Foundation Repair: 6 Signs You Might Need It

Foundation Repair: 6 Signs You Might Need It

As homeowners, we focus on the details. Should the living room statement wall be blue or dark gray? Should the backsplash be stone or tile? Will we entertain guests in the living room or the kitchen? Most of the time we look like fools running into lowes for over three hours just to find inspiration for our next home improvement project.

Sadly the hardest part of being a homeowner isn’t the last minute DIY projects. It’s the crisis of draining a flooded basement in the middle of winter or leveling a house after an earthquake. Unfortunately, accidents happen. The world and mother nature will run amuck and pick your beautiful modern bungalow to cast its evil spells on.

You don’t want to be caught in a legal office with a bill for 20,000 dollars to fix your most important investment. So how exactly do we know when to work on the home projects that can’t be solved with epoxy and wall anchors?  Just like anyone would go to a doctor for a general check-up so should you do for your home. So you might be asking…do I need to call a contractor? In theory, yes but as far as spotting the problem, any homeowner can do it themselves. Here are 6 ways to Identify if your home needs more serious repair.

1. Exterior and interior cracks  

   It doesn’t always mean that your house is going to split in half by the end of the year but cracks in your foundation can cause serious problems. Leveling a house must be done through the process of piering and if left out of the circle of concern, it can cost you thousands in damage. Look for cracks in the corners of your walls, close by beams, and heavy traffic areas of the home. Check your exposed walls for small hairline fractures. These can sometimes be the biggest fit because though they may not look like much but in a years time they can be the size of the grand canyon.

2. Sticking doorways and unlevel floors

   Watch out because they are very deceiving! You know that door in your laundry room that you can’t shut if your life depended on it? It might be because of an underlying issue in the foundation. Over time as the house settles, the house will move and pop as it adjusts to the ground below. A common result is a door sticking or an entryway becoming slanted. If your foundation has settled too much then it can mean more damage to the house in general rather than a just the laundry room.

3. Window Gaps or Cracks

   Despite what people think… rain isn’t always the reason for a gap in your windows. Just as the doorways can settle, windows can do the same. They can become extremely uneven or they could look straight as a nail with a large crack straight across the pain. The best giveaway is to look for a separation from the window and exterior wall. Usually, it means the foundation has settled uncomfortably.

4. “Pops, Pings, Slams, and Taps”

   I don’t know about you but I hate the sounds that houses make… especially at night. If your house has settled then you might hear some funny noises coming from the floors and walls. Well…It’s probably not a family ghost, it’s your house reacting to the settled footing.  When you can identify these noises, investigate. See if there is an exposed crack on the exterior of the wall or if the floor is no longer level.

5. Sunken floors or sinking foundation

    There might be a spot in the master bedroom where you step and the floor sinks 2 inches…that’s probably bad news. It could mean rotting beam work and termite damage or flooding in your crawl space. Whatever the case, a saggy floor is not a happy floor. If you identify this problem, call a professional right away.

6. Uneven steps, porches, and columns

    We tend to pride ourselves on first impressions which is why the front door entrance always looks clean and pristine with the latest paint and decor. But more often than not, we tend to neglect its structural appearance. If you have concrete steps that have settled several inches they may have caused a gap to appear or even cracking in the concrete itself. In some cases, there may even be a small air pocket under the steps or porch. Look for small open spaces where the footing meets the dirt.

So you might be asking, “if I have any of these signs does that mean I need to get foundation checked out?” The best advice we can give you is to get these problems inspected before they get worse. Call someone you can trust in the business! We encourage you to keep it local. Nobody knows your foundation better than someone who lives in the area on the same soil as you do. Most local contractors/foundation repair specialists will see you through on projects at a more personal level.

Call Gugliotta Construction for a foundation expert to evaluate your home today!

417-861-5483

gugconstruction@gmail.com