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Serving Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and beyond
What Causes Concrete Settlement & Damage?
Houses are prone to many different issues over the course of their lifetime. These issues range from large to small problems and some can be fixed easier than others.
When it comes to settlement damage, it's best to pinpoint these problems early so that they only require a simple fix before the problem becomes much more damaging.
If you need a professional opinion on the status of your home's concrete or settlement situation, contact LRE Foundation Repair today for your free inspection.
The main problem with of any sort of settlement damage is usually caused by the soils in the ground. Since your home rests on top of the ground, it's important for the soils in the ground to be able to support that heavy weight.
If the soils are compromised in any way, they can lose their ability to support the weight of your home and cause it to settle into the ground.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to avoid some of these problems that cause soil settlement. Some of these problems occur before your house is even built, and others can occur over time while you've been living in your house for many years.
During construction of homes, the soil is dug up to make room for your foundation. Once your foundation is laid, the soil that was dug up is then put back into place around your foundation as fill soil.
While this is a necessary step for home construction, the downside is that it disrupts the soils. In their natural state, the soils can be very strong and compacted in the ground and can support heavy weight. When they are dug up, they are disrupted and cannot return to the same strength as their natural state.
The fill soil is used to fill in the voids around your homes foundation once it is laid, but it is much looser and less supportive than its original state.
The soils that can impact your home at any point throughout its lifespan are expansive soils. These are soils that exist in the ground in many areas across the country and can cause major foundation settlement issues.
As these soils get wet, they become so saturated with water that they expand and get much larger than their original size. The expansion causes them to spread out and become displaced from their original position, putting pressure on your foundation.
As a result, your foundation or concrete slab can settle as these soils expand.
Settlement can occur on any concrete surface outside your home. The soils in the ground can be compromised anywhere and cause any concrete slab to settle.
Your home's foundation is a main problem area for settlement as it is extremely heavy and is impacted by fill soils and expansive soils.
Aside from your foundation, concrete settlement can also occur on the following concrete surfaces:
These concrete surfaces are often made up of several concrete slabs. As the soils below the slabs being to shift, it can cause one slab to sink below the others.
Not only can concrete settlement create unsightly uneven surfaces, it can also create dangerous tripping hazards. As one slab sinks below another, it can create a very large gap and create tripping hazards around your home.
If left untreated, any concrete settlement can turn into a major and expensive problem. It's important to get your concrete inspected by a professional at the first sign of settlement.
We have proudly helped protect Florida residents from settlement damage since 1989. If you notice any signs of concrete or foundation settlement with your home, take action before the problem becomes worse.
Contact us today for your free inspection on how to protect your home and concrete from settlement!
