Tired of the steamy temperatures of summer? Your foundation just might be too! With the sweltering days of Oklahoma summer to contend with, your foundation has to endure quite a lot of pressure. It’s no surprise that issues can crop up as the temperatures shoot up past 90, and it’s important to stop any foundation damage in its tracks to keep your house safe and sound.
Here’s why heat and swelling soil can pose a challenge for your home and what you can do about it:
What Makes Our Red Dirt So Hard on Your Foundation?
We’re famous for our striking red clay soil here in Oklahoma, and while it’s pretty to look at, it can also cause a lot of difficulties for your house. Unlike the gritty dirt you see in a bag of potting soil, clay is highly sensitive to the changing amounts of water within it. And sad to say, that leads to problems.
Rain Leads to Swelling Soil
When it rains, clay soil gets waterlogged and heavy, just like the clay you may have worked with in art class in school! This means that whenever our area experiences several heavy downpours or spring’s many long-lasting thunderstorms, the red dirt around your house will get soggy. In fact, your red dirt can swell up by as much as 10% after a heavy rain. That puts a lot of pressure on your foundation.
Clay Soil Shrinks in High Heat
Of course, rain isn’t the only foundation challenge we face here in Oklahoma. After our rainy springs, we often see long streaks of hot, steamy, sunny weather without a drop of rain in sight. After days of high heat pounding without relief against the ground, the moisture in our red dirt dries up. Any excess water gets removed from the soil, and then some! This dramatic change makes clay soil shrink significantly, pulling it away from your home’s foundation.
More Rain Only Makes This Problem Worse
Unfortunately for Oklahoma homeowners, when clay soil shrinks from high heat, it leaves unwanted space around your foundation. Then, when the next downpour occurs, rain gets right into those gaps. This can allow water to seep into any cracks in your slab, doing damage.
Uneven Settlement Occurs as Clay Soil Shifts
These regular cycles of soaked red dirt, followed by shrinking soil, followed by more soaking rain take a serious toll on your house over time. Your foundation starts to experience a lot of pressure and uneven support because some areas of your landscaping may shift more than others. The result is that your home begins to settle unevenly, which adds to the growing problem.
Foundation Damage Begins to Take Its Toll
As soil and moisture push on your house’s slab, the settling damage gets worse. Not what you wanted to hear, right? But armed with the facts, you can begin to move forward toward a solid solution. You’re very likely to see many of the concerns our team gets called out to inspect. You may spot:
- Stairstep cracks in your siding bricks
- A chimney that leans
- Cracks in your interior walls
- Misaligned or jammed doors and windows
- Floors that slope or are uneven
Foundation damage is too serious to ignore—so if you see anything that has you concerned, it’s time to get answers and find out if you need foundation repairs to be made.
Protect Your Home from Clay Soil Swelling and Shrinking with Timely, Trusted Foundation Repairs
Just because our red dirt is susceptible to wet-dry weather cycles, that doesn’t mean you have to let your home suffer. A lot of your questions can be answered right away with a foundation inspection. Our team is not only happy to stop by your house and check it out, but we also take pride in honesty, so contact us anytime to set up a complimentary consultation.
If your home is in good shape, we will flat-out say so and put your mind at ease. But if your foundation needs care, we’ll make a recommendation and guide you to navigate your next steps and have peace of mind that your home is protected. Whatever you need, Edens Structural Solutions is here to serve you and get your foundation in great shape!
