Knowing more about your crawl space or basement can be a crucial part of uncovering a foundation problem before it’s too late. Even if you’ve never done any previous work with foundation problems, you almost certainly know that the home has a foundation problem that can have serious and lasting impacts on homes. If you’re looking to avoid those serious and lasting impacts, here are eight signs that your home’s dealing with foundation concerns.
8 Simple Signs Your Home Has a Foundation Problem Created By: Innovative Basement Authority
1.Cracks in the Walls and Floors
Do you have cracks in your walls? If you do, you might be having problems with your home’s foundation. Specifically, the most worrying cracks are diagonal cracks that extend out from the corners of the walls. However, any other types of cracks are important to pay attention to, especially if they’re big enough to fit a business card inside.
2.Sticking Doors and Windows
When you open or close your windows or doors, do you notice that the doors and windows stick in certain places? These places may not have been there at one point, but nowadays, you’re noticing it more and more. Unfortunately, this typically happens when the door frame or window frame becomes warped, which is common with foundation problems.
3.Gaps Between Walls, Windows, or Doors
Your walls, doors, and windows should always line up perfectly with the areas around them. If they don’t line up properly, you’re at risk for issues with humidity and pests coming inside the walls. Plus, when these things don’t line up correctly, it’s most commonly because one side of the home is settling and the other side isn’t experiencing that problem.
It’s common for people to already know that sagging floors indicate a problem with your home’s floor joists. However, you might not actually know whether it’s possible to fix them. The good news is that if you have sagging floors, a crawl space repair expert can get underneath your crawl space to lift the sagging floors once again.
5.A Leaning Chimney
Chimneys are a bit special because they tend to build on their own foundation rather than a foundation that’s connected to the rest of the rest of the home. Although this often gives it more of a structural integrity, it can also be a problem. If you notice that the chimney is leaning either toward or away from the home, talk to a foundation repair expert as soon as you can.
6.Bowing Basement Walls
Hydrostatic pressure is extremely problematic for basements. The weight of the water around the basement can be extremely frustrating. The good news, however, is that if you’re noticing bowing basement walls in your own basement, there are a number of different ways to bring your walls back into shape.
7.A Musty Smell in Your Crawl Space or Basement
When you have a musty smell in your crawl space or basement, it indicates that there’s mold, mildew, or wood rot down there. Don’t listen to anyone who says the musty smell is just normal and you can’t get rid of it. As a matter of fact, the musty smell indicates that there’s a very serious problem.
8.Dampness or Waterproofing Problems in the Crawl Space
Water is possibly the biggest problem that your home and crawl space or basement might deal with. That’s because water invites all sorts of problems inside, including mold, mildew, lowered structural integrity, and more. Any time you notice any sort of dampness in your crawl space or basement, talk to a repair expert to learn more about those problems.
No matter what type of home you own, it’s important that you’re able to look out for all of these problems. You might even want to inspect the area in general every so often to find out whether you need to call in an expert. However, with this list, it’ll be easier than ever to make sure you know whether your home’s healthy and safe.
