expansive soil ie black cotton one is cracking one 100 yr old building 1

[arunkumarjha]

in central india we have a 100 yr old stone masonry building which is cracking up. it is a prestigious one. no digging of foundation is permitted. soil is black cotton one. there are trees also around but GREENs do not permit cutting these. how to save the building?

 

[veer]

Use lime or cement injection to treat the soil, what is the building loading like? and waht is existing foundation?

 

[divakar]

We've had the same problem with our ancestral house built on black cotton soil. But our problem was that we didnt occupy the house for day to day living. We built support walls outside to hold the house up. Cracks in the walls were patched but using mesh and iron rods spanning the walls. Best you consult a structural engineer.

Our house is more than a hundred years old. Almost 150.

 

With the limitations you have indicated, I would have to agree with "VEER". However, if you choose lime injection (which is a likely a possibly, because in most locations it is less expensive), you should have a geotechnical engineering/soils testing firm verify that the lime will chemically react with the soil that is to be treated. If the type of lime available will not react, you will likely have to use cement stabilization.