Problems with your home’s foundation can occur at any time throughout the year, but many tend to happen during the summer months. That’s mainly because of climate changes throughout the year.
In spring, there tends to be more moisture, which allows the soil to expand. When the heat of summer arrives, though, the higher heat dries out the soil, which causes it to contract. (This is particularly true down here in the south).
The high heat can also make concrete dry out and lose some of the strength that it needs to support your home.
This cycle of expansion and contraction will, over time, cause damage to your foundation if left unchecked or unobserved. And it’s hard to get someone in to fix it if you don’t notice what’s going on until it’s too late.
Homeowners should be particularly vigilant in the summer for foundation damage so they can contact a foundation repair specialist as soon as possible to deal with the problem before it gets bigger – and more expensive.
The First Signs of Foundation Damage
There are a few things you want to look for when examining your foundation and your home. These signs can indicate that there may be a problem that requires inspection from a foundation repair team.
Early warning signs include:
- Leaning walls
- Difficulty properly closing doors and windows
- Crumbling or flaking concrete and bricks
- Plumbing issues
- Support beams and girders that are starting to buckle
- Sagging roofs
- Gaps between your walls and your floors and ceilings
- Uneven flooring
- Sagging flooring
- Horizontal or vertical cracks along your brickwork outside
If you notice any of these signs during the summer, you may have a foundation problem on your hands that needs to be addressed. Of course, if this is a newer home, it may still be settling. Your foundation expert can tell you if it’s a real foundation issue or just a home being a home.
It’s better to assume the worst, though, which can keep you from ignoring a problem until it gets out of hand.
You can also check the soil outside your home. If you just had a period of heavy rain, but the soil around your home is dry right after, it could mean that the water is draining too fast. And if there hasn’t been rain for a while, yet the ground is still really damp, it could mean that the water isn’t draining fast enough.
If any of the above is true, it helps to contact the foundation specialists at Southern Home to take a look and see what may be going on. This step can save you potentially thousands of dollars and a lot of frustration.
