Your home is only as stable as the ground it sits on. Homeowners who have experienced an earthquake know the devastation that tremors can cause. But seismic upheavals aren’t the only things that can damage your foundation. Sometimes, all it takes is the cold winter weather.
Types of Texas Foundations
The two most common types of foundations in Texas are the pier and beam and the concrete slab. The probability of flooding will most likely be the determining factor used by home builders when choosing between these two.
Pier and Beam Foundation
In a pier and beam foundation, a builder places small concrete pads around the perimeter and secures them with treated wooden or steel rods that attach to the property’s first floor. The typical crawl space is 18 inches high. This foundation is a good choice for any area that’s prone to flooding.
Many beach houses and condominiums use an exaggerated pier and beam foundation. The first floor might be 10 to 12 feet off the ground, which provides parking space and allows flood water to flow underneath the living areas. These properties sometimes look like houses on stilts.
Concrete Slab Foundation
A concrete slab is popular with builders because it’s cheap and easy to install. However, as we shall see later in the article, concrete is susceptible to damage when temperatures freeze. It is used mainly in areas with milder winters.
Winter Damage Cause and Effect
Foundation cracks don’t just happen. There’s always an underlying reason. Here are some ways that a winter freeze can cause a foundation problem.
Freeze and Thaw Cycles
Winter weather, in many parts of the country, fluctuates. On some days, the temperature may be below freezing, and on other days the mercury may climb into the 40s or 50s. As the ice and snow melt, water seeps further into the saturated soil. When freezing days reappear, that underground water trapped in the soil turns into ice.
Water expands when it freezes, causing the soil to expand as well. As long as there are freezing temperatures, this freeze-thaw cycle continually repeats, allowing snow and ice melt to permeate ever deeper into the disturbed soil, even under your foundation. As the dirt and ice seek room to expand, upheavals push against your foundation, shifting the position of the home ever so slightly. You may notice cracks in the walls and ceilings. If the soil reaches a high enough level of instability, portions of the ground may collapse and cause significant structural damage to the now-uneven foundation.
Settlement
Settlement is expected even in areas that never see temperatures rise above freezing until the warmer spring weather arrives. At the beginning of the hard winter, the ground beneath the home freezes, trapping icy moisture in the soil. The foundation pushes upward as the ice expands where it stays for the duration of the winter. During the spring thaw, the ice melts, and the home settles back down in a slightly different position. Once again, you may notice cracks in the interior of the house.
Dry Winter Air
If you live in an area with cold winters but little snow, your foundation is still in danger. When the temperature of the air drops below the dew point, it starts to absorb moisture. That’s why people often experience chapped lips and dry skin in inadequately humidified buildings and in the dryer winter air.
Air also absorbs moisture from the soil, leaving it cracked and dry. If this occurs around your foundation, there’s a problem. Dry soil shrinks and pulls away from the concrete, effectively destabilizing the foundation.
Porous Material
You may not know it, but your home’s concrete foundation is very porous, which allows moisture to seep inside the foundation. As the freezing temperatures set in, the water molecules inside the concrete freeze and expand. When the weather warms, the ice melts and the concrete contracts. This expansion-contraction cycle may cause the concrete to crumble.
Erosion
A concrete slab foundation rests on top of the soil while pier and beam foundations have posts anchored in the ground. Soil erosion isn’t good for either of these configurations. The stability of your home depends on the load-bearing capacity of evenly spread topsoil. Concrete pillars can wobble and move off-center if the ground becomes overly saturated for an extended time.
You can prevent soil erosion around the perimeter of your foundation by installing gutters, downspouts and drainage trenches that divert water away from the home. Plant flowers and shrubbery close to the foundation so that roots will anchor the soil.
Warning Signs of Foundation Problems
If you’re worried that you might have a foundation issue, contact us if you notice any of the following warning signs:
- Zig-zag cracks on the exterior walls
- Diagonal cracks leading away from door and window corners
- Uneven, sloping or bouncy floors
- Crooked doors
- Difficulty opening windows
- Cracks in tile floors
- Leaning chimney
- Gaps between siding panels
If you notice small cracks in the exterior or interior walls, keep an eye on them. The longer the crack, the more serious the foundation problem.
Tips for Winter-proofing Your Foundation
Your wintertime preparations might routinely include HVAC maintenance and pipe insulation, and those are excellent steps to take. But don’t forget to protect your foundation.
Fill in Foundation Cracks
Examine the foundation walls around the edge of your home. If you notice a crack that is wider than 1/2 inch, call us. Otherwise, fill them with an epoxy injector to prevent moisture from seeping into the wall.
Keep Snow Away From the Perimeter
If there is a snowstorm, shovel and dump the snow away from the house. You don’t want snowmelt to erode the soil.
Clean the Gutters
Clean the gutters so that the melting snow and rain flow through the downspouts and not over the edge of the roof. Once the trees are bare, it’s a good time to get out your stepladder and clear the leaves and twigs out of the gutters.
Grade the Landscape
Create a downward slope in the yard around the perimeter and downspouts to prevent water from pooling near the foundation. You must ensure that water runs away from your home and not toward it.
Du-West Services has been serving Texas customers since 1978. We can help with all your HVAC and plumbing installation, maintenance and repair needs. We also offer foundation repair, concrete leveling and retaining wall services. For more information, contact Du-West Services at one of our offices in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi or Victoria.
