When we think of foundation damage, we think of the damage that is done by too much rain. It makes the soil too saturated with water and unsteady, allowing your foundation to shift. However, it is not just rainy periods where you should be concerned for the foundation of your home. The hot and dry periods of the year, especially summer heat, can be just as damaging.
The Dallas area is unfortunately flush with expansive soil. This means that there is a lot of motion that can happen to it. In wet periods, it swells and becomes slick. However, in dry periods in the summer, the soil can actually shrink. The soil shrinking away from your foundation is still very much motion that can cause your foundation to shift and settle.
One of the ways homeowners often combat this, often unknowingly, is with landscaping. Shrubbery and other landscaping by the home helps the soil hold moisture, provides shade to prevent the soil from quickly drying out, and is something that homeowners will water. Essentially, the way to combat foundation damage on hot, dry days is to get your hose and water the area around the foundation. Especially if you see the soil pulling away. Having landscaping gives you a reason to water the foundation, but areas without landscaping perhaps need the watering even more, especially if exposed to direct sun.
If you are looking to prevent foundation damage in the summer, a good rule of thumb is if you haven’t had any rain in a week and the temperatures have been upwards of 90 degrees, you will want to give the soil around your foundation some saturation.
Do you have a foundation in the Dallas Fort Worth area that is manifesting signs of damage? We can help. Foundation problems are not something that will get better, they will only grow worse. Let our professionals at Hargrave Custom Foundation Repair help you solve the problem before it gets any worse. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.