North Texas is known for a lot of things: Big Sky views, cold beer, tacos, a friendly-population, and… clay dirt. Being located next to the Trinity River has given us very fertile and wonderful soil, great for settling on, but that same soil moves and shifts with the weather. Read on to learn how foundations and sidewalks are affected by our shifting ground.
How Soil Affects Your Foundation
Foundations are susceptible to damage from our dry Texas soil. As the clay or loamy soil absorbs moisture overnight and in the morning, or after a heavy rain, it can expand and swell as it holds water. As the soil dries, it contracts, leaving large ruts and cracks behind. As the soil beneath your house or sidewalk expands and contracts, it shifts the house with it, moving it up and down or shearing it from side to side. This movement will cause your slab foundation to crack, and your pier and beam foundation to slant. Larger cracks can leave voids in the soil, which can cause your foundation to buckle and collapse! As many wonderful reasons as North Texas has for living here, foundation management is a drawback all homeowners have to manage!
How to Spot Foundation Damage
Depending on what type of foundation you have, damage to your foundation can show in many different ways. The most obvious would be physical cracks or gaps in your foundation or exterior of the property. If your building has slab foundation, cracks in the floor or walls are also signs that your foundation is shifting. Your flooring will begin to buckle when pier and beam foundations are exhibiting damage. Some more common indicators are stuck doors, uneven house levels or sagging flooring, and gaps around your windows or door frames. You may notice cracks in your sidewalks, concrete patios, or garage floors, which can indicate moving soil and hidden damage to your foundation. Each house or property will react to foundation damage differently, so any early signs of damage should be checked out by foundation experts such as Classic Construction & Restoration.
How to Fix Damaged Foundations
The best way to treat foundation damage is to take action as soon as any indications of sinking or sagging in the concrete is noticed. When you see signs of sinking in your concrete, call a professional! Some home-owners may not notice cracks in their concrete as their homes are lifted on a pier and beam foundation, in which case noticing buckles in your flooring or disoriented windows and doorways is sign to call a pro! At Classic we offer a free consultation to estimate how much damage has been caused to your foundation and how soon it needs to be treated. Stabilizing a foundation with structure problems is not a task that should be taken lightly by utilizing home remedies as you may risk the possibility of causing more harm than good.
Classic Construction is There For You
You can’t stop our heavy spring rains or our dry summers, but as a homeowner or property owner in North Texas, you can do a lot to spot and prevent foundation damage from shifting soil. Call us for your free estimate for foundation or sidewalk repair today! We now offer financing through our partner, Heath, and your project could be funded as soon as today!