Wondering whether or not your house is stable probably isn’t at the forefront of your mind. Hey, your house is still standing, isn’t it? But you should always be proactive about any repairs. That is why it’s important to address your foundation repair issues before they become more serious.
To make it simple, here are five clues that you might have an issue with your foundation!
- Your basement walls are curving inwards. In other words, you have a bowed wall. This happens when there is hydrostatic pressure on your foundation walls, causing water from the exterior to push against the walls at a greater volume than what they can take.
- There are cracks in your drywall and crown molding. Take note, especially if these cracks are diagonal or horizontal, which is indicative that there is a structural problem. The foundation is under pressure from the surrounding soil, causing the foundation to shift. Vertical cracks are common and due to normal shrinkage of concrete.
- When you close your door and window, it doesn’t shut tight. There may be a gap at the top or bottom of the frame, or it just sticks out. This is a sign that the frame of the door has changed due to a foundation move.
- You have uneven, sloped, or cracked floors. Place a level against the cracked floor. See if both sides are even. If they aren’t, it means that one side of your foundation is lower than the other.
- When outside, you notice there are cracks on your bricks. Are the cracks in a stair-like pattern? These are called stair-step cracks, and it shows that your house is settling unevenly due to imbalanced soil movement. Measure the cracks, and if the cracks are one quarter inch or greater, you may have a serious problem on your hands.
If one or more of these clues struck a nerve, contact The Crack Doctor today, and we’ll work proactively with you to ensure that you have no regrets in the future!
