Shifting Soil and Its Impact on Your Home’s Foundation

Impact of Shifting Soil on Your Home’s Foundation

Your home’s foundation is surrounded by its biggest enemy-soil. Expanding and contracting soil, caused by swings in moisture level, can cause your foundation to crack, shift, and sink. Extreme weather conditions are likely to exacerbate this already widespread problem. It’s crucial to be vigilant about the signs of a failing foundation. The earlier you can make repairs, the less expensive and invasive the remedies are likely to be.

How Does Shifting Soil Impact a Foundation?

The soil the surrounds your foundation plays a role in supporting it from the sides as well as the bottom. Expansive soil, which is found in many regions of the country, routinely changes shape, also changing the way it impacts the foundation. Drought conditions can cause the soil to shrink, leaving your foundation without support. In wet conditions, the soil expands, putting extra pressure on your foundation. Each of these conditions can be damaging in their own right. When the shrinking and expanding repeats in a cycle, the foundation can be weakened even faster.

What Are the Signs?

As your foundation shifts, you will see signs like bowed walls, cracks around windows, and buckling floors. Doors and windows will suddenly not close properly, or they may stick when you open them. You may also hear creaking noises as your house moves on the foundation. By the time you hear sounds, the damage could be great. Report any signs of foundation failure to a repair company immediately so they can evaluate your situation and make a recommendation.

What Repairs Can Be Done?

The right foundation repair depends on the type and severity of your foundation damage. Installing bracing and using pilings to hoist the home can help correct failures and prevent them from occurring again. The only way to know for certain what type of repairs your foundation requires is to contact an experienced foundation repair company.

If you notice the signs of foundation failure, let Structured Foundation Repairs, Inc. help. We will recommend the best repair for your property based on the damage and your soil type. We offer transferable warranties on all of the foundation repairs we perform. Learn more by calling us at 972-484-1200.