What Is Foundation Settling?

No matter what steps you take, it is likely that your foundation is going to start to settle sometime in the years to come. Gravity is a force, unfortunately, that no one and nothing can ignore. As such, the force of gravity working against your home can cause your foundation to start to shift.  

The term “settling” describes the process through which your home will start to sink into the ground. This sinkage will not occur all at once, nor will it be particularly noticeable at first. Instead, over the course of several years, your foundation may shift. Some common causes of unnatural foundation settling, or settling that takes place too quickly, include:   

• The presence of nearby tree roots. While tree roots will never work maliciously against your home, they can leave gaps in the soil behind as they grow. They can also forcibly shift some of your below-ground structural supports, causing your foundation to shift and settle accordingly.  
• Extended droughts. Droughts cause the soil particles in your yard to shrink in size. As those particles shrink, they’ll leave behind gaps. Your foundation, in turn, can begin to slowly sink into those gaps. While, again, the change will be neither immediate nor rapid, these particle gaps will cause your home to begin to settle far sooner than it would if the weather were more consistent.  
• Pests and small animals. Groundhogs are prolific diggers, but can they really lower the overall value of your home? If these critters are left unattended, the answer is yes. Groundhogs, rabbits, and similar small animals can establish extensive burrows beneath the foundation of your home. If these burrows aren’t filled, then your foundation can begin to sink into them at a more rapid pace than it would solid soil.