When building a private home or even a small building, it should be taken into account that cracks may appear in the wall and foundation.

This may depend on several factors: poor quality materials, the age of the building, the mobility of the soil in a particular area, and erosion by groundwater.

For many, a crack is a signal that the wall, or even the entire building, needs to be completely dismantled and rebuilt. But if your car’s brakes fail, would you really buy a new one instead of fixing what’s broken?

If you have an unlimited budget, you could do that. But if you have the opportunity, why not get the structure up and running yourself?

As an example, I’ll tell you about the renovation of an old brick barn that’s over 50 years old. The crack appeared because it was used to keep livestock.

And from excess moisture, or simply animal waste, the materials began to be washed away and then to swell.

Strengthening the foundation

First, it’s necessary to remove all debris and crumbling parts of the foundation above ground. Some can be easily removed by hand, while others will need to be chipped off with a hammer.

We dig a trench around the area where we’ll be renovating. The size depends on many factors, from the foundation material to its depth.

Clear the excavated foundation area of ​​soil and dirt. For speed, you can use a stiff plastic broom.

Reinforcement and installation of formwork

We cut the rods into 17-20 cm lengths. Using a hammer drill, we make holes in the bottom and top of the foundation and drive the rods into the edges.

We stretch a string. We make holes in these strings and insert other rods. We lay out long reinforcement bars, tying them to the rods.

We drive two posts into the wall along the edges and stretch a string. We drive the remaining posts precisely along the string. We make the panels from OSB or drywall, pre-covered with film to prevent them from getting wet.

We prepare a concrete mix using the following proportions: 1 part cement, 2.5 parts sand, and 3.5 parts crushed stone. We pour the concrete and compact it with a vibrator.

We dismantle the formwork and fill the soil back in, compacting it.

We repair the crack

Using a hammer drill, we clean out the crack in the wall. We widen the gap completely. And most importantly, we remove the mortar approximately every two or three rows. The longer the groove, the better. We rinse it to remove dust.

We mix the mortar for the brick at a ratio of 1 to 4. We fill the groove halfway with mortar, make holes, and hammer in a piece of rebar staple. Then we completely fill the joint.

This type of screed, especially after -3 rows, will seal our crack tightly. Only after this procedure do we fill the crack itself. With a strengthened foundation, our wall will never crack again.