Ahome’s foundation isn’t just a huge slab of concrete. It’s the load bearingportion of the structure. Without a good foundation, a myriad of structuralissues can plague a home.
Onegood example of a structural component that can get affected by a badfoundation is your home’s roof. Wavy or saggy roofs are a sign that theintegrity of your home has been compromised.
Simplyput, if your foundation moves, so does your roof!
FoundationIssues That Can Affect Your Home’s Roof
Foundationproblems and roof damage go hand in hand. In other words, if your foundation isdamaged, it’s likely that your roof will also get damaged as well. This isespecially true if the problem is ignored for far too long.
Beloware
the most common foundation issues that can seriously impact the structuralintegrity of your home’s roof.
1. Cracks on the foundation and on walls.
Oftentimes,
cracksare a sign of a foundation problem. Hairline fissures measuring 1/16” are fairlycommon. But, when you notice these cracks growing into gaps, it could mean yourhome is experiencing a foundation problem. Even a 1/4” gap should warrant concern.
When examining these cracks, pay attention to theiralignment. Are they vertical or horizontal? If they are horizontal, the problemcould run deeper than the foundation itself. Before long, you may beginnoticing problems with your roof as well.
2. A foundation that appears to settle or sink.
Does your foundation seemto be sinking? If it does, it’s a sign of trouble. Foundation settling iscaused by the soil beneath your home moving or shifting.
It typically occurs inareas that have expansive clay soils like Texas. During the winter when thesoil is wet, expansive clay soil absorbs the moisture and expands. Duringsummer when the sun is blazing, the soil loses moisture and shrinks. This backand forth changes in soil conditions is what causes foundations to fail.
Since foundation settlingoccurs unevenly, one part of the house will sink more than the other. When thishappens, not only will your foundation fail but you’ll also experience roofingproblems as well.
You may begin noticingthat the ridge of your roof is starting to bend, buckle or dip. Or, you maybegin noticing a hump in the middle.
3. Bumps on the floor.
Does your slab seem tohave moved in an upward direction? Or, does your concrete slab floors have bumps?If so, it’s a sign of foundation upheaval.
Foundation upheaval canlift an entire structure, but more often it forces parts of the foundation orslab upwards. This means that certain parts will move up while others willremain stationary.
Signs of foundationupheaval include cracks in your floor or walls. Left unattended, it could alsobegin affecting your roof. Causes of upheaval include flooding, broken sewerlines, plumbing leaks, and removing too many trees.
4. Floors that sag or appear to be uneven.
Settling support columnsor sagging floor joists are what causes uneven, bowing or sagging floors. Ifyou’ve noticed your floors are out of level, consult a foundation repairspecialist immediately.
Floors are prone to becomeout of level when concrete slabs are impacted by foundation issues. Where pierand beam foundations are concerned, floors tend to sag and squeak.
The most common cause ofuneven floors is poor drainage. Inadequacies in drainage can lead to a host ofissues like foundation settlement. If this issue is ignored, other structuralelements that depend on those support elements can begin to fail too.
Your roof shingles, forinstance, could start buckling and flying off your roof.
To check whether yourfloor is level, you will need either a golf or tennis ball. On a level floor,the ball will remain stationary. Otherwise, it'll move. A more scientific wayof establishing whether your floor is level is by using a zip line.
Another indication thatyou have uneven floors are doors that are self-closing or self-opening.
4. Tree roots and subsidence.
Treeroots can cause foundation damage – and often do – that threatens yourhome’s structural integrity.
Tree roots can take wateraway from the soil beneath your foundation. Large trees can absorb tens ofgallons of water per day from the soil per day. If they are close enough toyour home’s foundation, this can cause devastating effects to your foundation.
In areas like Texas, thiscan cause the expansive clay soil to shrink, causing the foundation to settle. Youcan solve this problem by providing water in the form of manual watering or asprinkler system.
The integrity of the foundationcan affect the roof of your home. The secret to avoiding this is by having yourfoundation regularly checked by a qualified foundation specialist. They willassess your home’s condition and offer sound advice on the way forward.
