When thinking about the foundation for your home, one question you might have is when to carry out repairs on your home’s foundation.
The problem is that while many symptoms of foundation issues are obvious, most of them are not. Many of the not-so-obvious foundation issue symptoms happen gradually meaning that they are not even noticed when they get worse.
If you think you have foundation problems, it is recommended that you have them resolved as soon as possible. Call an expert foundation repairer to schedule a free repair estimate at your home. Remember that if these issues are left unaddressed, the seemingly small problems will fast turn into huge and expensive repair quagmires.
Common issues that indicate foundation repairs are warranted:
- Concrete or brick wall leaning or movement
- Cracks in both brick and concrete foundations
- Separation of brick or concrete mortar
- Door frames going askew
- Sticking doors or windows and thus turning difficult to open
- Separated door or window frames
- Ceilings separating from the walls or cracking
- Roof lines becoming uneven along the top of the roof
- Separated or uneven caulking around the door or window frames
- Separated ceiling trim
- Porch or patio separating from the house
- Separated sheet rock or panelling
- Leaning chimney
- Uneven or sinking floor
- Cabinets separating from the ceiling or the walls
- Cracked or separating fireplace
- Sloping floors or cracks on it that are getting bigger
- Bowing or tilting walls, particularly inwards
- Shifted concrete slabs or cracks on sidewalks, garage or patio
- Sunk or shifted pre-cast stairway on the exterior of a building
There are many other symptoms of a foundation that require to be repaired, however, the above listed are some of the most oblivious ones. When you notice any of the above listed foundation problem symptoms, you need to immediately call a foundation repair expert to inspect the foundation. He will able to locate the causes of such problems as some of them are not too obvious.
Thereafter, the expert will be able to give you the best advice on the cause of action to take so as to remedy the issues. Most homeowners simply fill in the cracks on a problematic foundation, an action that is all wrong. This is simply the treatment of the symptoms rather than the problems source. If you cover damages as they appear, you are apt to miss the cause the root of the problem. This eventually allows the foundation to worsen and the issue at hand to get out of hand.
Here are some tips for a having a successful foundation evaluation.
- Not waiting hoping that the issue at hand will simply vanish into the thin air
- Contact a knowledgeable foundation or construction expert for a structural evaluation
- Never expect that a simple superficial repair such as sealing the cracks will only offer a permanent solution
- Never make an assumption that the problematic foundation will need to be demolished so as to solve the issue at hand.
- Monitor and take note of worsening cracks on the walls or the floors as this is an excellent sign of a problematic foundation
- Make the damaged area accessible so to allow the assessor to give an accurate assessment of what is needed
All things considered, it is recommended to hire a third party structural engineer to make sure that the issues on your foundation are correctly addressed when identified.