Your home is definitely one of the greatest investments you will make in your entire life.
This means you have to do all you can to safeguard your investment.
By far one of the greatest issues which may arise in a house is foundation problems. A building’s foundation comprises walls positioned in the ground that are supported by footings that usually extend a number of inches beneath the width of an underground wall.
A residential property’s foundation is one of its most critical components since it quite literally upholds the entire structure. It is what basically supports the key structural components including the floor joists, main beams, load-bearing walls, staircases, door frames, or even the roofing.
So, when a foundation experiences structural damage, it tends to be a very serious challenge that might have far-reaching repercussions. This, in the extreme, can include causing walls to collapse and rendering the whole structure of a house dangerous and uninhabitable.
On the other hand, a seriously compromised foundation will give rise to a variety of chain reactions, that when left unchecked, will cause significant damage to a house and lower its overall value.
As such, it is always prudent to resolve foundation issues in a proactive and time-efficient manner. This is simply because the initial problems will, over the passage of time, evolve into far more grave problems.
Generally speaking, there are numerous factors that come into play to seriously impair the structural integrity of a house’s foundation.
Therefore, as a responsible homeowner, you should always be on the lookout for these issues that can cause extensive damage to your property. They might as well prove to be costly to address over time.
Here are some of the common indicators which may alert you of a severely undermined foundation.
Foundation, wall, and floor cracks
Should you remark fissures on your home’s foundation or on its brick exterior, this could be a serious cause for concern. This is also true for cracking on floors, wall fissures, or even broken chimneypieces.
Over time, a foundation may begin to experience movement that can be attributable to diverse factors. This includes the soil beneath the foundation expanding and contracting, or even inclement weather.
While it is not unusual for a house to experience sinking which causes cracking, horizontal cracks, particularly in a house’s brick exterior, are serious indicators of a structurally unsound foundation.
Such signs usually infer the structure has experienced extensive settlement and even a ¼ “horizontal crack is very serious.
Ideally, this kind of cracking tends to be considered more grave than vertical cracking because it indicates the foundation’s perimeter is struggling under great pressure. In most cases than not, this may indicate an excessive amount of water is exerting a lot of pressure on your home’s foundation.
Also, when this water finds its way into the cracks made on the foundation, it will substantially weaken an already compromised foundation. Other sorts of cracks that you ought to look into closely are stair-step cracks.
These kinds of fissures generally manifest themselves in close proximity to the corner of exteriors and stretch up and down. In any of these circumstances, it will be wise to enlist the services of a professional Foundation Repair Raleigh contractor to inspect your foundation.
Foundation settlement/sinking
When your home seems to be settling or sinking, it is always important to look into it as soon as possible. With time, you might remark one side of your house appears to be lower than another side.
Alternatively, you may notice the center of your home is increasingly sinking. In any of these scenarios, your foundation has experienced settlement or is incrementally sinking.
The normal prescription to address such occurrences is to lift the foundation and install interior or exterior foundation piers. If left unimpeded, foundation settlement or sinking will give rise to worse problems that will cause the safety of your home to be compromised.
If you suspect your foundation is sinking or settling, make it a point to consult a foundation repair contractor. This will go a long way in reducing the eventual costs for repairs and more to the point, enable you to circumvent the great risk such issues may pose to the safety of your property.
Foundation heaving
When you start to notice your foundation moving upwards, it is probably experiencing upheaval.
This is as well a great cause for concern. Heaving normally affects the perimeter of a slab foundation. However, it can also impact your house’s interior parts such as hallways, doorways, or even outside garage walls.
The main underlying factors which trigger foundation upheaval are expanding and contracting soil, excessive moisture accumulation close to the foundation, and frost heave. Whenever you remark on any of these issues, you should schedule a foundation inspection by a professional contractor and if possible, a structural engineer.
58 Foundations & Waterproofing have been in the basement and crawlspace repair business for years and have the know-how to solve problems!