Constructing a house requires a lot more than just interesting decor. Foundation, for one, is a main component of building your safe and cozy haven.
Do you know what is important to consider when choosing the right foundation? The soil that surrounds your property.
Soil can either make or break your foundation—literally. Knowing what type of soil you have will make the process ten times easier.
Let’s discover more about soil’s role in our home!
Most Common Types of Soil in South Bend
The type of soil will tell a lot about what foundation is ideal for your home. Read more about the different types of soil in South Bend to increase the stability of your foundation:
Clay Soil
Clay soil is found extremely fertile and nutrient-rich. It has 25% clay, making it easy to grow crops. It holds a high level of water because of the space between clay particles.
This soil drains slowly and takes a while to warm up in the spring. However, it can easily be compacted and baked hard in summer. This leads to frustration if you do not know how to work with it properly.
Loamy Soil
Loamy soil is a mixture of sand, clay, and silt. It is well-drained and can grow vegetation because of its fertile qualities. They can be clay-loam or sand-loam, depending on the composition.
How Does Soil Impact Foundation Stability In South Bend
Soil is an integral component when considering the foundation for your house. It tends to expand when wet and contracts when dry, resulting in ground movement.
It can cause moisture to seep into the foundation, which leads to structural damage. This is also called “Soil erosion”.
To avoid this problem you must prepare retaining walls or banks around the foundation of your house to prevent the moisture from entering. These banks help keep the soil in place to avoid movement or foundation collapse In the future.
How To Identify What Type Of Soil You Have?
Here are three ways you can easily determine what type of soil you have, that too at home:
Ball Test
This test is particularly for identifying clay-rich soils.
Take a handful of soil and mix it with some water to make it moist and roll it in a ball. Let that ball sit out for 10 minutes and then pinch it.
If it sticks when you flatten it, then it’s high in clay, if it falls apart, then it’s high in sand, and if it is smooth, then it has high silt.
Squish Test
This test is highly effective if you are a beginner. Take some wet soil in your hand and squish it between your fingers.
If it feels grainy, then you have soil with a high percentage of sand, if it is sticky, then the percentage of clay is high, and if it is smooth, then it is silt soil.
Jar Test
This test takes more time and effort than the other two. Collect some soil from various parts of your garden and mix it. Let it air dry and remove any stones or roots from it.
Then, put one cup of that soil in a jar, and add some dish soap and water. Screw the cap and shake that jar well for 3 minutes.
Set it aside for 24 hours at least. As the soil settles, it’ll form layers.
The bottom layer is sand and gravel, next is more refined sand, then there is silt, and the top layer will be clay. You’ll know the percentage of each component by how thick the layer is.
FAQs
Know Your Soil for a Stronger Foundation
Who knew soil could play such an important role in your South Bend house’s foundation?
From determining whether it is clay soil or sand soil, you can test it yourself. Different soils have different properties and compositions. We can only test out the basics but these things can only be understood by professionals.
Let Crossroads Foundation Repair help you in identifying your foundation problems and offer repair services with their expert team and experience!
