What we fix
Leaning Walls
Why are my walls leaning? Should I be worried?
A leaning wall is a major eyesore, especially when you’ve worked hard to make your home beautiful. They also pose a serious risk to the safety and stability of your building. If a wall leans over just a little too far, it can collapse without warning.
But these ugly, leaning walls are just the obvious ones.
Other leaning walls can be much harder to spot with the naked eye. But they are no less dangerous. They can still collapse at any time, critically damaging the integrity of your home or, even worse, causing serious injury to those nearby.
If you want to identify leaning walls and discover their root causes before the worst can happen, read on below.
How do I Identify leaning walls in my home?
Gaps Between Your Wall and Window Frames
If you have gaps between your walls and window frames, it means your walls are on the move. As your walls start to lean, the internal and external walls can detach. This detachment, combined with the lateral force it causes, opens your walls up to possible collapse.
Stepped Cracks
As the lean of the wall worsens, it may develop stepped cracks along its brick-and-mortar joins. These can be seen on either the inside or outside of a leaning wall and is a sign that its structural integrity is fading fast.
Soffit Trims Pull Apart
Soffit trims are the little wooden sticks at the top of your wall. If you notice that they have detached and separated from the wall, it’s a tell-tale sign of movement in your home. While some soffit trims come apart due to wear and tear, it’s usually still an indicator of a foundational failure directly beneath the leaning wall.
Gaps Between Walls and Cornice
Cornice gaps can indicate that your home is sinking into the ground due to unstable soil or poor foundations. This sinking causes pressure to rise upwards through the foundations of your home. In turn, that pressure then causes supporting ties to fail while forcing your walls to lean.
Gaps Between Your Wall and Window Frames
If you have gaps between your walls and window frames, it means your walls are on the move. As your walls start to lean, the internal and external walls can detach. This detachment, combined with the lateral force it causes, opens your walls up to possible collapse.
Stepped Cracks
As the lean of the wall worsens, it may develop stepped cracks along its brick-and-mortar joins. These can be seen on either the inside or outside of a leaning wall and is a sign that its structural integrity is fading fast.
Soffit Trims Pull Apart
Soffit trims are the little wooden sticks at the top of your wall. If you notice that they have detached and separated from the wall, it’s a tell-tale sign of movement in your home. While some soffit trims come apart due to wear and tear, it’s usually still an indicator of a foundational failure directly beneath the leaning wall.
Gaps Between Walls and Cornice
Cornice gaps can indicate that your home is sinking into the ground due to unstable soil or poor foundations. This sinking causes pressure to rise upwards through the foundations of your home. In turn, that pressure then causes supporting ties to fail while forcing your walls to lean.
What are the leading causes of leaning walls?
Unstable, Moving Ground
One of the most common reasons for leaning walls is unstable, moving ground. It can be the seasonal, non-stop movement of reactive clays. Or, it can be excess water oversaturating and aerating your soil foundations. Both lead to voids developing under your home, causing its foundations to shift and your walls to slip downwards or laterally, ultimately making them bow and lean.
Broken Cavity Wall Ties
Cavity walls are comprised of two walls: an interior wall and an exterior wall. Within the inside cavity of these two walls, they are stabilised by attached wall ties. Traditionally, these cavity wall ties have been made out of steel. This makes them prone to rusting and snapping apart after a few decades. When this happens (or if wall ties were never installed due to builder negligence), your walls will be prone to bowing and leaning.
Masonry Decay
Masonry decay, known technically as masonry fretting,is caused by rising damp and salt attack. When your damp proofing course fails, your masonry’s capillaries soak moisture and salts out of the ground. Then, during dryer months, these salts crystallise and expand as the moisture escapes. The expansion can be so forceful that it turns brick and mortar into dust. Obviously, this is devastating to the wall stability, causing them to lean, bow or even collapse.
Unstable, Moving Ground
One of the most common reasons for leaning walls is unstable, moving ground. It can be the seasonal, non-stop movement of reactive clays. Or, it can be excess water oversaturating and aerating your soil foundations. Both lead to voids developing under your home, causing its foundations to shift and your walls to slip downwards or laterally, ultimately making them bow and lean.
Broken Cavity Wall Ties
Cavity walls are comprised of two walls: an interior wall and an exterior wall. Within the inside cavity of these two walls, they are stabilised by attached wall ties. Traditionally, these cavity wall ties have been made out of steel. This makes them prone to rusting and snapping apart after a few decades. When this happens (or if wall ties were never installed due to builder negligence), your walls will be prone to bowing and leaning.
Masonry Decay
Masonry decay, known technically as masonry fretting,is caused by rising damp and salt attack. When your damp proofing course fails, your masonry’s capillaries soak moisture and salts out of the ground. Then, during dryer months, these salts crystallise and expand as the moisture escapes. The expansion can be so forceful that it turns brick and mortar into dust. Obviously, this is devastating to the wall stability, causing them to lean, bow or even collapse.
Need a solution for your leaning walls today?
Our solutions for leaning walls are fast and effective, protecting you, your home and your family.
Our solutions for leaning walls are fast and effective, protecting you, your home and your family.
