Failures of Residential Building Basements in Ohio

Basement failure is one of the most common problems in residential buildings in Ohio. Solving a particular problem of moisture movement through the walls may range from coating the interior of the walls with waterproofing paint for a few hundred dollars to complete replacement of backfill behind basement walls for thousands of dollars. In this paper we classify the signs of basement failures. These signs are evaluated in relation to soil movement on basement walls and the floor slab, lateral forces on basement walls, and chemical and physical reactions on the concrete. Examples of failure signs are flexural deformation of basement structural components, cracking due to shear or flexural stresses, excessive vertical settlements, and moisture movement through the walls. The causes of basement failures are classified into pre‐ and postconstruction causes. Preconstruction causes emphasize errors in design and construction; postconstruction deals with soil movement during occupancy. Causes evaluated in this paper are not exhaustive, but they may be considered as the most common causes of basement failures in Ohio.