Fix Foundation Damage Caused by Expansive Soils in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Edmond
The Impacts of Expansive Soils
Many different factors can impact the soils around your foundation and cause damage to your foundation walls. The soils can shift and put a lot of pressure on your foundation, which can impact the structural integrity of your home. The amount of pressure put on your foundation is dependent upon the type of soil, the moisture content in the soil, and how far down your foundation goes into the soil.
If your home was built on expansive soils, the structural stability of your foundation may be in jeopardy. Expansive soils can easily expand when they become wet and push up against your foundation, creating an immense amount of pressure and causing the walls to bow or crack. To fix your foundation problems, the soils must be addressed.
Our foundation experts at Vesta Foundation Solutions know how to address the problem soils to provide a permanent solution for your failing foundation. Contact us today to get your free inspection throughout Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond, and the nearby areas.
Disrupted Soil During Excavation
When your home was built, the virgin soil was dug up during excavation and was disrupted from its original state. Once your foundation was poured, the soil was then backfilled to fill the voids in the ground. During this process, the original soil loses its compactness and can cause your foundation to settle over time. It also causes the soils to become much more water-absorbent and can saturate the ground, putting a lot of pressure on your foundation.
Why Do Soils Expand?
During rainstorms, the water can saturate the soils and cause them to expand and increase in weight. This soil expansion leads to an immense amount of pressure on your foundation walls and can cause serious structural damage to your home.
Different types of soil can cause more damage than others when it comes to expansion. Clay soils tend to expand more when they become wet compared to sandy soils. Soils that contain a lot of sand can easily allow water to pass through them without being disturbed, but clay soils absorb the moisture and expand.
As the soils expand, it can put an immense amount of pressure on your foundation walls, known as hydrostatic pressure. This pressure can cause your walls to bow or buckle inward and jeopardize your home’s structural integrity.
Another culprit of foundation wall failure is frost heave. When water turns to ice during winter months, it increases in volume and can impact the soils around your foundation walls. If the soils are wet during a frost, the water will freeze and cause the soils to expand and put pressure on your foundation walls.
Stay Protected with Vesta
Our foundation experts at Vesta Foundation Solutions know what it takes to protect your home with quality foundation repair. We understand the soil conditions in Oklahoma and know how to install proper foundation repair methods to protect your home. Schedule your free inspection today to get started!