Your home’s roof and foundation are both crucial to the safety and integrity of your property. Between the two there is a delicate balance that must be preserved. If your home’s foundation is damaged, your risk of facing roofing problems increases.
In this article, we’ll list the ways that foundation issues can result in mild or serious roof damage. This will give you an idea of the causes and fixes for these problems so that you can preserve the integrity of your property.
What are some foundation issues that can damage your roof?
1. Inadequate Drainage
If you have expansive clay soils under your foundation, this will likely cause problems that will impact your house’s roof. When clay soil expands, the foundation of your home will upheave. During this process, the foundation moves in an upwards direction causing cracks to appear on the walls of your home and pushing upon the roof.
Making sure your gutters and downspouts are in good working order will lower the risk of the clay soil absorbing too much water and expanding. It’s important to make sure that no rainwater is discharged near your foundation. Allowing it to pool around the foundation is what will result in upheaval.
2. No Routine Upkeep & Inspections
One of the root causes of serious foundation issues is lack of routine maintenance and inspections. When you catch minor problems before they get worse, you’ll save time and money in the long run.
Foundation inspections can uncover problems that could lead to costly roof damage. Opt to have regular professional foundation inspections done to make sure that your foundation is in good shape.
3. Plumbing
Faulty plumbing is also often an underlying cause of foundation trouble, so you should get regular plumbing inspections as well. Any leaks or minor drips must be fixed quickly to avoid shifting foundation and roof problems. This is equally important for the sewer lines and freshwater lines.
4. Tree Roots
Tree roots often pose trouble for your foundation. The growth of trees around your house can endanger the structural integrity of your home. Tree roots growing close to the foundation will absorb water and lead to moisture loss in the soil around and under your home.
As a result, the soil will start shrinking which will impact the foundation’s stability. Usually, this will result in your foundation sinking, which will then cause roof damage. If this is taking place, you’ll notice that your roof looks saggy or wavy.
5. Foundation Settlement
Settling foundations pose a headache for many homeowners across the nation. Settling usually leads to the formation of cracks, which may seem insignificant in the beginning. As time passes, this will also result in the doors and windows of your home sticking or separating from the wall. This will also cause roof damage. As the walls move, they cause separation of roof joists, rafters, and wall headers.
6. Foundation Levels
A foundation needs to be properly leveled in order to stand firmly on the ground. A foundation that is not even could very well lead to prominent issues inside your home, including the roof and ceilings.
Slight tilts in your home’s foundation are normal but considerable changes in the levels affect the integrity of the house. Inadequate soil consolidation prior to construction is often the cause behind unequal foundation levels. Soil shifts and movements contribute to the problem as well.
You can easily test whether or not your home is level by placing a golf ball on the floor of your home. If the ball starts to roll, you likely don’t have a level foundation.
What are some other common signs of foundation issues?
Roof damage is only one of the possible signs that your foundation’s integrity is threatened. Understanding the common signs of foundation problems allows you to react to them and fix the problem before it gets worst.
- Your flooring can give off warning signs about foundation problems. For example, if your floors are springing and bouncing, you should probably get a foundation inspection. It’s likely that the flooring faults are connected to foundation trouble.
- Wooden door or windows frames that pull away from the brickwork are common signs of foundation trouble in brick houses. Investigate further to find the underlying source of the problem.
- Tilting cabinets and counters indicate a foundation issue that needs a quick repair. Sometimes the tilt is serious enough to form a visible gap between the cabinetry and walls.
- Cracked tiles may be connected to your foundation. Sometimes the pressure involved in foundation failure will create cracks in your kitchen or bathroom tiles.
What else can cause roof damage?
While your foundation and roof are connected, the foundation isn’t always to blame for your roofing problems. Other sources of the problem could include:
- Installation issues: The use of sub-standard sealants, failure to overlap shingles, and no underlayment are common installation problems that create damages.
- Aging shingles: Sometimes it’s a normal aging process that causes visible roof damage.
Conclusion
Your home’s foundation and roof are connected. When you have foundation problems, your roof will get damaged as well. That’s why you should always get a foundation inspection done when you have unexplained roof damage.
When a foundation is fixed there will remain some separation of the wooden members of the roof. There is no practical way to nail boards that have separated. When the roof moves, it will also tear at the shingles, which are your protection from the rain.
Contact Granite Foundation Repair to schedule your free foundation inspection! You can reach us by calling (972) 412-2171.