Foundation Settlement: Understanding Why Your Home Is Sinking
Foundation settlement occurs when the soil beneath your foundation compresses, shifts, or erodes, causing portions of the structure to sink unevenly. In Colorado, expansive clay soil is the primary driver.
Foundation settlement is one of the most common structural issues we diagnose across Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and the surrounding communities. Settlement occurs when the soil beneath your foundation can no longer support the weight of the structure evenly. The result is differential movement, where one part of the foundation sinks more than another, creating cracks, uneven floors, and structural distress.
In Colorado, the primary cause of foundation settlement is expansive clay soil. When this soil absorbs water, it swells and pushes upward. When it dries, it shrinks and loses volume. Over years of wetting and drying cycles, the soil beneath a foundation can compact unevenly, creating voids that allow the foundation to settle.
Other causes of settlement include poor compaction during original construction, soil erosion from improper drainage, organic soil decomposition, and changes in the water table. Each of these factors is common along the Front Range.
We repair settlement using helical piers and push piers. Both systems bypass the problem soil entirely by transferring the weight of your home to stable, load-bearing material deep below the surface. In many cases, the foundation can be lifted back toward its original elevation during the repair process.
Key Benefits
- Thorough diagnosis of the root cause of settlement
- Helical and push pier solutions for permanent stabilization
- Potential to lift the foundation back to original elevation
- Independent structural engineering verification
- Designed for Colorado expansive clay conditions
- Documentation for real estate transactions