What is meant by seasonal foundation movement?
Seasonal foundation movement occurs as the soils absorb water during times of rain (typically during the winter and spring months) and lose water during times of no rain (typically the dry summer months). Clay-rich soils typically expand as they gain water and shrink as they lose water. This expansion/contraction can cause a foundation to move up and down. If foundation movement is due only to seasonal weather changes, this can be considered a somewhat normal occurrence and typically causes relatively minor cosmetic damage to the sheetrock and/or brick veneer. In most of these cases, depending upon the soil conditions, a sheetrock crack can grow wider during the dry summer months but then close back up during the wet winter/spring months (or visa versa). It is common for slab foundations to experience some seasonal foundation movement in the DFW /North Texas area.
