Dealing With Damage To The Foundation In Your Home
The foundation under your home has a critical job to do, and if it is damaged, you may find that strange things start to happen in and outside your home. If you suspect that you have a problem with the foundation under your house, it is critical to have a residential foundation repair company inspect the foundation to determine what, if anything, can be done to repair the damage or if the foundation needs replacing.
Signs of Foundation Damage
One of the most common signs that there is something wrong with the foundation under your home is the sudden shifting of the structure. If the floors feel like they are leaning to one side, doors and windows become harder to open and close, or cracks start to appear in the drywall, you need to have a residential foundation repair contractor come and inspect the entire foundation.
If the foundation is settling, the entire structure can twist as the foundation drops further into the soil. Outside the house, you may see some buckling of the siding, separation of the roofing materials, and a visual change in the outside of the building, like horizontal boards appearing to run downhill.
Foundation Cracks
In some homes, the foundation may have cracks in it that are allowing it to move in independent sections. The cracks are often visible from inside the home's basement or crawlspace and any areas where the concrete is spawling or chipping out of the foundation wall.
If the foundation is a block foundation on a concrete footer, the footer will be mostly buried and hard to examine but is most likely the part of the foundation that is sinking or moving. Your residential foundation repair contractor may need to expose the footer to determine if it needs replacing, but they will let you know if they believe that to be the situation.
The ground under the foundation may have been solid when the home was constructed, but sometimes underground erosion from water flow or seismic activity can affect the soil compaction and how it supports the house.
Repair or Replacement
Once the residential foundation repair contractor determines the level of damage to the foundation, they can recommend a course of action for your situation. In some cases, replacing the foundation and excavating and shoring up the ground under it is the only way to save the home.
There are several ways that contractors can shore up the land, but the methods used can change significantly depending on what is causing the problem, so talk with the contractor about the best options for your home.
