Tree root and green grass
/ By adminrm / Foundation and Landscaping/ • • • / 0 Comments

Tips to Help Prevent Root-Related Foundation Damage

Tree and shrub roots can spread throughout your foundation, weakening its structure and causing it to fail. Roots can also drain the soil of needed moisture, causing the earth itself to move your foundation out of place. These problems can reveal themselves as unlevel floors, doors or windows that stick, or an unpleasant musty odor throughout your home.

There are several ways to help protect your foundation from root-related problems. But sometimes the harm has already occurred. If this sounds like your situation, then we urge you to get in touch with us here at Align Foundation Repair and schedule a free inspection from our knowledgeable and experienced professional contractors. Acting sooner rather than later is important, as foundation damage will worsen over time and if left unchecked can be more expensive to repair down the road.

Steps You Can Take to Prevent Root Damage to Your Home

There are a number of time-tested ways to prevent tree and shrub roots from damaging your foundation. These include:

  • Choosing your trees and shrubs with care – in general, it’s better to choose slow-growing plants with minimal water needs. Your local landscaper can provide useful information.
  • Allowing adequate space between your foundation and your trees or shrubs – for example, hardwood trees should be planted at least 20 feet from your home. Again, your local landscaper or garden center provide advice on specific plants.
  • Installing a root barrier – this is a flexible shield constructed from polyethylene (HDPE) that encircles the perimeter of a tree or shrub. When buried or driven into the ground, it directs roots downward and away from your residence.

How Roots Can Make Foundation Repair in Richardson TX Necessary

Here are three ways that tree and shrub roots can pose a threat to your home’s foundation:

  1. By drying out the earth around your home – trees and shrubs use a lot of water. For example, a mature oak tree can require 50 gallons of water a day or more to stay healthy. By drawing this moisture from the soil around your house, they can cause the foundation to expand and eventually crack.
  2. By shifting the soil – tree and shrub roots can also change the distribution of dirt around your home, causing your foundation to either heave upward or sink deeper into the ground.
  3. By digging into the foundation itself – you can think of tree and shrub roots as subterranean spear points that are constantly probing your foundation for weaknesses. Eventually, they will find their way into existing cracks or create new ones altogether, spreading weakness throughout the entire structure.

Foundation Repair Contractors Richardson Texas

If your home is experiencing structural problems, here’s how our foundation repair contractors in Richardson, TX, can help:

  • By getting to the “root” of the problem – we’ll use our decades of training and experience to find out exactly what’s going on with your foundation.
  • By providing a no-obligation quote for your consideration – so you’ll have the facts you need to decide if you want to proceed with repair work.
  • By helping you to explore financing options – we’ll do everything possible to make your Richardson foundation repair affordable.
  • By backing our work with our ironclad guarantee – giving you the peace of mind you need to relax and focus on other priorities.

For foundation repair Richardson TX homeowners can depend on, choose the experienced professionals at Align Foundation Repair. Getting in touch with us now will help you to avoid expensive and stressful problems later. If you live in our Richardson foundation repair service area, give us a call or reach out to us online today.

Tree root and green grass
/ By Chase Gohl / Foundation and Landscaping/ • / 0 Comments

Can Trees Cause Uneven Floors in My House?

Tree roots can extend to the soil beneath the home and cause shifting that leads to uneven flooring. A tree is far larger than what you can see. There is an entire extensive root system below the soil that can extend for meters. Though the root is out of sight, it shouldn’t be out of mind.

How Roots Can Damage the Flooring

Roots naturally grow in the direction of water and nutrients in the soil. A cracked plumbing pipe near the home can cause water to seep into the soil. This causes the roots to gravitate in that direction.

Contrary to popular belief, the roots themselves don’t cause direct damage. The roots typically don’t have the strength to split the concrete unless the concrete has pre-existing damage. Instead, the root disrupts the soil condition. The root can consume the soil’s moisture and nutrients. This leads to loose soil that is less able to support the weight of the foundation and floor. Soil requires moisture to retain solidity. Without it, soil becomes less compact.

Soil Type Plays a Role

The degree to which tree roots can inflict damage depends largely on the soil conditions. Soil containing heavy concentrations of clay compacts more easily, making it harder for roots to push through it. Soil consisting primarily of gravel and loose dirt, on the other hand, is less compact, making it easy for roots to navigate through. Soil with heavy sand composition is also really vulnerable since sand is moisture-dependent for retaining its solidity.

Some parts of the North Texas region contain soil of the loose dirt and sand variety. This makes uneven flooring from root intrusion commonplace.

What to Do if You Have an Intruding Tree

If you notice uneven or sloped flooring, a North Texas foundation repair expert will need to perform an evaluation to determine the cause. If a tree rests on your property, then it may very well be the culprit. If so, then the tree may need to be removed. When we say removed, we mean uprooted. It is not enough to just cut the tree and leave the stump behind; that means the roots also remain. If the root remains, the tree may be able to resprout.

Should You Remove Your Tree?

Even if the floor is fine, should you be concerned if you have a tree? Multiple factors are in play, such as the soil condition which we mentioned. The tree species matters as well. Some species grow longer root systems than others. Examples of trees with non-invasive roots include:

  • Sugar, silver, and Norway maples
  • Willow trees
  • Oak trees
  • Ash trees

These trees have shallow roots, usually extending only four to eight-inches below ground. Don’t forget, though, that distance matters as well. Trees should be planted no closer than 20 feet within your home, though even this rule isn’t ironclad. Once again, it depends on the tree species.

Have Uneven Flooring? Give Us a Call

Trees on your property may be causing unseen damage. If you suspect problems with your foundation, take action immediately. Contact us at Align Foundation Repair for a free estimate. An uneven floor foundation problem only exacerbates over time if ignored.