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SHRINK SWELL SOIL Many soils in Virginia have the characteristic of Shrink/Swell. This is also called expansive soil. This simply means that as the soil gets wet or moist it increases in size/volume. Then as it dries it decreases in size/volume. This is a natural occurrence. Everything that gets wet swells to some degree, including
you! The constant shrinking and swelling causes a lot of pressure and stress on the foundation. If the foundation is not properly designed/constructed to handle it, then it will crack. That is a problem. There can be a 5 foot section of it in one corner of your yard and 10 feet away it can be fine. There are several cost effective and easy things that can be done to soil to minimize the effects of shrink/swell on the foundation. One is beef up the foundation. On existing foundations this can be very expensive. Another thing is to keep the soil either moist or dry all the time so that it does not cause varying or cyclic stress on your foundation. Since you don’t have any control over whether or not it rains, it is much easier to keep the soil moist all the time. There are companies out there who can install systems that
will maintain a constant moisture level. During a home inspection we don’t test for Shrink swell soil– no home inspectors do (there are companies out there that can– if you want to spend the money). Many people worry about shrink swell because that is what
everyone talks about when talking about foundation problems, especially in
Chesterfield county. It would be very unusual to not find any cracks in a foundation, even new ones. The criteria used is the size of the cracks found. Generally speaking, any crack greater than 1/4 inch is cause for concern. On our home inspections, any cracks noted of this size
comes with a recommendation to have it further evaluated by a structural
engineer. The structural Engineer is the expert on foundation systems and will
be able to properly evaluate the problem and offer recommendations for repair.
We hope the information is helpful to you……
JA Mersereau & Associates, Inc. is not responsible for the authenticity or accuracy of information contained within other websites recommended by us. They are intended for informational purposes only. We do not have control over content or accuracy. Products and services that are mentioned or advertised within this site do not carry any kind of endorsement by JA Mersereau & Associates, Inc.
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JA Mersereau & Associates, Inc. 11205 Brewer Road
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