Foundation Settlement usually means that there is an issue with the soils that the foundation sits on. There can be several causes of soil failure that can cause foundation damage.
When a home or structure is built, first they have to compact the soils that the structure will sit on. This is done in a bunch of different ways but the ultimate goal is to create a solid pad for the foundation. There are variables that can cause this "foundation pad" to fail. Usually when there is a soil failure it is due to poor drainage and/or erosion. Water is the main culprit when it comes to changing the soils density and structural integrity. If you don't have gutters and the rain just drops from your roof next to the foundation this is a good sign that you will eventually have an issue. The same goes for people who have gutters but the downspouts dump next to the corners of the home rather than ran away from the structure. When water gets in the soils it can cause it to swell and expand then, when it dries it shrinks and creates voids. Another way water effects the soils is it can break bonds between compacted soil. Just look at the grand canyon! The river has even eaten through the rocks to create a huge channel in the ground. This happens on a much smaller scale but still changes the composition of the soils. Constant swelling and contraction causes the soils to loosen and eventually the weight of the structure will settle down to some degree. If you have limestone, water can eat right through it over time. This is why Florida has so many sink holes. Water under the soil eats away at the underlying ground and eventually creates big caverns and holes!
Another reason a home can settle is poor compaction. As mentioned earlier when a home is built they have to compact the soils. This sometimes means bringing in more dirt to be able to create a large flat pad. If this soil is not compacted properly the builder may not notice until there is a heavy home sitting on the soil. Once there is weight applied the soils with lose compaction fail and the structure starts to sink.
In a Crawl Space Foundation there is a raised wooden floor structure. Hopefully everything is built correctly but in Oklahoma we often find some pretty wild crawl spaces. Homes that are built on stacked rocks or bricks! If the crawl space is not built properly the weight of the home will eventually settle. Crawl Space support also sits on the ground so if there is excess moisture or water intrusion it can cause this support to settle in the ground causing foundation settlement.
No matter the reason for the issue, Level Home Foundation Repair takes the utmost care in raising and supporting your foundation for life. We also have a full drainage division that can also solve the water issues at the same time! If you would like a free foundation repair estimate call 918-361-7787 or visit our site at www.levelhomefoundationrepair.com
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