When to Do Cosmetic Repairs for Foundation?

Damages to the foundation are always serious, so they need to be fixed first. Any cosmetic repairs to be done can come afterward. But the question is, when should you do these cosmetic repairs? When should you call upon the residential structural engineer to fix these matters? Let's explore today.

Foundation movement causes various kinds of structural damage and cosmetic damages. The cosmetic damages include sheetrock damage and brick cracks. Since it is quite obvious, most customers ask the residential structural engineer as to when and how to fix these damages. The matter depends on various matters as we discuss below.

As we know, the foundation has some framework inside it. As the foundation shakes or displaces, the framework either gets bent out of shape or gets moved out of place. And these will show up as diagonal, vertical, or horizontal cracks in the sheetrock.

Now, sometimes, the framework can roll back into shape or place on its own as the reason for the displacement goes away. If it does so, then it would be safe to perform cosmetic repairs on the sheetrock. However, this can take time. The rollback can happen immediately or it can even take a week. Until the residential structural engineer is sure that the framework has rolled back, he or she should not undertake repairs.

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Naturally, the question is how much time should you allow before commencing repairs? Unfortunately, nobody is exactly sure about that. However, as a rule of thumb, the following principles can be used.

  • The time required for the framework to settle back depends directly on how much the foundation was lifted or lowered.

  • Typically, 1” to 1.5” of lift is applied to the foundation repairs. For this, waiting two three weeks before starting cosmetic repairs should be fine.

  • If the foundation was lifted 3” or more, then wait for at least four to six weeks before commencing cosmetic repairs.

  • If the foundation was in a down position for a considerable time before being lifted, then you should take even more time before starting repairs, giving the framework more time to roll back into place or shape.

Ram jack has been doing these kinds of structural and cosmetic repairs, for a long time. Please visit our website to know more about cosmetic repair services or come down to our office in OKC.