Foundation Repair Montgomery County VA

Foundation problems in Montgomery County almost always trace back to the ground and the water moving through it. The causes we find most often in local homes:

• Clay soils that shrink and swell. The residual clay across much of the county expands when it is wet and pulls back as it dries, and that seasonal movement works on a foundation year after year.
• Karst and limestone in the valley. Where homes sit over limestone, dissolving bedrock and hidden voids can cause uneven settlement, one part of the house dropping faster than the rest.
• Freeze and thaw at elevation. Winters here push frost deeper than in lower country, and repeated freezing and thawing heaves and stresses footings and slabs.
• Drainage on sloped lots. Many local homes sit on a grade, and when roof and surface water is not carried away it collects against the foundation and softens the soil holding it up.
• Older housing stock. A lot of Blacksburg and Christiansburg homes were built to standards that assumed a drier crawl space and lighter loads than they carry today.

Knowing which of these is driving the problem is the whole point of an inspection. Sealing a crack without addressing the water or the soil underneath only buys a little time.