Good morning all - I've tried to do my homework before asking, but cannot find any good source of info regarding midwest clays, soil expansion, and poured basement foundation cracking. We purchased our home one month ago (located in Kansas City, MO) and within one week of possession found settlement problems with the back living room extension of the house due to clay compaction and the drying of an underground spring due to the summer's dry weather. This was compounded by the previous owners not watering the foundation during the hottest periods. The house is a 2000sqft split/tri-level house with an unfinished poured concrete basement / foundation.
I _do_ plan to hire the work of an engineer to oversee the repairs, but have a quick question. After getting out the laser, it appears that the rear-corner of the foundation has dropped approximately 3/8-1/2". In the interim, I have set up a semi-buried perimeter drip-system 4 feet from the foundation and timed sprinklers in the yard to try and establish some moisture content in the soil.
I have also made and affixed acrylic 'gap rulers' on each side of the cracks to monitor any further movement (which appears to be only parallel to the basement walls - no inward/outward expansion).
My question: With the daily watering regiment, do you believe it's possible to have any positive correction in the cracks with clay expansion as the moisture content of the soil increases? I understand this is not a permanent correction, but just a temporary stabilization to get us through the winter.
Thanks for any insight/experience you can provide.