The Telltale Signs That Your Tennessee Home's Foundation Is Settling

Clarksville, TN – Settling foundations in Tennessee occur when the soil below you home can no longer support the weight bearing down on it. As this happens, cracks will begin to appear on both the interior and exterior of your home. It's best to find the cause of the settlement immediately to reduce the future cost of repair.

The key reason your foundation sinks, settles, or sags is the soil layers it rests on. Your home is resting on many different layers of soil, each with a different thickness and ability to hold the weight of your home.

Typically, soil layers get stronger with depth – but moisture effects soils differently. For example, when sandy soil comes in contact with moisture, there is minimal expansion. This is because water can pass though the sand y soils very quickly. When sandy soils gets wet, it retains its original size.  Likewise, when it dries, shrinking is minimal. However, clay soil has a tendency to react very poorly with moisture. When clay gets saturated with water, it expands in size.  As it dries, it compacts.

Settlement can typically occur in three different ways:

1. The drying and shrinking of soils:
     

• Drought: After many months (or even years) without proper rain, clay soil dries out. As the amount of soil around your house shrinks in size, it creates an empty space for your home to settle in to. 
• Maturing trees: The trees surrounding your house have roots that can extend under your home, drawing moisture from the soil. Keep in mind that the root systems of a tree can often be two times the size of the tree canopy.

2. The wetting and softening of soil:
     

• Heavy rain and flood conditions:  As clay soil gets wet, it holds on to the water and becomes very soft. The soft soil is usually weak, and can allow the home to shift or sink down into it
• Poor drainage: When there is standing water next to your home, the soil will absorb the water and weaken the soil.

3. Poorly compacted fill soil:
     

• Often, when a new home development project is underway, soil is removed from hilltops and placed in valleys to create flat, buildable lots. This soil has the potential to not be well-compacted  – this will reflect as it begins to compress under the weight of the new home, in the form of settlement.

There are many visual signs of foundation settling that can occur both inside and outside of your home. Keep an eye out for the following:

• “Stair-Step” Cracking: This type of crack can be found on brick and concrete block walls, and will be visible in both interior and exterior walls. It derives its name from the fact that the crack looks like a set of stairs. As the home continues to settle, the cracks may widen, indicating that the wall is rotating outward.

• Chimneys: Sometimes chimneys are built on a foundation that is not connected to the rest of the home. This can be a problem when the chimney begins separating and leaning from the house as its independent foundation begins to settle.

• Doors and windows: These are the weakest part of the walls, due to the fact that they are an opening cut or created in a wall. Doors and windows can be the first place you notice settlement.  Typical signs of this type of damage include:
        o Doors and windows out of square
        o Cracks extending from the corners of doors or windows
        o Separation of a door or window from the framing or exterior finish.

Simply patching up a crack is only pushing off the inevitable because the source of the problem is not targeted. You may say, “Well my wall cracks aren’t that  bad yet.” Remember that wall cracks will only get worse over time-- not better. When you see a crack, it is time to call Frontier the leading foundation contractor in Kentucky and Tennessee.

If you are experiencing any of these problems please contact Frontier Basement Systems your #1 contractor for cracked foundation repair in Nashville, TN and KY. Frontier Basement Systems specializes in basement waterproofing, crawl space repair and foundation settlement in Columbia, TN and surrounding areas. Visit Frontier Basement Systems online for a free foundation repair quote.