Des Moines, IA experiences a wide range of seasonal variations, with the soil undergoing significant changes. In the summer, the soil around the city becomes extremely dry, while in the winter, heavy snow and freezing temperatures can lead to substantial soil expansion. Embracing each season is a way of life here, but it’s important to be aware that these changes may impact your home’s foundation. One notable consequence is the occurrence of “street creep.”
Street creep is a prevalent issue in Des Moines, IA, and if not identified and addressed early, it can escalate, resulting in severe damage to your home. Though not a term commonly heard, understanding street creep is crucial, especially given its potential to cause foundation failure over an extended period.
This phenomenon often occurs in cul-de-sacs, homes situated on curved roads, and driveways aligned with T-shaped intersections. These layouts are susceptible to the pressure exerted by expanding asphalt, leading to street creep.
Causes of Street Creep Damage
Street creep is a foundation problem caused by the thermal expansion and contraction of concrete streets and pavement surrounding a home. Concrete, like many materials, expands in heat and contracts in cold temperatures. Contractors typically incorporate expansion joints in sidewalks, driveways, and other exterior slabs to prevent cracking due to temperature-induced expansion and contraction.
Expansion joints divide large concrete expenses into individual slabs, allowing independent movement. However, issues with street creep arise during cold winter months when widened joints become filled with materials like sand or gravel. As temperatures rise, the concrete expands, but filled joints cannot absorb this movement. Consequently, one slab pushes against another, causing the entire concrete expanse to “creep.”
Street creep exerts significant pressure at the concrete edges, particularly where a driveway meets a garage slab or a house foundation wall. While damage from street creep is a gradual process, with typical block-length concrete streets elongating only a fraction of an inch each year, the cumulative movement over time can result in severe foundation damage.
Signs of Street Creep
The expansion joint between the driveway and the garage is fully compressed.
Foundation walls on the sides of the garage are pushed inward.
Gaps have formed behind the foundation walls on either side of the garage.
Basement or foundation walls are pushed out by the garage slab.
The situation can worsen in winter when debris, such as sand and gravel, accumulates in roads, sidewalks, and driveway cracks. Snowplows further exacerbate the problem in cul-de-sacs, pressing concrete on driveways and pushing debris through cracks, leaving no room for expansion.
Foundation Experts in Des Moines, Iowa
Call the professionals at BAM Basements for your free estimate and evaluation. We will provide the best solution for your home. With honest, upfront no hassle pricing.
At BAM Basements and Masons of Des Moines, IA, we prioritize getting the job done right the first time. Offering free estimates and necessary foundation repair services, we are committed to ensuring your home’s well-being at a fair cost. With a focus on total customer satisfaction, high-quality workmanship, and limited lifetime warranties, we bring over 100 years of combined expertise in waterproofing. Locally founded, owned, and operated, BAM Basements and Masons of Des Moines is your trusted partner for basement egress window services in Des Moines, Ankeny, Bondurant, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Ames, Adel, Waukee, Indianola, Grimes, Urbandale, Johnston, West Des Moines, and surrounding areas. Contact us today for tailored solutions to meet your home’s needs.