Your home or business concrete slab needs strong, immobile soil beneath it to maintain a sturdy support system for decades to come. Unfortunately, even the strongest concrete slab can be damaged by the elements and a range of other contributing factors.
Foundation failure is one of the most destructive forces that can wreak havoc on a home or business and lead to the need for slab repair. It can absolutely lower the value of one of your most significant investments. That’s why it’s key to be on the lookout for certain factors that may lead to foundation failure and slab damage.
Here are some of the main reasons your foundation could fail in East Texas:
1. Poor Soil Conditions – One of the key factors in foundation failure is poorly compacted soil or soil with low density. This allows soil to expand and contract over the years, leading to severe foundation damage when allowed to go unchecked. East Texas clay soils are seriously affected by poor soil conditions.
2. Plumbing Leaks – You may believe you have a modern, fully functional plumbing system in your home or business. However, your plumbing system can leak for years without anyone noticing. Over time, that moisture will seep into the soil beneath your home and create pressure on your slab.
3. Improperly Prepared Soil – Before your concrete slab is ever laid, construction contractors must properly level and compact the soil beneath it. If this is mishandled or altogether skipped, the soil can shift and lead to severe foundation repair problems down the road. If this is the case, you’ll need an East Texas slab repair and slab leveling expert onsite ASAP.
4. Drainage Problems – The gutters around your property, as well as the grading or slope of the ground away from your slab, may be installed improperly. This can cause the soil beneath your building to expand and create ruptures and cracks in your slab foundation.
5. Transpiration – If your home or business is surrounded by trees, shrubs, or other plant life, they may pull the seasonal moisture from the soil beneath your foundation and dry it out. This can exacerbate the expanding and contracting damage done to your concrete slab over time.
6. Evaporation – If you live in East Texas, you’re definitely familiar with the summer heat. Most years, our summers are incredibly humid. But in dryer heats, the moisture collected in the soil beneath your structure can dry up, exacerbating the expanding and contracting damage done to your slab over time.
7. Poorly Constructed Foundation – This point may go without saying, but if your foundation was not constructed properly, your home or business structure will surely suffer damage in the long run. Construction contractors must ensure the proper amount of steel and rebar is used when slab foundations are laid.
Contact the East Texas Slab Repair & Slab Leveling Experts
If your home or business is suffering from any of these factors that may lead to total foundation failure, don’t hesitate to call in the professionals for foundation and slab repair services. The team at Lone Star Foundation Repair is ready and waiting to address all of your East Texas slab leveling and slab repair needs. For more information on our services and how you can protect your structure from foundation failure, contact us today.
