How Snow Melt Affects Your Home’s Foundation

Snow doesn’t happen often in the Pacific Northwest, but when it does, everything from roads to your home’s foundation is affected by it.

With recent snowfall totals reaching up to 10-15 inches in some parts of Oregon, now is the time to think about what will happen to all of that melted snow and how will it affect your home.

The melted snow surrounding your home will seep into the soil and leak into your crawl space or unfinished basement and collect pools of water under your home that will eventually lead to musty smells, mold, and other severe water damage.

With the combination of severe rain and snowfall, the Pacific Northwest has received this year, your home’s foundation is also vulnerable.

When it rains or the snow melts, the soil around your home becomes saturated. This extra water weight puts added pressure on your foundation walls. This can cause your walls to crack, bow, tip in, or fail completely.