The foundation of your home does a whole lot more for you than just keep your home up off of the ground. It also serves as a level slab that makes sure the house maintains its levelness, helps to keep the home insulated for more comfortable temperatures and prevents it from moving with the ground to a certain extent. The home's foundation is something you should be able to count on to last you as long as the house is still standing and even longer. However, there are some things that can go wrong with the foundation for certain reasons and when this happens, it means big trouble for you and can lead to the need for extensive remodeling. By learning why some foundations do fail, you will be in a better position of making sure those things don't happen to your home or at least being able to spot trouble early on.

There is a lot that goes into laying a foundation correctly

You may think laying the home's foundation requires digging up some dirt so it is nice and level, then pouring and leveling the concrete. However, there are a lot of other things to be considered. Things like water tables, soil conditions and the backfill quality need to be taken into account. This is why it's very important for you to never consider laying your foundation when you don't have a lot of hands on experience with it already.

There are a number of things that can lead to foundation failure

The foundation doesn't get sufficiently compacted – It's very important that the foundation is poured over very solid ground. If it gets poured over something like gravel or crushed stone then the foundation will more than likely crack while it is settling.

The process is rushed – There are certain things that must be done in certain ways to avoid problems. For example, the concrete needs to be poured slowly and kept damp for a few days. It is kept damp by wrapping it in plastic while misting it or using other similar techniques. If it is poured too quickly then it may not reach adequate strength and if this happens it can crack due to weakness.

An earthquake can cause damage - A large earthquake can cause different areas of the foundation to move in different directions which can cause it to crack or break.

The pour gets interrupted during the process – When the foundation is being poured, it needs to happen in one setting. Pouring the foundation is not something that can be done in shifts. Stopping at a certain point and returning later to finish the job can leave the foundation more susceptible to cracking and leaking.

Now that you have a better idea on some of the things that need to be taken into consideration with foundation pouring and the importance of doing it correctly, you'll understand the need for professionals. Also, if there are problems with the foundation then you want to make sure it is repaired as soon as possible to prevent bigger issues.