Foundation Services

Home Foundation Failure: Why Foundations Fail

The Top Things That Could Be Ruining Your Home Foundation

A building’s foundation is its main support. When the foundation fails, it causes problems throughout the entire structure.

A failing foundation can lead to cracked walls, roofing problems, uneven floors and a variety of other issues, depending upon the severity of the foundation failure.

This is why it is so important to address any foundation problems right away. Foundation problems are something that is more common than you may think. Problems in a foundation can occur due to many factors. Many problems in foundations can be associated with mistakes made during construction or poor construction choices made when building the home and laying the initial foundation.

Most foundation mistakes can be avoided through simply hiring an experienced builder who knows what they are doing. However, most of us are in a home that we did not build and so we face foundation problems. The following are some of the reasons why foundation may fail.

Water Causing Foundation Damage

A foundation is set in soil.The soil is exposed to water in many ways. If the soil can’t withstand the water then problems can occur which will eventually cause problems with the foundation.

Water can wash away soil, leaving the foundation unsupported. Water can also cause soil to shift which can shift the foundation or make it sink. Preventing problems with a foundation due to water can easily be avoided if proper drainage is put in place when the foundation is being laid.

Foundation Repair Needed To Due To Soil Type

Some soils are a far better choice to build a foundation on than others. Some soils are easily washed away and will change over time. They are not firm and compact. The ideal soil for a foundation would be something that can stand up to the weight that the foundation and the building will place upon it and that will be a very stable surface.

Foundation Failure Due To Compaction and Expansion

One of the biggest issues with foundations is that the soil underneath settles over time. Soil will expand and compact over time which will be transmitted through the foundation and up into the home.

As a home settles the foundation becomes less sturdy and it can begin to lean or even crack. Preventing this can be a simple matter of properly compacting soil before the foundation is ever laid. Older homes will have the most problems with foundation failure.

This is obvious because it takes time for many of the problems that lead to failure to occur. Plus, most older homes were built so long ago that the equipment and techniques used to build them were not very advanced and builders did not completely understand what they should do to prevent future foundation problems.

The good news is that foundation problems can be fixed. It is a very detailed process, though, and something that should be left to the professionals.

Mistakes made during the foundation repair process can actually cause more damage than good, so you don’t want to risk your home by trying to fix foundation problems on your own.