How Drought Affects Your Home's Foundation

Summer means more than just warm weather in many parts of the country. During the hot, dry spells of late July and August, the clay soils under our browning lawns begin to shrink and dry out.

 

The soil beneath our lawns isn't the only thing shrinking. Our homes' soil is also affected by dry periods, especially when they last for months (or even years). As soil shrinks, it creates voids, which allow a home's foundation to settle.

 

Signs of Foundation Settlement

The signs of a sinking foundation may not always be obvious to the eye. You might not notice a settled foundation just by looking at it from across the street because foundations tend to settle slowly.

 

Although foundations settle, they don't always do so uniformly. One corner of your home may sink deeper and faster than another. As a result of this uneven settlement, a house's once parallel frame can become skewed. When this happens, symptoms may appear all over the structure, including:

· Sticking windows and doors

· Sagging floors

· Floor or ceiling gaps

· Drywall cracks

· Interior cracks near window or door frames

· Separating chimneys

· Stair-step cracks in brick or block walls

 

 

 

Next time you struggle to open a window, it may not be the window. There could be something happening many feet below.

 

However, foundation problems don't get better with time. It doesn't get cheaper to repair them either. However, they can be permanently fixed. In many cases, the settling foundation can be raised again.

 

Solutions for Foundation Settlement

Physically connecting a home's foundation to stable soil or bedrock is the most effective method to prevent further sinking. The best way to accomplish this is by driving steel piers deep into the ground until they reach bedrock or competent soil, and then connecting them with heavy-duty steel brackets. This will allow the foundation to be raised to its original level.

 

Steel tubing is mechanically pushed into the soil until it reaches bedrock or stable soil. To achieve the same stability, specialty piers with fins, called helical piers, are driven (literally screwed) into the ground.

 

(Piering is a major procedure that should be done by a company with extensive experience.)

 

 

 

 

What if I Don’t Fix It?

Since foundations settle slowly, it can be tempting to ignore them. After all, sticking doors and sagging floors can often be chalked up to a home’s “character,” especially if it’s over 50 years old. But as mentioned earlier, foundation problems only worsen with time. But if left unaddressed, they can eventually lead to foundation failure, which can be extremely expensive and disruptive to repair.

 

So, why fix it? Well, because it’s your home, for one thing. It’s where you and your family live. It’s where your memories are made. But it’s also likely your single largest financial investment, so it makes sense to protect it. Plus, if you sell your home, you must disclose any foundation problems it has. And the cost of stabilizing your foundation is often much less than the financial loss you’ll take if you sell it as-is.

 

Cost is another consideration. After all, because foundation problems only grow progressively with time, they’ll never be cheaper to fix than they are today.

 

The good news is, with modern piering technology, settling foundations can almost always be fixed permanently. But you need to have your home inspected by a reputable company with specific expertise and deep experience in this area — no “general contractors,” please!

 

After you have stabilized your home's foundation and brought it back to its original level, what will you do? Well, you’ll be sleeping soundly — no matter how hot and dry it is outside.