You value your home because it happens to be one of the most valuable investments you’ve ever made. You would do anything to protect it and keep it pristine. Foundation problems may be one of the major problems you’re likely to encounter as your structure ages.
The good news is that you can read the signs early enough and plan for pier and beam foundation repair. If left unattended, you may get into a serious financial crisis because redeeming the entire structure may be a few dollars short of building afresh.
- Exterior cracks
Small, fine cracks on the stairway or the walls are nothing to worry you. However, if the cracks on the outside are large and give a zigzag pattern, you need to call a construction expert as soon as possible. Cracks on the bricks tend to disintegrate from the rest is a sign of a foundation problem.
- Interior sheetrock cracks
It is advisable to inspect the exterior and the interior of your house frequently. If you notice cracks on the interior sheetrock and zigzag pattern running from the top to the bottom of the wall, you have a big problem in your hands. If the wallpaper tends to pull away from the wall and cracks appear at the junction of the ceiling and the wall, call in a professional contractor immediately
- Doors sticking, not opening or closing properly
When there are foundation problems in your house, you’ll notice interior doors tend to stick and have to be dragged hard to let open. The door also appears uneven. If you have double doors, the two doors no longer meet in the middle.
- Cracking tiles
Tiles are made under extreme temperature, but they’re also brittle. Inspect the tile arrangement in all the rooms to notice broken pieces. Too many broken tiles beyond the normal tear and wear may sign underlying foundation issues.
- Expansion joint separation
An expansion joint is a security measure installed during construction. This joint is meant to compensate for extreme temperature changes, humidity, shifting of the earth during storms, and other adverse weather elements.
Foundation issues can prematurely cause expansion joints to disintegrate. This may cause bring the entire building to crumble to the ground.
- Walls pulling away from the house
When a wall tends to pull away from the rest of the structure, a disaster is imminent. The wall may fall off, compromising the stability of the house. Call in a contractor to fix it before it collapses.
- Foundation settling or sinking
You may notice the floor tilting on inclined to one side of the house. To confirm this, you may pour water on the floor, and if it tends to flood a particular side of the house instead of spreading evenly, the floor is sinking.
Inspect the walls often and use these indicators to help you diagnose the challenge in time. Call a qualified contractor from a reputable firm to check it out and recommend recovery steps.