Construction & Contractors Blog
The foundation of your home is such an important part because it is literally the foundation upon which the rest of your home is built. The foundation is there to prevent the home from shifting, moving, and even sinking. However, you shouldn't automatically think the worst when you spot a crack in the foundation because minor damage does happen that has very easy fixes or that doesn't even require repairing at all. It's a good idea to gather some basic knowledge about a home's foundation, so you recognize trouble and know when to get someone to come out to inspect and possibly repair issues that need attention. Here is more on the foundation.
Foundation can shift
Even though the foundation of your home is intended to prevent things like the home from shifting, there are times when the foundation itself can shift. Some things that can contribute to this include excessive moisture and extremely dry and hot spells. This is because the moisture expands the soil and the excessive heat and dryness will shrink it. When it shifts enough, it can cause it to crack and even cause parts of it to break apart.
Foundation damage can become obvious from the interior
When there is foundation damage that is significant enough, it can affect the interior, as well as the exterior, of the home. You can see or sometimes even feel these things when they happen. One thing that can happen is that your walls can develop cracks in them. This is because the foundation damage has become extensive enough that it has caused the home to move enough that it is causing some of it to start to pull apart.
There are areas of the home that will generally show this damage first. In this situation, it is common to see cracks develop around the window frames, around the door frames, and near the ceiling. However, they can occur in other places as well. You will also be able to feel the floor becoming unlevel when the foundation has significant damage. You may notice that the floor is unlevel in some places, and the flooring may even have visual issues that can look like large dips or bumps. The flooring may also dip downward and this is most often noticed in the corners of the room that share the home's exterior wall.
Conclusion
Any time you start to see issues such as the ones mentioned here, or you see what looks like more than a small crack in the foundation when you are outside, you want to have it checked out and the foundation should be repaired as needed.
For more information, contact a foundation repair service.
Share20 April 2021
My name is Debbie Greenberg. I’m a single woman who owns her home, and like most homeowners I dread home repairs. I’m not very handy with do-it-yourself projects around the house. I can do a few minor repairs when necessary, but for the most part I have to call in a professional. Last year I had a leak in my roof. When it rained, water would leak into my kitchen. What appeared to be a simple fix turned out to be anything but simple. It took over four months to finally identify the problem, and double the money I was initially quoted to fix it. The problem ended up being that the flat part of my roof didn't have shingles, but a sheeting material. I learned a bit about home roofs along the way, and that is what I want to share with you.
