If you walk around your home during a dry stretch and notice a gap between the soil and the foundation, it can look concerning.
This is something homeowners around Fargo and the surrounding area may notice as soil conditions change throughout the year. Our region has soils that can expand when they absorb moisture and shrink as they dry.
Seeing a gap does not automatically mean there is a problem with the foundation. It does, however, give us a good reason to talk about how soil and foundations interact.
Why Does Soil Pull Away From a Foundation?
Soil is not completely stationary. Some soils contain a significant amount of clay. Clay soils can change volume depending on how much moisture they contain.
When the soil is wet, it can expand. During extended dry conditions, it can shrink. As soil next to a foundation dries and shrinks, a visible gap may develop between the soil and the foundation wall.
The foundation did not necessarily move away from the soil. In many cases, it is the soil itself that has changed.
Why This Matters Around Fargo
Soil conditions are an important consideration for homes throughout Fargo, West Fargo, Moorhead, and surrounding communities. We experience significant seasonal changes in both temperature and moisture. The soil around a house may go through wet periods, dry periods, freezing conditions, and eventually spring thaw. Those changing conditions are one reason water management around a foundation is important.
The goal is not to keep the soil constantly wet. It is to manage water so that roof runoff and surface drainage are directed appropriately away from the home.
Should You Fill the Gap With Water?
It may be tempting to see dry soil next to the foundation and immediately start adding water, but it is important to be careful with that approach. Adding large amounts of water directly next to a foundation can create a different set of concerns. Water can enter the soil unevenly, collect alongside the foundation, and contribute to basement moisture.
There is a difference between maintaining landscaping during dry weather and intentionally saturating the soil next to your foundation.
Does a Soil Gap Mean the Foundation Is Moving?
Not by itself.
A gap between the soil and foundation tells you something about the condition of the soil at that moment. It does not tell you, on its own, whether the foundation has experienced significant movement. Foundation movement must be evaluated by looking at a larger collection of information.
That might include visible cracking, displacement, floor conditions, doors and windows, wall alignment, drainage, and other observations.
This is why it is usually not helpful to judge a foundation based on 1 crack or 1 exterior condition alone.
Keep an Eye on Grading
Dry weather can also make settlement around the house easier to see.
Soil that was originally placed next to a foundation can settle over time. This may create low areas where water collects when rain eventually returns.
Walk around the house and look at the overall shape of the ground. Does it generally encourage water to move away from the foundation, or are there depressions where water could collect. Correcting a drainage issue is different from simply filling a shrinkage gap, so it helps to understand what you are actually looking at before making changes.
Check Your Downspouts Too
While you are looking at the soil, check where the downspouts discharge. Roof runoff can represent a significant amount of water during a heavy rain. Ideally, that water should not simply empty into a low area directly beside the foundation.
Make sure downspout extensions are connected and positioned so water has a reasonable path away from the house.
Good water management involves looking at the entire property, including gutters, downspouts, grading, landscaping, and drainage patterns.
What About Foundation Cracks?
Foundation cracks are common, and they can develop for many different reasons.
Some cracks may relate to normal shrinkage or minor movement. Others may deserve further evaluation depending on their location, size, pattern, displacement, and whether they appear to be changing.
A crack should be considered in context rather than assuming that every crack represents a serious structural problem.
If you notice a new crack or an existing crack that appears to be changing, documenting it can be useful. A dated photograph can give you something to compare against later.
Pay Attention When the Rain Returns
A dry period can reveal soil shrinkage. Rain can reveal drainage.
After a good rainfall, take another look around the house. Notice where water collects, where downspouts discharge, and whether low areas next to the foundation remain wet.
You may learn more about the property by observing it during several different weather conditions than you would from looking at it on a single day.
Think About the Soil and the House Together
A visible gap between dry soil and your foundation can look unusual, but it does not automatically mean the foundation is failing.
Around Fargo, changing moisture conditions and clay soils can cause the ground around a home to expand and contract.
Instead of focusing only on the gap, look at the bigger picture.
Pay attention to grading, gutters, downspouts, drainage, foundation cracks, and changes you have noticed over time. These observations can provide a much better understanding of what is happening around the home.
Nordic Inspections provides professional home inspections throughout Fargo, West Fargo, Moorhead, and surrounding North Dakota and Minnesota communities. During a home inspection, visible foundation conditions, grading, drainage, and other accessible components are evaluated as part of understanding the home as a whole.
Text or call 701-566-1446 ext. 0 to book an appointment