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The Two Villains in Foundation Failure
Most homeowners think of their
home foundation as a concrete and steel slab
which supports their house. This is only partially true, because your
home really has two foundations. The first and most important foundation
is the soil which supports your man-made concrete slab. Expansion and
contraction of the soil underneath your home can severely damage its
second foundation, the concrete slab, even though it may be well
designed and sturdy.
There are two major
foundation
villains in the Houston area which you must be aware of when dealing with proper maintenance
of your first foundation, the soil. It is the expansive soil conditions in
Houston and how moisture changes the soil.
Houston's expansive soils are clay
soils which have the unique property of expanding when moist and
shrinking when dry. This can be as much as 60% in volume. When a dry clay soil
absorbs moisture and expands it can produce enough lift to raise a two
story house by more than 12 inches. Conversely, if the moisture
evaporates that same foundation or a corner of the slab can drop by 12
inches or more. In Houston, the range of such movement is usually within 6
inches.
Moisture change is the
common thread that produces damage to your foundation and home through
expansions and contractions of the clay soil during wet and dry weather
cycles. Trees also play an important role in moisture content as a tree's
root system can remove 100 to 600 gallons of water a day from the
soil.
If a new home's foundation is on soil that has sufficient moisture
at the time of construction (the soil is in the expanded state) and the
optimal moisture content is maintained, little movement or damage will occur. Such conditions
however, are ideal and only occur if the homeowner practices proper
moisture maintenance.
Three simple steps to prolonging
foundation repair:
1. Consistent moisture around you home at all times. Soaker hoses or
sprinkler system are a must. Feel free to call US Foundation Repair for
the best solution. 713-988-9099.
2. Weekly walk around your home inside and out. Look for cracks forming.
Measure the length and width of each crack. Check the soil moisture
level surrounding your entire home. Make sure soil is slopping away from
your foundation.
3. Install root barriers for trees close to your home.
Call US Foundation Repair
to install these root barriers for you.
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