The foundation of your home is one of the most important parts of any structure or building. It is the foundation that supports your home, keeps out moisture, resists movement, and insulates your room from heat and cold.
While foundations are built to last, some certain conditions could cause a foundation problem such as poor drainage, climate condition poor soil condition, and so on.
Below are 11 signs of foundation problems you should always be on the lookout for. Also, get foundation repair.
The first place to notice a foundation problem is along the walls in your home. Cracks that are heading in a diagonal direction from the corners of the door and window frames are a sign of foundation problems. And you need to have your foundation checked immediately. The larger and longer the cracks are, the bigger the problem.
Regularly check out for cracks along the exterior walls of your home. Small or thin cracks on the surface should be inspected but may not pose a greater threat. While large exterior cracks zigzag-ing across the wall may be a sign of a foundation problem. Also, bricks protruding from the wall should always be checked.
When you noticed bowing walls in your home, that indicates a foundation problem you need to attend to. Inspect for diagonal cracks on the inside and outside of the wall. Hire a professional to fix the bowing and attend to the foundation problem causing the bowing walls.
Uneven, sunken, or sagging floors are an indication that the foundation is settling or shifting. if you suspect an uneven floor, roll a marble across the floor and see if it takes a straight direction or veer towards the center of the room. Though this may not be an accurate scientific method of detecting the issue, it can give you a rough estimate of what truly went wrong.
If you notice any moisture in the basement, that’s probably a sign that there is a crack in the foundation. That cracks will allow water to seep into your basement creating a foul or musty odor. Try to block out the source of the moisture but have a professional look into the issue.
When your foundation moves a bit, it will affect your window and doors from closing and opening properly. This is because a slight shift in the foundation will lead to a shift in the position of the frames as well.
Cracks in vinyl, concrete, or tile flooring could also be an indication of foundation problems. Although some floor materials may crack when heavy things land on them, that is usually limited to one tile or small area. However, if there is a crack that runs from one ends to another or from wall to wall, that is one indication of a foundation problem.
When the soil beneath your home’s exterior foundation gets saturated with water, the weight of the building on the foundation will cause the outside edge of the foundation to sink deeper into the soil. While in defiance, the dry, inside edge of the foundation pulls up. This is a serious foundation problem.
When the wall and the floor are not moving in sync with one another, this can cause the molding to crack or move out of place from the wall or ceilings. And it is one sure sign of a foundation problem.
When the foundation of a building sinks, it would affect the bricks or other types of masonry in the structure. Sometimes these cracks can run through both bricks and mortar between them. But most times, this only affects the mortar.
If there is a movement in your foundation, it will cause gaps to appear between the walls and the ceilings or between the walls and the floor.
