Maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but something around your house seems a bit off. It’s better to know sooner rather than later if you have a sinking or sagging foundation to keep your home and loved ones safe. While the only way to properly diagnose your home’s foundation is calling your local premier foundation company, here are some signs that it’s time to call for a thorough home foundation inspection:
Feel your floors
An easy place to start with checking for common foundation problems doesn’t even require you to step outside. Look at your floors, and feel around them as you walk. Are there visible cracks in your floors? Does the floor sag over your crawl space or feel “bouncy” in areas? These can all be signs of a sinking foundation. Uneven or sloping floors are a pretty clear sign, too. To check for this, place a small ball or marble on the floor and watch to see whether it rolls to the other side on its own. The faster it rolls, the faster you need to call for a home foundation inspection!
Watch the inside walls
Moving up from the floor, look around at the walls inside your home. Check to see if any of the walls are bowing in toward the living space — it might even look like the wall is bulging. Next, look for cracks in the walls. While many cracks may have nothing to do with your foundation, cracks traveling diagonally upward can be a sign that your foundation is shifting and your home’s frame is bearing the brunt of it.
Observe the openings (your windows and doors)
Are there doors throughout your home that don’t seem to shut properly anymore? Or a window that is so tight you fear you’ll break it if you try to open it all the way? As your foundation sinks and settles, all the structure in your house moves a bit. These shifts can cause doors and windows to stick or not latch in the first place and can even cause the frame to separate from the wall. Some of this movement is completely normal as homes age. But if it happens too quickly or if you have multiple instances throughout your home, it’s likely time to call an expert in foundation repair.
Examine the exterior
The last signs to check can be seen from outside your home. Starting from your driveway, look to see if it seems like the concrete slab from your driveway is pushing into your foundation, causing a large bulge from your house. Next, look to see whether your chimney is tilting or if the exterior walls seem to be pulling away from the house. Lastly, look for exterior cracks starting from the very base of your home. The ones you’ll especially want to watch for will climb like stairsteps — aptly named “stairstep cracks” — along the bricks.
When to Call a Professional for Foundation Repair
It’s tricky for the average homeowner to determine whether these signs are just the typical signs of age, older materials, or real foundational issues. That’s why it’s important to call a specialty contractor in foundation repair to complete a thorough assessment of your home’s structure and to put your mind at ease.
If you notice two or more of the signs above, reach out to Alpha Foundations for a free foundation estimate in Florida and Southern Georgia.
