How Cold Weather Can Stress Your Foundation

  As the seasons turn and cooler temperatures sweep across our wide region, from the St. Louis metro east to Champaign, out to Jefferson City, and down to Cape Girardeau and Effingham, many homeowners begin their preparations for winter. But while you’re stowing away garden furniture and tuning up the furnace, there’s a quiet, powerful force at work below your home that you may not have considered: the ground itself.

The Invisible Threat: A Foundation's Worst Enemy

Your home’s foundation is designed to be strong, but it's not invincible against the relentless cycle of Mother Nature. The single greatest threat to your foundation in our climate is the freeze-thaw cycle.

Here’s a simple breakdown of how this destructive process works:

• Water Infiltration: Throughout the fall, water from rain and melting frost seeps into the soil around your foundation. It finds its way into any tiny cracks in the concrete, no matter how small.

• The Power of Ice: As the temperatures drop and the ground freezes, this trapped water expands. While a 9% expansion may not sound like much, it exerts thousands of pounds of pressure on your foundation. This pressure forces existing cracks to widen and can even create new ones.

• A Vicious Cycle: When a brief thaw occurs, more water enters the newly expanded cracks. Then, when the temperatures plummet again, the ice forms with even greater force. This creates a destructive feedback loop that can cause serious structural damage, leading to bowing basement walls, uneven floors, and sticking doors and windows.

This is especially a concern in our area, where expansive clay and silt soils are common. These soil types absorb and hold a lot of moisture. When they freeze, the resulting frost heave can put immense upward and lateral pressure on your foundation, making winter an especially stressful season for your home’s base.

Why Fall is Your Last, Best Chance

Before the ground freezes solid in mid-to-late October, addressing any existing concrete and foundation issues is critical. Taking action now can prevent small problems from becoming major structural headaches in the spring.

• Prevent Winter Damage: By leveling sinking concrete sidewalks, driveways, and patios now, you eliminate water collection points that would otherwise freeze and worsen damage.

• Stop the Progression: A professional foundation repair in the fall can stabilize your home and prevent the freeze-thaw cycle from wreaking further havoc on your foundation walls.

• Prepare for a Safer Winter: Uneven concrete creates a tripping hazard, which becomes even more dangerous when covered by snow and ice. A quick concrete leveling job now ensures safer access to your home all winter long.

We Serve Your Neighbors, No Matter Where You Are

Whether you're in the St. Louis metro area, enjoying the college town feel of Champaign, living near the state capital in Jefferson City, or residing near the Mississippi in Cape Girardeau or Effingham, the principles of a solid, stable foundation remain the same. The soil and climate variations across our service area all lead to the same predictable problems.

Don't let the coming cold weather surprise you. The best time to protect your home’s foundation and level your concrete is right now, before the ground freezes.

Don’t wait for winter to uncover a problem. Contact Woods Basement Systems today to schedule a free, no-obligation inspection and get a custom plan to protect your home from the ground up.