Your home should be the safest place you can have where you and your family can rest well. But any kind of intruder can leave damage to your home, just like water damage to the structure of your home.
What Is Structural Damage?
Structural damage is any type of damage that weakens the integrity and safety of your home, both interior and exterior. Any type of disaster can cause structural damage to your home, but the most common culprits of this type of damage are high winds and water. In case of water damage, any sorts of water events like flooding, burst pipes, and others can all damage your home’s structure. Knowing how water can cause structural damage to your home can prevent you from dealing with severe damage and can keep you and your family safe by taking action immediately.
Here are the types of structural damage water can do.
Roof Decking – Your roof should be made sturdy but overtime roof shingles and flashing become weak and broken. Any missing or broken shingles and flashing can cause water to seep into your home through your roof and into your ceiling. Water leak from your roof can deteriorate roof decking, joists, and beams. When water continues to seep into your home, wood can crack and even warp, eventually causing your roof to collapse.
Ceilings and Walls – Most ceilings and walls in homes are made of either gypsum drywall boards or lathe and plaster. Both of them are made for long-lasting and solid coverings. However, both of them can become soften and crumble when wet. While metal studs won’t be a problem because they are resistant to water damage, wood studs can swell and warp when they stay wet. As a result, walls crack and crumble faster, and ceilings eventually break down because of the force of gravity that causes water to move downward.
Subfloors and Floorings – Floorings are usually built with different materials. Some of them are water-resistant, but any kind of floorings eventually becomes damaged by water. For instance, carpeting easily gets deteriorated if the water stays on the surface for a long time. Moreover, vinyl tiles usually pop out of the floor, laminated flooring and hardwood swell, warp and even crack.
Support Beams, Joists and Columns – These support systems of your home are very important to keep it standing. The beams, joists, and columns of your home are the ones holding the majority of your home’s weight. While beams and joists are placed horizontally across your home to and from as the base of your ceilings and floors, support columns are placed in basements and crawlspaces to hold the weight of your first floor. Any of them can become deteriorated and can even cause ceilings and floors to sag or collapse when they remain wet for a longer time.
Home’s Foundation – This can be the most important structure of your home, yet it can experience water damage in many ways. Over time, when water is uninterruptedly seeping into the foundation of your home, it can become weak. Water can seep through cracks and gaps and if left unaddressed can cause your foundation to crumble and even collapse.
Repairing Structural Damage Due To Water
Any type of structural damage due to water should be addressed immediately. Thus, it is necessary to remove any standing water and dry out the affected area right after flooding or water damage.
If you choose to do the cleanup on your own, you may rent professional pumps to remove the water. Then, place dehumidifiers or air movers to dry up the area. Moreover, even clean water can become contaminated when coming in contact with contaminated materials or when left standing for some period of time. That is why you should wear protective gear like gloves, boots, and masks to protect yourself during the cleanup procedure.
When water is completely extracted, remove the water-damaged materials and dry the area using fans or dehumidifiers.
Hiring A Water Damage Restoration Contractor
In some cases, fixing structural damage due to water can be complicated. Repairing on your own sometimes does more harm than good. Sometimes, you might put yourself in danger while doing the cleanup and repair. Thus, hiring a professional water damage restoration contractor is highly recommended.
They are experts in dealing with water removal and structural drying. A professional water damage contractor, like Superior Restoration, is well equipped with advanced tools and techniques that ensure complete restoration. They will make sure to eliminate any potential issues and prevent mold growth, which is the usual aftermath of water damage. You can rest assured that your home will be back in its same condition before the water damage occurred.
If you are now dealing with structural damage because of flood or any type of water event, don’t hesitate to call us. We respond quickly to any type of disaster. If you want to know more about our emergency water extraction services, you may contact 951-221-4695.
