Your house’s foundation does a great job of keeping everything strong and in place, but because it sits on soil, it may move over the course of a year. Even though this is normal, it can be bad for your foundation. We’ll explain how the weather can affect your foundation in detail below so you can see what to be on the alert for, no matter what climate you happen to live in.
Damage From Hot Temperatures
Due to the rising summer temperatures and lack of moisture, or in extreme circumstances, drought, the water will evaporate from your foundation. Cracks, leaks, and a generally unstable foundation can result from too little moisture in the concrete and the earth around it. Soil types respond to water content by expanding and contracting at varying rates, although in dry weather, all soil types shrink.
When moisture in the soil around your foundation is depleted because of high temperatures, your foundation will crack. Because of this, your foundation may settle, which can cause more cracking, structural damage, and even further subsidence. It is at this point that the best thing you can do is speak to an expert about foundation repair to ensure your home remains as safe and strong as possible.
Watering your concrete foundation or concrete slabs might help prevent cracking during the hot summer months. Check to see that water from your sprinklers is reaching your home’s foundation, and if you don’t have sprinklers, get a water hose.
Damage From Cold Temperatures
A freezing winter can damage your foundation, especially if cracks were already there because of the hot summer. When the water in the soil freezes in the winter, it causes the water to expand, which in turn causes the soil to expand. If it stays cold, water can leak out and freeze at deeper levels, making the cracks bigger.
Ultimately, a frost heave can happen. This is when frozen expansion causes water-soaked soil to rise up. If you’ve ever been walking on a sidewalk or in your driveway and seen concrete that has been pushed up and moved around, this is likely to be caused by frost heave.
Damage From Heavy Rain
If a building has a poor foundation, it could collapse in heavy rain. Soil can become moist and brittle after a torrential downpour. The foundations of buildings, both commercial and residential, are vulnerable to the effects of excessive rainfall, which might be caused by hurricanes or frequent storms.
Weakening soil can also cause a building’s foundation to sink. Heavy downpours can cause water to infiltrate under a home’s foundation and into a crawl space. The crawl space will get damp and moldy as water pools there for days or weeks.
High Winds
It’s possible that strong winds will be too much for the foundation of your home to handle. For example, uplift can be caused by strong winds. It occurs when the wind blows over the top of your house and causes it to become detached from its base. Your house could even topple over, spin, or slide off its foundation if there is enough pressure from the wind.
