Construct This: A Contractor's Blog

How To Tell If Your Foundations Need To Be Repaired

10 August 2022 by Joyce Rivera

The foundations of any building are extremely important, and none more so than the home you and your family live in. Residential foundation repair companies exist all throughout America and help patch up issues that can arise in different environments, from the arid deserts near the west coast to the freezing cold tundras of Alaska. The simple question is how do you know that your foundations actually need to be repaired?

Here are a few signs that every homeowner should be on the lookout for which can help indicate whether or not your home needs a closer inspection from a professional. 

Creaking Floors

Creaking floors are not just a horror movie cliche, but a real sign that something bad is going on in your foundations. Whether that is due to the fact that your foundations are slightly shifting due to the earth below them becoming unstable or the material of your foundations losing structural integrity, it is impossible to know without an inspection. If you notice the creaking in only one area of the home that is also better news, but you should act on this potential hazard right away and not wait for the problem to potentially spread to other areas.

Doors Jamming

If your doors and sometimes even your windows are not opening and closing as easily as they used to then your foundations moving out of place could be the reason for this disturbance. When foundations move, they can change the shape of your floor ever so slightly. While this may be imperceptible to you, this new change will leave little room for your doors to properly swing open and flat because they require a very smooth surface that cannot change by even a few millimeters. If your doors are now all jamming, it is a good idea to get a foundation repair expert in.

Cracking Walls

While this may be a far more obvious sign you would be amazed at how little action many people take when confronted with the sign of cracking walls. If your walls have vertical cracks then that is generally a very clear and dangerous sign of residential foundation damage that needs immediate action or the home may be condemned. It doesn't mean that your house is unsalvageable, far from it, but it does mean that you need to work very quickly to do your best to try and save this house. 

Reach out to a residential foundation repair company for more information.

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