Construction & Contractors Blog
Many of Australia's largest cities and towns have been settled for hundreds of years and there are still many old homes that have survived decades with different owners and changing renovations. In all this time, often the foundations have not been touched and still largely resemble what they did when they were first put in and that can sometimes cause issues. If you have reason to believe your foundations aren't as solid as they once were, because you can feel the floor sagging or have noticed the foundations shifting in an inspection, then here's why you might need additional underpinning.
Changing Dirt
While your home might not have changed in decades, often the structure of the soil underneath your home will change. There are many reasons behind this change, but sometimes it is as simple as a leaky pipe that allows water to pool up around your foundations and cause cavities in the soil. Sometimes it is just the soil itself that was never firmly compacted. Whatever the case may be, if the dirt you built your foundations on changes, your home will no longer be fully supported and you need underpinning services to come in and make sure this is fixed as soon as possible.
Massive Changes Above Ground
While most of the time foundational problems relate to the soil and earth below your home, sometimes the problem can stem from above. If you have added a lot more weight to your homes, such as through the addition of heavy materials or a second storey, then you might not be fully covered by your old foundations. Additional supportive structures will need to be placed underneath your home to shore up this mismatch. If not, the home will slowly get weaker and weaker and could very well end up getting condemned.
Busy Neighbourhood
The street or neighbourhood you live in has probably had a dramatic facelift since your older home was initially built. While that can be for the better, as it makes life more interesting and gives you more options, it also means that there has been a lot of construction and, therefore, disturbance of the earth. Sometimes you need additional underpinning through no fault of your own, but rather the constant hubbub around you that comes from living in a busy city. If you have had a particularly large or long construction project near your home, you might want to get your foundations checked for signs of damage.
Share22 November 2021
If you're thinking about bringing elements of the outdoors into your home but you don't know how to go about it, you've come to the right place. I'm Betty, and I've been in the unfortunately predicament of having severe hay fever and allergies for much of my life. I got sick of loading myself up with anti-histamines just to experience the outdoors everyday, so I decided to look into home additions that would bring that feeling inside where I was safe from pollen. I spent a long time researching solariums, pools, and other constructions, and now I have the home—and life—of my dreams. And now I'm sharing the tips and ideas I've learned with you!
