One of the things you need to know is what causes foundation problems in Brentwood. We see a variety of causes, but there are a few that seem to come up more than others.
Water Damage
In Brentwood, you see an average of 120 days each year with rainfall. While that averages out to a little more than twice a week, you get a lot of rain when it comes down. In fact, the yearly average of rainfall in the Brentwood area is over 52 inches. As a comparison, the national average for rainfall is only 38 inches.
In addition, Brentwood has a yearly average humidity percentage of almost 70. This is an average and doesn’t account for those hot, humid summer days. All of this moisture makes its way into the soil that surrounds your Brentwood home.
Water is a liquid, but it always has weight, and it weighs a lot. When you add all of this water to the soil, it builds up the pressure — hydrostatic pressure — on your Brentwood home’s foundation, causing it to crack and crumble.
When it rains, the water needs to run off the roof of your Brentwood home, so it doesn’t damage the shingles. A complex system of gutters and downspouts allows the water to easily move off your roof and to the ground.
In some cases, poorly placed or damaged gutters and downspouts can leave a lot of standing water next to the foundation of your Brentwood home. This will cause both hydrostatic pressure and erosion of your foundation.
Trees
Trees are a beautiful addition to the landscape of your Brentwood home. They provide shade in the heat of a Brentwood summer. However, trees are always growing, which means that their roots are always on the move. The most common trees in Brentwood include:
- Black Maple
- Red Maple
- Ohio Buckeye
- River Birch
- Kentucky Coffee Tree
- Yellow Poplar
- Black Gum
- White Oak
- Shingle Oak
- Willow Oak
As they grow, these potentially massive trees send their roots wide and far in the search for water and other nutrients that they need to grow. They will push into any crack or hole they find in your foundation.
You might think that the damage stops there. However, the tree roots will continue to try and move forward. This causes further damage to your Brentwood home’s foundation.
Poor Workmanship
As a professional organization, we don’t like to disparage other professionals. However, some contractors are rushed when they build homes and cut corners. This can leave your Brentwood home with a subpar foundation.
A subpar contract skimps on the reinforcement materials, which can lead to serious problems. Although the city has strict building codes in place to protect homeowners, Brentwood is a suburb that has built up quickly for people who don’t want to live in the city.
If you think that your foundation isn’t up to par in your Brentwood home, it’s always beneficial to get it evaluated. You might be wrong, or you may save yourself a lot of future problems.