Have you ever noticed how some foundations just never hold up? Do you wonder what happened that caused them to crumble? The reason why these foundations just don’t hold up can be traced back to a long series of events that have occurred within the decaying structure. The event that has been attributed the most to the collapse of these foundations is the Great Recession of 2021.
Why Are These Foundations Falling Apart?
You may be wondering how the Great Recession contributed to the collapses of many foundations. Think about it for a moment. When the housing market went into a tailspin and home prices were lowered to their lowest levels in years, this created an opportunity for a lot of real estate developers to build low-income communities and subdivisions right along the coast. Unfortunately, when these low-income communities became ready to move into, the water had already begun to rise due to coastal hurricanes and flooding.
When these homes began to become vacant, house prices started to tumble.
People began to move out as they couldn’t afford the house anymore and the rotting away of the home began to take its toll. Then, when the foundations started to crumble, the beach front properties were no longer safe from being flooded. Coastal storms also became more prevalent in these low-lying areas, which also contributed to the demise of the house foundations. The combination of all these factors had a devastating effect on the structural integrity of the house foundations.
Now, if you go inside your house and take a good look at the foundation, you might wonder exactly what caused the entire thing to collapse.
In order to understand the actual reasons behind the collapse, you need to look at each individual component of the house. Even though it’s hard to believe now, the actual reason why your house has collapsed may have been linked to one of these factors. Take a minute to think about the possibilities.
Have you ever noticed that some houses have basements that are almost always underground?
The reason for this is because the house has two levels. Usually, the lower level contains the basement while the upper level contains the living space of the family. Now, if you’ve noticed some cracks in the basement walls, you might have an idea that the house collapses because it’s resting on the basement foundation.
Why are these basement walls cracking?
Well, there is no actual secret behind why the house collapses. Basically, the soil underneath the house expands and contracts depending upon the weather and other factors. When it gets hot or dry, the soil contracts so it stays in between the cracks. On the other hand, when it gets too cold, the soil expands and the cracks expand until it crumbles into the floor of the basement.
Now, the question is why does a basement cause a house collapse?
It’s all about the weight that is put on the house and the lack of support to keep it up. If you’ve ever been inside a house with a cracked and crumbling foundation, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. Usually, these cracks can be found when the interior part of the house is being constructed while the outside part is still being built.
There are several reasons why a house collapse happens.
Although I can’t really say for sure what is behind every house collapse, I can give you some possible reasons. Some experts say that it happens when there is not enough support for the house. The weight of the soil that is contained within the house may not be enough to hold the house up. In order for you to prevent a house collapse, you need to make sure that you’re keeping the weight of your soil to a minimum. If you do your basement construction right, you will be able to avoid most house collapses.
