As soon as a homeowner notices cracks on drywall and sunken concrete floor, he starts wondering why these problems have started in his home. It’s time to know what causes these problems to appear in the first place.
Professional home foundation inspections are when a foundation repair contractor or a structural engineer inspects your home’s foundation to make sure it’s structurally sound. If they give the thumbs up, your home is safe to live in.
You experience different kinds of foundation issues due to soil or poor construction. The primary four reasons for this damage are the type of soil, water in the soil, construction preparation, and natural disaster. This problem might be due to one cause, or maybe all of these causes are somehow related. You never know.
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1.Soil Type
The strength and stability of your home foundation depend on the type of soil on which your home is built. Types of soil are countless. Every type of soil has different weight supportability. If you live in an area where the soil is expansive such as clay and is quite sensitive to water, then no wonder you have to seek professional foundation repair help.
An expansive soil expands and swells when it absorbs water. Imagine a sponge. When it has water, it expands, and when it doesn’t have water, it shrinks. Now, this soil settlement and movement always lead to a magnitude of structural wall issues and foundation damage.
2. Poor Construction
Before construction companies start making the home foundation, they will test the soil to determine what kind of footing is needed to support the home weight. Sometimes, contractors make a home in a rush and don’t do perfect home footing. This improper work may cause foundation sinking and settlement.
Once construction of foundation footing and foundation wall completes, then space around your home foundation is backfilled. However, sometimes, contractors fail to choose the proper backfill, or they don’t prepare the backfill in the right manner. This mistake leads to settlement issues and hydrostatic pressure.
Poor ground preparation may lead to foundation failure. If the soil lacks compactness before constructing the foundation, it would insufficiently support the structure’s weight. As a result, the house’s foundation tends to settle over time.
In addition, poor drainage may also cause settlement issues, especially in wet climates. Moisture content changes can erode even good soil. Hence, the most important things to keeping mind when constructing a house’s foundation are excellent site preparation and close monitoring. Contact your engineer to evaluate your worksite and develop a good plan to reroute water away from your house.
In order to prevent settlement issues, make sure that your foundation construction complies with the code. It must be made of superior materials and by expert foundation construction workers. Furthermore, avoid neglecting plumbing leaks. If you notice plumbing leaks, repair them as soon as possible to avoid settlement problems. Hire a qualified and experienced plumber to do the job if you don’t have any background in fixing leaks.
3.Hydrostatic Pressure
It is defined as the weight of water at rest. Sometimes, more water is absorbed in the ground, you might overwater your flower bed, or it is due to heavy rain. As water is high in soil and it collects underground, this water pressure pushes against exterior walls. Over time, it causes several waterproofing issues in your home. But the main problem is to deal with structural damage caused by hydrostatic pressure. The force of water and soil expansion against home foundations often makes your basement walls to bow.
When hydrostatic pressure causes damage to your basement, hiring a basement construction and renovation expert, such as Reno Duck, is highly advisable. By doing so, you have peace of mind that your house’s foundation won’t collapse because of this problem. Choose a basement expert with years of experience and use high-quality materials and proven techniques.
4. Natural Disaster
Natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and storms damage your home foundation to a great extent. Unfortunately, nothing you can do to deal with this problem as natural disasters are unavoidable. However, you can hire foundation repair professionals who can help you deal with issues caused by these disasters. From waterproofing your basement to crawl space encapsulation, many services are available at your disposal. All you have to do is to hire the best foundation repair service provider near you.
No matter what causes foundation damage in your home, you need to get help from Foundation repair company Washington DC as soon as possible. Overlooking this problem may lead to significant issues or foundation collapse.
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