5 Ways Your Foundation Issues Are Connected to Your Roof

The foundation is an important part of your home since it provides stability to the whole structure. It anchors the house during earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and so on. It’s the reason your home is leveled and isn’t directly touching the ground. Since you can’t see it, it’s understandable that you don’t really pay it much attention or give it much thought.

This is why you might be surprised when your roofer tells you that foundation issues have a direct impact on your roof. In today’s post, New View Roofing discusses the relationship between these two components.

1. Settlement and Heaving – This is a problem if your home is built on poor or shifting soil since it’s pretty much a guarantee that the ground will move or settle. According to New View Roofing, your trusted roofing contractor, your roof may display foundation issues if your foundation moves in an unequal manner in all places. This happens if the soil gets wet, making it swell or heave. Once the soil dries, the foundation will move downward again, though it will likely won’t be the same as before. This will result in an unaligned structure and roofline.

2. Cracks or Damage – If your foundation is cracked or damaged, it has probably displaced the structure above it, which is your home and the roof. This may result in a sagging, humped or bowed roof. This will, however, only happen if the crack or damage is significant. Foundations usually endure a little cracking now and then, especially if the house has some mileage in it.

3. Levelness – The ideal foundation should obviously be leveled, but on the off chance that it wasn’t, either by design or by moving or shifting after the construction, your roofing contractor may notice that your roof no longer looks the way it should. It may either be slanted too high or look like it’s about to cave into your home. In extreme cases, it may actually even collapse since the mismatch in leveling can shift the center of gravity.

4. Drainage – Undercutting and poor drainage in your home can cause foundation movement since the water basically washes away the very soil that supports the foundation itself. Undercutting has various causes, such as a damaged sewer line, a broken water line or flooding in the home, among other things.

Roofing companies advise that if this happens, your structure is in a vicious feedback loop: the foundation is affected, which, in turn, would affect your roof. This then affects the drainage and puts your foundation more at risk of further water damage. Keep a close eye on your water runoff or call a foundation specialist if you see this occurring in your home.

5. Trees – Nearby trees can be a factor as well. Tree branches can clog drainage on your roof, which leads to problem number four above. Tree roots, however, pose a bigger threat. Since they seek water and nutrition via moisture in their roots, the trees roots may reach foundation and absorb the nutrients in the soil under your foundation. This weakens the earth that supports the entire thing and loosens it, allowing the foundation to sag. This movement will affect the structure above and cause roofing issues.

Roofing companies like New View Roofing advises you to make every effort to rectify this immediately. After all, the greater the soil movement, the more likely it is for your roof to have issues.

If you seem to be noticing any of these roofing and foundation problems, and are in need of a contractor, don’t hesitate to turn to New View Roofing for your roofing needs. Give us a call at (469) 250-0016, or fill out our contact form today. We serve clients in Dallas, TX, and other nearby areas.