Problems That Could Lead to Your Home's Foundation Needing Repairs
Foundation damage can be a problem that will cause any homeowner to feel stressed. This can represent a major threat to the house, as a failure to oversee repairs can lead to the home potentially becoming unstable. Unfortunately, there are many different potential problems that could eventually impact your home's foundation.
Soil Stability Problems
The soil under the foundation will have to support the immense weight of the foundation and the house itself. If the soil develops stability problems, it can lead to the house actually starting to sink into the ground. This is unlikely to occur evenly, which can lead to portions of the foundation experiencing enough stress to cause it to develop deep cracks. While soil stability problems are a major threat to the foundation, there are options for minimizing the impact that this will have on the foundation. For example, it is possible to add supports under the home that can help to brace the foundation and keep it from sinking further into the soil.
Poor Drainage Around The Base Of The Foundation
If the soil around the foundation is not able to effectively drain the water that collects during periods of heavy rainfall, it can lead to moisture soaking deep into the foundation. This can cause the rebar in the foundation to start to corrode. As the metal rusts, it will greatly increase in size, which may cause deep cracks to form. Repairing rusted rebar in the foundation can be a major repair that will be both disruptive and costly to oversee. However, a home foundation repair contractor can help you to minimize this risk by installing a drainage system that is able to actively transport this water away from the house.
Damage From Large Roots
Root damage is another frequent issue for a foundation to experience. Large roots growing under the foundation can put upward pressure on the bottom of the foundation, which may lead to it cracking. Root guards are an effective way of reducing the risk of this happening, as these guards can help to direct the roots deeper into the soil so any pressure they add to the foundation can be reduced. If you have large trees growing near your home, the installation of root guards around the base of the home can be a simple project that could potentially spare them from making extremely expensive repairs in the future. It may also reduce the need to trim large roots that are growing under the home, as this could have a negative impact on the health of the plant.