Here in Des Moines, IA we are subject to a lot of seasonal changes. In the summer, the soil around the city becomes incredibly dry. Then, in the winter heavy snow or freezing cold days, the soil can expand like crazy. Experiencing each season is part of life here, but did you know the changes could be affecting your foundation? Among other things, seasonal changes in soil density can put unwanted pressure on your home. One of the primary ways these changes directly affect your home is through a phenomenon known as “street creep.”
Street creep is actually a very relevant and common issue in Des Moines, IA. If you don’t detect street creep symptoms and fix them early, they can broaden in scope until they cause severe damage to your home.
Street creep may not be a term one hears often, but it is one that we are prepared to deal with if it does occur. This phenomenon causes foundation failure and happens over a period of many years. This usually occurs in cul-de-sacs, homes on a curved road, and driveways aligned with t-shaped intersections; these are layouts where spreading asphalt is most likely to put pressure on the driveway.
What Causes Street Creep Damage?
Street creep is a common foundation problem that's caused by the thermal expansion and contraction of concrete streets and pavement surrounding a home.
Like many materials, concrete expands when it's hot and contracts when it's cold. Contractors place expansion joints in sidewalks, driveways and other exterior slabs so that temperature-induced expansion and contraction won't cause a slab to crack.
Expansion joints divide a large expanse of concrete into individual slabs that can expand and contract independently. Temperature fluctuations throughout the seasons will cause these joints to widen in the colder months and narrow during hot weather.
Problems with street creep begin to arise during the cold winter months, when the widened joints become filled with materials like sand or gravel.
As temperatures rise again during warmer weather, the concrete expands. But if joints are filled with sand and gravel, they can no longer absorb this movement. Instead, one slab will push against another.
Once they're filled with debris, expansion joints can no longer do their job. The entire expanse of concrete expands as a single unit, causing the street to “creep.” Street creep exerts tremendous pressure at the edge of the concrete, where a driveway meets a garage slab or a house foundation wall.
Damage from street creep is a slow process – the elongation of a typical block-length concrete street is generally only a fraction of an inch each year. However, over time, the movement will add up to several inches, which will mean potentially serious damage to your foundation.
Here are some signs of street creep:
1. The expansion joint between the driveway and the garage is fully compressed
2. The foundation walls on the sides of the garage are pushed inward
3. Gaps have formed behind the foundation walls on either side of the garage
4. Basement or foundation walls are pushed out by the garage slab.
This also can worsen in the winter months when sand, gravel and debris become wedged in the cracks of the road, sidewalk and concrete driveway. Water that enters these cracks and freezes also expands the cracks and continues to put pressure on this chain reaction.
Also, when the snow plows come through cul-de-sacs the weight and pressure from the plows press the concrete further onto the driveway. Also pushes sand and gravel through the cracks causing no room for expansion.
Call the Foundation experts in Des Moines, Iowa
At BAM Basements and Masons of Des Moines,IA we pride ourselves in completing a job the right way the first time. We offer free estimates as well as any necessary foundation repair service, and we pride ourselves in doing what is right for your homes, at the low side of the fair. Contact us today to learn more about our foundation services.
Here at BAM basements and Masons of Des Moines we pride ourselves on delivering every consideration to total customer satisfaction with the highest quality workmanship, limited lifetime warranties, having over 100 years combined of expertise on waterproofing, we are locally founded, owned, and operated. Call us for all your waterproofing needs and we will find a customized solution to fit your home’s needs. BAM Basements and Masons of Des Moines is your premier basement egress window company serving the Des Moines, Iowa area. If you’re located in Des Moines, Ankeny, Bondurant, Altoona, Pleasant hill, Ames, Adel, Waukee, Indianola, Grimes, Urbandale, Johnston, West Des Moines, or the surrounding areas, we’re the place to call.