Mother Nature's Affect on Your Foundation

Over the years, your home will likely begin to show signs of settling. This is pretty normal, but you should always keep an eye out for any red flag indicators of bigger foundation problems. While houses go through some settling over the years, there are some natural factors that can cause real foundation damage. And although some of these aren't very common for Missouri, it's still good to know how different forces of mother nature can affect your foundation. So, let's take a look at some of the major natural factors:


Earthquakes
While earthquake occurrences aren't very common in Missouri, they're not completely unheard of. Minor tremors are especially common near the bootheel area. Fortunately, the magnitude of an earthquake typically has to reach a level 3 before it causes structural damage, and most of the recent Missouri earthquakes have rated between 1-2.7. Earthquakes cause the soil beneath the foundation to shift. When the movement in the earth is strong or repetitive, earthquake foundation damage occurs, and the tremors it creates can cause your foundation to break apart, and cease to be level.

Drought
During periods of prolonged dryness, the soil surrounding your home may shrink, which can cause foundation issues. If it's not addressed, it can grow into even bigger problems over time. Cracks will first form in basement walls, which may be overlooked by many homeowners. Eventually, when your foundation settles and cracks form, your home becomes vulnerable to anything that can enter through those cracks, including water.

Flooding
Foundation damage from flooding comes from the impact of rapid moving waters to your home. Flooding pushes the sides of your home, weakening your house’s structure and at times separating it from your foundation. Additionally, flooding penetrates deep into the earth causing severe damage. Foundation pilings that aren’t penetrating load-bearing strata can move, break, and shift due to flooding, causing intense foundational and structural damage.

Freezing
Cold weather can have a major impact on concrete foundations. A cracked concrete foundation can result in leaks, wall cracks, and other structural damage. Freezing temperatures can damage your structure in two ways. Cold temperatures cause ice to freeze beneath the concrete foundation producing frost heave. Frost heaving is the movement of the soil due to the formation of ice lenses. Ice lenses are long crystals formed by layers of ice within the ground. The other way is the ground collapsing which is caused by thawing ice lenses.

Now that you know how each of these forces of nature can affect your home's foundation, you can be prepared in the event that any of these happen near your home. Check out our blog "Tips for Identifying Foundation Issues" to make sure you know what signs to look for when checking for foundation damage. If you do notice any damage in your foundation, make sure to hire a St. Louis foundation repair professional to handle any and all of your foundation repair needs. With over 30 years experience, we're the trusted choice for foundation repairs and concrete contract work in St. Louis. For all your foundation repair needs, give Benz & Associates a call at 314-393-8813. We'll be happy to provide you with a free estimate!

Benz & Associates, LLC is Your St. Louis Trusted Concrete Company!


Benz & Associates, LLC
12804 Weber Hill Road
Saint Louis, MO 63127
www.BenzAndAssociates.com
Phone: (314) 393-8813
Fax: (314) 843-6427

Location: St. Louis, MO, USA

Comments

  1. maxMay 4, 2021 at 6:43 AM


    These cracks occur thanks to shrinkage, thermal flows and moisture seepage. The cracks can widen with time and present major problems within the structural stability of the building.
    Foundation Repair St. Louis

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Preventive Maintenance to Protect Your Home's Foundation

Image
Out of sight and out of mind - the foundation is the most important, yet most overlooked part of your home. Most homeowners don't think about foundation maintenance until an issue arises. By that time, it could be an expensive repair. So, to help homeowners like yourself prevent expensive foundation repairs , we're sharing with you some preventative maintenance items to check to protect your home's foundation and your wallet! Look Out for Plumbing Issues Catching leaks early can save you tens of thousands of dollars down the road. Leaks behind the walls and under the floors aren't just bad for the foundation; they can also destroy other parts of the home. Pooling water, moldy walls and low-faucet pressure are all obvious signs of plumbing issues, but some leaks aren't so conspicuous. If you're not familiar with the plumbing in your home, it may be worth it to have a professional come in to check out your system to ensure there aren't any leaks, especia...
Read more

Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Foundation Repair Contractor

Image
These days, there are tons of folks out there looking to make a quick dollar who claim to be professional contractors who can take care of all of your home repair needs. Unfortunately though, only about half of those contractors actually have the experience and knowledge it takes to get the job done correctly and efficiently. The last thing we want to see anyone do is to hire a contractor in good faith only to receive poor quality work and have to call in another professional to fix the work. That's why this week, we're offering some suggestions on questions you can ask before hiring to ensure you're working with a qualified foundation repair contractor . Can they provide referrals? When you ask your foundation repair contractor for a few past referrals, you’ll be able to directly see and understand the quality of their work. If the contractor refuses to provide past referrals or even references, that should trigger a red flag. Clearly something is wrong if the contra...
Read more

5 Things You NEVER Want to See on an Inspection Report

Image
When you're selling a home, there are a lot of emotions going through your mind: excitement about finally getting a great offer and having serious buyers interested in your home, eager to get it over with and start moving on with your life, nervous because it's the first home you've ever bought and your family has made so many memories here, and probably stress from all that's involved with the whole selling process. One emotion you don't want to feel during what should be an exciting time in your life though, is fear. Unfortunately, when it comes to the inspection period and receiving that report back with all that could potentially be wrong with your home that may break the deal, can be extremely frightening if you're not sure what to expect. Here's a list of 5 things you NEVER want to see on an inspection report: 1. HVAC Malfunction If your home's HVAC system isn't functioning properly or doesn't work at all, especially this time of year...
Read more