Water Damage And the Structural Integrity Of Your Home

Everyone wants a home with “good bones.” However, we rarely take time to think about what having “good bones” really means. All too often, water damage is the thing that gives a home “bad bones.” If left untreated, water damage can significantly damage the structure of your home. In fact, structural problems put your home at risk of collapsing. Hairline cracks in walls, drywall, the ceiling and roof are tell-tale signs that your home may have structural issues. And while structural problems are never good, many are easy to fix and repair. From our Water Damage Restoration specialists at White Knight Carpet Rescue in Madison, Wisconsin here are three ways that untreated water damage can affect the structural integrity of your home. 

Water Damage Restoration in Madison

Water Damage To The Foundation

Water damage to a home’s foundation can happen for a variety of reasons. Not all water issues cause structural damage, but it’s essential to correct any foundation damage before it becomes a concern to your home’s overall structural integrity. One of the reasons foundations can sustain water damage is when water seeps through small cracks in the foundation. This problem is more pervasive the older a foundation gets. Structural damage can also occur when a water damage problem is ignored. In serious cases, the home can sink into the ground, compromising its stability. 

Pervasive Mold (have to tear down walls)

Mold. This is one of the most dreaded words for homeowners. Given its smelly, unhealthy, and pesky nature, mold is one of the most widespread issues for homeowners. While it’s one thing for mold to make your home smell bad and release some unhealthy spores into the air, it is a whole other matter for mold to damage the structure of your home. Typically, this doesn’t happen unless the problem is severe, but a severe mold problem can develop fairly quickly. One of the most common ways this can occur is when mold becomes so pervasive the it grows behind the walls. At the point, often the only available option is to tear down a portion of the wall to get the mold cleared away.

Metal Water Damage

Rust deforms and breaks down metal and can damage other materials it comes into contact with. If moisture is not kept at bay, the metal parts in your home can quickly begin rusting away. Some of the common metal parts in a home that you should pay attention to for rust include steel lintels above metal windows and door frames, steel pipes, rebar, sheet metal, and steel reinforced foundations. One way that metal water damage can compromise your foundation is if you have rebar rods in your foundation they become rusted as these can cause the foundation to crack. 

Don’t put up with water damage and the lasting structural damage it can bring to your home. Give us a call at White Knight Carpet Rescue in Madison today so we can help you keep water damage at bay!