Maintaining your home’s foundation isn’t always easy, especially as you get older. It’s crucial that you know exactly what’s going on with your home’s foundation at all times, even if you’ve been living in a specific home for years and never had any issues with your foundation. You never know when foundation problems could pop up, after all. If you’re looking to make sure your home’s foundation is stable, keep an eye out for these home foundation problem signs.
8 Simple Signs Your Home Has a Foundation Problem Created By: Innovative Basement Authority
Eight Huge Signs of Home Foundation Problems
There are eight significant signs of home foundation problems that you can catch even if you’re just an everyday homeowner. You don’t need an expert to point out any of these serious home foundation problems.
Cracks in the Walls and Floors
Cracks in your home’s walls or floors are always a bad sign. It’s crucial that you approach cracks in your home’s walls and floors as quickly as possible. However, it’s even more important to pay attention to these cracks if you’re seeing diagonal cracks reaching out from the corners of your walls and floors, as these most commonly indicate foundation problems.
Misaligned and Sticking Doors and Windows
As your foundation settles, especially if one side is settling more than the other, you’re going to start noticing issues with sticking doors and windows. This typically occurs because the frame for the door or window becomes warped, which means that it becomes more difficult to open and close the door or window.
Gaps Between Walls, Windows, and Doors
Walls, windows, and doors should all sit flush with each other and with the floor. If you’re noticing that there seems to be a gap between walls, windows, and doors or a gap between the wall and the floor, chances are it’s because of an issue with your home’s foundational structure. It’s crucial that you talk to a home foundation repair expert at this point.
Sagging or Slanting Floors
Whenever floors start to sag or slant, it’s usually because of a lack of structural support. This lack of structural support can occur for a variety of reasons, and it can be either because of a foundational problem or because of an issue with an add-on or change in your home. Either way, sagging and slanting floors can then lead to issues with your home’s foundation.
A Leaning Chimney
Typically, a home chimney has its own foundation separate from the foundation for the rest of the home. This typically make sit more stable, but if there are any problems with either foundation, it can cause the two to move away from each other. If you’re noticing a leaning chimney, you’ll want to check with an expert to see whether the problem is with the chimney or with the home’s foundation.
Bowing Basement Walls
Every so often, it’s a good idea to check your home’s basement walls. Do the basement walls stand up straight with themselves? If not, do they bow inward, as though they’re bulging slightly inside? If they are bowing inward, it’s probably because of an issue with hydrostatic pressure. This may indicate that you need an expert’s help to stabilize the home’s walls more effectively.
A Musty Smell From Your Basement or Crawl Space
Have you ever heard that a musty smell in the basement is normal? Unfortunately, this is a relatively common belief among a variety of people. As a matter of fact, if you have a musty smell in your basement, it’s usually because of mold or mildew. That’s a warning sign that you’ll want to heed if you want to keep your home’s basement and crawl space clean and dry.
Waterproofing Problems
If there’s one problem that you never want to have in a basement or crawl space, it’s waterproofing problems. Waterproofing is one of the most important elements of owning a home. That’s because water can wreak all kinds of havoc on your home from top to bottom, and therefore you need to make sure that you call in a foundation repair expert if you notice water issues.
Most Common Causes of Foundation Problems
Why do problems occur in your home’s foundation? It’s important to know that there are actually many different reasons for foundation problems. Many of these reasons have nothing to do with you and everything to do with the land your home is on. Here are some of the most common causes of foundation problems:
- Load-Bearing Wall Deterioration
- Settling as the Soil Expands and Shrinks
- Soil Surging Under the Home
- Water Damage From Inside the Home
- Poor Exterior Drainage
This is one of the reasons that you need to contact a home foundation repair expert if you’re having problems with your home’s foundation. Two people who are experiencing exactly the same symptoms may need two different fixes. It all depends on why you’re experiencing those symptoms of home foundation problems, rather than the fact that you’re experiencing them at all.
Conclusion
Home foundation problems are nothing if not complicated. If you’re experiencing home foundation problems, you might feel uncertain about how to proceed. Some people even worry that they’ll never be able to have a fully functioning home foundation. The good news is that you absolutely can. You just need to trust your home’s foundation to a certified expert. Call in a home foundation repair expert to make sure your home gets the strength and stability it needs.
