Your structural foundation is heavily impacted and when not fully accommodated will cause cracks. These movements are so small no one notices them. When you see a crack, the best thing to do is to observe. Take a look at the size, and shape of the crack? Is it a vertical crack? Does it go larger over time? There are several ways to do this inspection yourselves, obviously, only up to a point where your building’s integrity is not on the line.
Concrete cracks are very common, at times inevitable, however, depending on what causes the crack is how it should be addressed. Some cracks are caused by a heavy load, surface shrinkage, or even temperature differences. There are two types of cracks that we need to be aware of. The first type of crack is non-structural or dormant. This crack doesn’t affect the building’s structural integrity. An example of this is the cracks that cause leaks in the basement. The second type of crack is the active crack or structural crack. This one is kind of serious and should be dealt with immediately. These are cracks that grow and move.
In a recent article from For Construction Pros goes for a deep dive into building cracks and how to best repair them based on what caused them. They write that “Before designing a crack repair or selecting a repair procedure, there are four key questions that must be answered. Once these are answered, it will be easier to select a repair procedure option.”