Home Foundation Aging

Home foundation aging is inevitable, but certian factors can speed up the process to the point that it compromises the integrity of the entire structure.

Home foundation aging basically results over time from changing conditions of the soil around your home and in some cases from construction and plumbing problems and the presence of large trees near your home.

As the soil around your home expands it absorbs water and contracts as it dries out, causing your foundation to move, settle, and in some cases crack.

The rate of foundation aging can be worsened by several factors.

Common Causes of Home Foundation Aging

• Snow and Ice: After a heavy snow fall, the accumulated snow will melt, causing heavy flooding and pooling. This can result in water seeping into the foundation. When this happens repeatedly, the foundation will become weaker and weaker and may soon settle.

• Drought: Drought combined with high heat in the summertime is a significant aging factor for home foundations. In severe drought conditions, moisture is removed from the soil causing the soil around your home to shrink and pull away from the foundation. Often, this results in a gap between the soil and your foundation, allowing for foundation movement. From there it doesn’t take long before the foundation begins to shift.

• Earthquakes: Although large earthquakes don’t happen frequently in the Fort Worth area, the DFW area is subject to seismic activity and over time it too can have an impact on foundation aging. When the ground shakes, the foundation is the most affected part of the home. Even minor tremors can cause small cracks in the foundation. Eventually, these small cracks can become bigger and cause shifting.

• Plumbing leaks: When water leaks from one of your pipes, it will be absorbed by the soil adjacent to your foundation. Initially, this may not pose a problem. But after several significant leaks over an extended period of time, the foundation may begin to feel the impact. The soil will expand and push your foundation upwards, a process known as upheaval.

• Poor drainage: Depending on where you live in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, poor drainage can be a Where there is poor drainage, foundation aging occurs at an unprecedented rate. This is because water will pool around the home and seep into the foundation. To avoid this, ensure that all rain water is directed away from the home. Install downspouts to direct water from the roof. Then, create drainage channels to direct this water away from the foundation.

• Large trees next to your home: Having large trees next to your home comes with many problems. The extending roots will absorb all the water needed to keep the soil moist. The roots can also grow through cracks in the foundation or even push the foundation. In short, avoid having large trees too close to your house.

• Faulty construction: Finally, inferior foundation construction can also accelerate foundation aging. Low-quality steel and inferior concrete can contribute to movement in the foundation resulting in fast settling.

When two or more of these factors combine the foundation aging process accelerates, usually requiring repair of some sort.  The most common types of foundation repair for homes in the Fort Worth area include:

• Steel piling foundation repair
• Concrete piling foundation repair
• Pier and beam foundation repair
• Mud Jacking

If you feel that your foundation may be in need of repair due to any of the aging factors listed above, give us a call at 817-478-1181 and schedule a no-cost, no-obligation estimate from one of our experienced foundation repair specialists.