Building settlement due to cut and fill excavation

Structure · Problems · printed page 36 (PDF page 37)

Book index entries

Building Settlement due to Cut and Fill Excavation Cut and Fill Excavation Causing Settlement Settlement – due to Cut and Fill Excavation Footings – and Foundations Foundation – and Footing

Text in the illustration

original line of hill
settlement crack
typically wider at the top and goes through weaker wall areas (eg. windows)
cut area
fill area
surface water runoff often causes problems here
settlement

Generated explanation

The illustration shows a house built on a hillside leveled by cutting into the uphill side and placing fill on the downhill side. A dashed line beneath the house indicates the original slope, with the foundation and footing spanning the cut and fill areas. A large downward arrow indicates settlement on the fill side. An irregular settlement crack extends through the foundation wall and brick wall near window openings; the annotation notes that such cracks are typically wider at the top and pass through weaker wall areas. Surface water runoff is also identified as a potential problem at the uphill side of the foundation.