You may have heard of foundation settlement before. Every single structure will experience settling as it adjusts to the soil below it. Unfortunately, this process is rarely perfect, and may lead to other foundation problem signs or structural damage around your home. Thankfully, Basement Authority of West Virginia has foundation solutions designed to protect your home from settlement and sinking.
What Causes Foundation Settlement & Sinking?
Foundations rely on sturdy soil beneath them in order to settle properly. However, soil can be weakened in a number of ways, and without sturdy soil, your home is likely to sink into the ground and experience damage.
Soil Washout
Soil washout simply refers to excess moisture that washes away soil particles. West Virginia experiences an above-average amount of rainfall throughout the year and is also prone to snowfall during the winter months. Both forms of precipitation flood the soil with water and erode the ground over time. Additionally, blocked gutters and drainpipes may contribute to soil washout, as they dump massive amounts of captured water into your yard.
No matter the source of water, soil washout makes the ground muddy, soft, and weak. Think about what happens when your car gets stuck in mud – your tires sink into the ground and can’t find any traction as you push on the pedal. Your foundation acts in much the same way during soil washout, sinking into the soil and becoming stuck as the weight of your home pushes down on it. As it sinks, your home becomes damaged.
Drought and Dry Soil
West Virginia rarely experiences drought conditions, but dry soil can still affect your foundation. During the summer months, the sun’s heat beats down onto the soil. If left in the sun long enough, the soil dries out – shrinking in volume and becoming brittle as the moisture evaporates from it. These circumstances make it nearly impossible for your foundation to stay supported.
As the soil shrinks, gaps open up between the ground and your foundation. Additionally, the brittle nature of dry soil is easily crushed by the weight of your home and foundation. Your foundation settles and sinks unevenly below the ground and causes structural damage to your home.
Poor Compaction
When a new home is constructed, builders usually clear a large plot of land and later fill it in with soil. During this process, the construction crew will compact the soil and try to pack it together tightly enough to support the new building. In many cases, this artificial compaction doesn’t work very well and ends up leaving small pockets of air throughout the soil. Eventually, the weight of your home’s foundation mixed with these air pockets causes the poorly compacted soil to collapse. Once again, your home is left with foundation problems throughout.
FAQs
Settlement sinking may lead to other foundation problems. Since foundation settlement has a direct affect on your home’s structural integrity, you can expect damage to certain structures throughout your home. Wall cracks are one example; as your foundation sinks below the ground, it causes the walls of your home to shift and crack. You might see cracks appear either inside, outside, or both. Another structural problem you might face is uneven floors or sagging floors. Lastly, windows and doors might become harder to open as they become unaligned due to settlement sinking.
No. We don’t recommend you DIY your sinking foundation. Foundation repair requires extensive knowledge and specialized tools. Without the proper training, you could end up causing more damage to your home or injure yourself. Not to mention, most home repair stores don’t carry the proper materials for foundation repair. Most professional foundation specialists use pier systems to keep your foundation protected from settlement sinking. Your local hardware store doesn’t carry these specific repair tools, or the machinery needed to install them.
While all buildings experience some form of settlement, if your foundation appears to be sinking into the soil, it’s not normal. Common settlement is gradual and barely noticeable. When your foundation sinks below the soil too quickly, it leads to foundation damage and problem signs around your home. You shouldn’t mistake signs of a sinking foundation for regular settlement patterns. Moreover, the best thing to do is protect your home from any kind of settlement to prevent a potential disaster in the future. Removing the possibility for damage is valuable when it comes to owning a home, and we have solutions that can help.
Explore Solutions
Basement Authority of West Virginia has plenty of foundation solutions that keep your home protected against settlement & sinking. Depending on the type of foundation at your home, we make use of pier systems, wall anchors, crawl space supports, or carbon fiber wall reinforcements to provide permanent support. Without these solutions, your home is always at risk for foundation settlement and damage.
Basement Authority of West Virginia
Foundation Piers
Foundation damage often occurs due to weak soil being unable to support your foundation. Thankfully, our pier systems provide extra support without relying on soil.
Basement Authority of West Virginia
Crawl Space Support Jacks
Your crawl space is susceptible to foundation damage as soil settles and moisture builds below your home. Our crawl space support posts provide your crawl space with strong support that won’t fail.
Call Us for a Free Inspection
Since 2003, Basement Authority of West Virginia has been serving homeowners in Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Wheeling, and surrounding areas. With our foundation repair solutions, we provide quality service and permanent fixes to your foundation issues. We know that your home is important to you, and we always do our best to make sure it stays protected. Contact us to learn more about our foundation solutions, and to schedule a free inspection with one of our technicians. We’ll come to your home and devise a plan to make sure whatever is causing your foundation troubles is solved quickly while meeting your individual needs!
