How Do You Know When It's Time to Fix Your Home's Foundation?
If you're looking to fully solve your foundation problem, make your home look and feel the best it can, prevent costly projects in the future, or sell your home, it's time to fix it now.
Finding odd cracks, slants, and gaps in and around your home are an indication you have a foundation problem. When you add up all those little concerns, they can lead to a lot of stress without truly knowing the depth of the problem or repair costs.
As a homeowner, since your priority is keeping your home clean, safe, and enjoyable, it's important to be aware of the signs of foundation complications.
Signs of Foundation Problems
Outdoor Stair Cracking
This may happen in brick or block walls, and we commonly find it when the foundation is settling. The more the house settles, the wider the vertical cracks become.
Separating Chimneys
If your chimney is separating from your home, especially a brick chimney, it's an indication of a foundation issue.
Outside Doors and Windows
Doors and windows can often be the first sign of foundation trouble. They may jam, rub against the frame, latch improperly, have large cracks, pull away from the frame, or have gaps that require routine caulking.
Indoor Wall Cracks
Vertical cracks in concrete block are very common. They often start really narrow at the bottom but may widen the higher up you go.
Drywall Cracks
Cracks in the drywall are often a signal, especially if they extend outward from the corners of doors and windows, follow drywall seams, or if the drywall tape is buckling, pulling, or tearing.
Inside Doors and Windows
Doors and windows that stick, have trouble opening and closing, or need to have the locking or latching mechanisms replaced are also signs of foundation settling.
Sagging Floors
That uneven feeling under your feet as you walk across your floor that sometimes makes you trip is often due to supports in your crawl space, another type of foundation problem.
Wall Failure
Cracked, bowing, or tipping foundation walls can be scary. How much longer until they cave and compromise your home's structural integrity? A professional foundation repair contractor can inspect this for you.
How to Get Started
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Gather information.
Research house foundation projects that have had success. Did they have similar symptoms to you? What methods were used? The more informed you are about your foundation problem and how it reached that point, the better discussions you'll have with your contractor. -
Find a trusted contractor.
Make sure you're being advised of the right problem. If the contractor doesn't understand the underlying cause of your foundation settlement, they won't be able to help you, and you'll waste money paying for something that won't work. Your contractor should be able to explain the issue in depth and how that ties to the solution they're offering.
Discover Our Foundation Settlement Solutions
At Alford Foundation and Crawl Space Repair, we believe in providing you with the lowest risk, highest impact solution for your foundation. That means, providing limited disturbance to your lawn and permanently stabilizing your foundation with little maintenance. Learn more, or give us a call to get a free estimate.