Underground mining will cause the ground to deform, leading to the destruction of buildings. Horizontal strain is one of the most important causes of damage to strip foundation buildings. However, related research is insufficient, making the mechanism of building damage caused by horizontal strain unclear and resulting in several difficulties in performing coal mining under villages. In this study, interface slip and soil pressure caused by the horizontal strain of ground transfer between soil and buildings are investigated, and stress concentration in buildings driven by soil movement is considered the primary cause of building damage. The influences of the mechanical parameters of the soil and the geometric parameters of building on stress distribution inside a building are analyzed by establishing a stress distribution model of a building under different ground horizontal strain. Softening the foundation or designing deformation joints inside a building can reduce the influence of horizontal strain on the building. This research can provide an important reference for performing coal mining safely under villages and designing building protection against ground horizontal strain.