A front porch is a welcoming feature on any home, inviting neighbors to pop on over and chat for a while as you sit with them watching the world go by. It’s the main way guests enter your home, and it can add greatly to your curb appeal.
So if you’re seeing signs that the porch or steps are sinking, it’s time to do something about it. Here’s the 101 on what could be causing that sagging, so you can begin to address it.
What Causes a Porch or Patio to Sag?
The most common reasons your porch, patio, and/or the outdoor steps attached to them sink are:
1. Normal Settling
All houses “settle”—that is, they shift a bit over time as the soil moves due to moisture and seasonal changes. Often, this shifting is minor for the rest of your home, but a poorly built patio or porch might suffer more. That added wear may show up as sagging.
2. Damaged Concrete
Whether caused by normal settling, an earthquake (even a minor one!), an inferior concrete pour, or exposure to weather, concrete can wear down and break. Cracked concrete can go all the way down to the porch’s foundation, resulting in a portion of it sinking.
3. Foundation Weaknesses
Sometimes, what’s happening on your patio or porch is a sign of what’s happening to your entire home. If your main foundation slab is damaged, one of the effects is sinking—which may initially come to your attention where you can see it happening firsthand—your porch or patio.
If you suspect you might have that kind of foundation damage, call on our experts to assess what’s happening and come up with recommendations for any foundation repairs you may need. (We pride ourselves on providing honest answers—so if you don’t actually need foundation repairs, we’ll tell you immediately.)
4. Frost Heaving
Water from rain and snow runoff (and even from sprinkler systems aimed the wrong way) can sneak underneath the support system for your patio, porch and front steps. There, the moisture can sit, potentially causing problems. This is especially true in areas like Oklahoma, where temperature swings lead to frequent freezes and thaws. The frozen ice expands up and outward, putting pressure on the concrete of your porch, patio and steps, leading to sagging.
5. Tree Roots
If you have a large tree in or near your yard, the reason for your porch or patio sagging could be the tree’s roots. The bigger the roots are, the more they can reach into areas where you don’t want them, like your outdoor spaces. And even if the tree is removed, the dying roots will decompose, making the soil sink—and your outdoor space will sink right along with it.
6. Moisture-Prone Soil
In Oklahoma, our clay soil is especially susceptible to the changing weather we endure. The hot, dry days we often get, alternating with heavy rain and humidity, can make our soil expand and contract a lot. And that constant movement can cause porches, patios, and front steps to shift and crack, leading to sagging.
What to Do About Your Sagging Porch and Front Steps
Pay Attention to The Warning Signs
Usually, when your front steps, patio or porch are sinking, you’ll see some obvious signs.
- The area may look slanted, with one portion looking higher than another.
- Part of the floor might lean downward.
- The steps may appear to have sunken into the soil.
- The first step may be lower than your paved walkway.
- Concrete features may be cracked.
- The porch or patio may be visibly pulling away from the main house.
- The surface may be uneven and hard to walk on without tripping.
If you’re seeing any of these signs, you may have a problem that needs addressing.
Pinpoint the Causes
Quick fixes can be temporarily satisfying—but the only way to fix your sagging porch, patio or front steps is to clearly identify the root cause. Different issues call for different solutions. And if the reason for the sagging is due to your home’s foundation being damaged, it’s important to act quickly to make your home secure.
Make Foundation Problems a Thing of the Past
There’s no need to suffer with a sagging porch or any other foundation problems you may be experiencing. Our team at Edens Structural Solutions will check your foundation, find the specific cause of your issue, and give you an honest assessment of how to address it.
If you don’t need us, we’ll tell you. But if you do, our custom exterior pier system will get your porch and foundation back in position so you can have peace of mind in your home’s condition.
