Hello

Have a house in Lekki. It has cracks on the walls. We were told it was "settling". Now do all houses built in Lekki settle? or is it a problem with the foundation. If so what is the remedy?. Would really like the input of structural/civil engineers or people who know what they are talking about.

Thank you in advance

Settlement occurs in soils that are not properly consolidated. Not all forms of settlement are bad and not all houses settle. It depends on the type of foundation and the soil. In many cases, when you observe cracking that gives serious concern, differential settlement may be the culprit. Differential settlement occurs when one side of the building is "settling" faster relatively to another side. This causes stresses to be induced at certain points in the foundation. This is then propagated upwards to the walls leading to the cracks you can observe. Note also that not all cracks you observe are of structural significance. Cracking can be due to poor rendering (plastering) and many other factors. As a professional , I will tell you that proper diagnosis can only be made upon physical inspection of your building. I will therefore recommend that you invite a professional to take a look at your house and tell you what exactly the problem is and how you can solve it. If you would like others to benefit from this, you can as well post a picture of the crack and tell us where the crack is coming from (is it growing from the ground up or from the roof down or is it isolated). At what rate is this crack growing? All these may give us more clues. Please act fast because if this is what I think it is, it's better solved ealier than later. Cheers

Hello stru_guru
It's cracking from the roof down. What kind of professionals do I need, Structural engineers? Architects which kind? How much would it cost ? I'll get the pictures posted as soon as I can. Thanks for your knowledgeable input.

You need a COREN registered Geotechnical Engineer or Structural Engineer. A Geotechnical Engineer specialises in soils and foundations. A Structural Engineer specialises in structures! (i.e. buildings, bridges, towers, etc). Pls look for a professional and dont patronize quacks. There are many peeps who will claim expertise but can only make things worse. Post d pics if u can and I'll be glad to give any additional advice.