundation movement - the construction cost would be so expensive it would be well outside most people’s budget. Therefore, we design houses anticipating limited movement and within specific tolerances.

There is a fine line between a ‘normal’ wall crack and a crack which is trying to tell us something serious about the house. Just like your car making a strange clunk noise a simple crack may be the start of something more serious.

A structural engineer can assess whether a crack is acceptable or something more serious to worry about. However, as a home owner there are some basic checks that you can do before contacting a structural engineer.

Do you have cracks extensively to walls and ceilings throughout your house?

Can you place an object such as thick piece of paper into the cracks?

Do doors and windows close or open by themselves?

Do any doors stick or can no longer be closed?

Do the cracks appear to be rapidly increasing over the last year?

Do the floors feel uneven underfoot?

Do you have cracked tiles or gaps around skirting boards?

Have you noticed gaps around window or door frames?

Do your drains no longer flow well?

Is the water bill high?

If you have noticed any of the above points to your house then you may have an issue which needs specialist inspection by a structural engineer.

Cracking can be caused by a number of reasons for which some maybe even covered under your home insurance policy.

By engaging an engineer to conduct an extensive investigation involving inspection and assessment of any major cracks, take levels of the floors, assess exterior conditions, conduct soil tests, review the construction of the house, review the land topography, determine the cause of the cracking then provide recommendations and designs or advise for repair.

Quite often at the preliminary stage of investigation we can often provide simple cost-effective improvements for you to carryout to limit of prevent further cracking to your house without spending large sums of money.

At East Coast Engineering we are highly experienced in diagnosing structural movement issues. We offer a complimentary photo review and advice service.

The movement of a house foundation is often the subject of seasonal weather activity. As seasons change from one to the other there are things you can do to your house to reduce potential foundation movement.

Clear all drains and gutters to ensure water does not pond or lay against foundations.

Connect all drains into a stormwater line or well away from the house.

Clean out grass and vegetation from overland culverts and channels.

Trim trees or remove any large established trees away from your house.

Ensure sub floor areas are well vented and dry.

Ensure your swimming pool has an overflow pipe.