Have you noticed an uneven step while walking through your home? Something just doesn’t feel right when you step outside your doorstep? A crack you swear wasn’t there before or is smaller last month? There might be a problem with your foundations. Your home is the biggest investment in your life and foundation problems are every homeowner’s nightmare.
Foundation Sinking
When your house looks to be sinking or have uneven floors you will need someone to inspect your foundation. One side of your house sinking considerably lower than the rest over time necessitates the lifting of your foundation and the installation of a foundation pier. Foundation piers are either made from concrete or steel. Concrete piers installation is a messy job that requires cracking open the concrete slab foundations. Steel piers are faster to install will not require much groundbreaking. Both installations require expert foundation contractors. When left unattended, the once half of an inch dip will sink two to four inches deeper making your foundation trouble more extreme.
Dysfunctional doors
If the head or the jamb of the door is uneven it is a sign of foundation problems and will also cause doors to be stuck or unable to open and close properly. However, if there was a case of heavy rain or severe flooding it may just be the case of humidity expanding the wood around the door. Another cause might also be a water leak, which will also cause some foundation damage if it causes the soil around your foundation to move.
Misaligned window frames
Just like doors, windows can be adversely affected by foundation problems. There might be gaps around the exterior window frames and will no longer open or close properly.
Rising Foundation Slabs
The opposite of foundation settling is foundation upheaval. When your slab foundation is pushed up it will affect your home’s walls, doorways, and garage. It is mainly caused by expanding soil, especially clay soil, due to rain, water leaks from plumbing, or frost. It is also caused by tree roots or root systems from outside your house.
Foundation, Wall, and Floor Cracks
Normally foundations sink and settle after construction. Within the first 2-3 years, it will develop fissures. When the basement walls develop horizontal cracks that it is a sign that your house’s foundation is settling a greater amount than normal.
The threshold on wall and foundation cracks are .2 to .6 inches both in wide and length. Finding anything above that is a cause for concern. If horizontal cracks appear, it might mean there is a significant amount of water pressure going against your foundation. These cracks when left alone for long might have water or insects seep through, which can amplify the damage in a distraught foundation.
Taking your time to check on your home and look for these signs can prevent any foundation problem from getting worse. When you see any of these signs, it is imperative that you hire foundation repair contractors to inspect your house. If they find problems, they can do the necessary repairs on your foundation.
