If you want to make sure your home is safe, it’s important that you look out for problem signs that might develop early on. Finding obvious problem signs early on can make it less likely that you’ll end up with serious foundation damage later. However, first and foremost, you need to know what problem signs might be the most obvious. Here are eight home foundation problem signs you need to look for in your home.
8 Simple Signs Your Home Has a Foundation Problem Created By: Innovative Basement Authority
Cracks in the Walls and Floor
One relatively obvious sign is the fact that walls and floors may develop cracks as the home settles unevenly. It’s a serious sign if you see diagonal cracks reaching out from the corners of the walls or the floors, but any serious cracks in the walls or floors can indicate that there are problems with your home’s foundation.
Misaligned or Sticking Doors and Windows
Doors and windows need to line up almost perfectly or they’re not going to function properly. If one side of the wall has started to sink and the other side of the wall hasn’t, you’re going to end up with problems because of the alignment issues that will inevitably arise. If you start to notice sticking problems, chances are you’re having foundation settlement issues.
Gaps Between Walls, Windows, or Doors
When you have a place where two walls meet, a door and a wall meet, a wall and the floor meet, or a window and a wall meet, you want to make sure that the meeting place doesn’t have any gaps. Gaps can indicate that the walls have settled significantly. Whenever you notice these gaps, it’s a good idea to talk to a foundation repair specialist.
Sagging or Slanting Floors
Whenever you notice that your floors are starting to sag or slant, it’s almost certainly because there are some foundation problems happening. This can most commonly occur if you have cracks in a concrete floor or if you’re experiencing settling toward the middle of a floor that utilizes floor joists as its main support system.
A Leaning Chimney
Chimneys typically have a different foundation than the rest of the home. This helps the chimney support itself more effectively, but it can also cause problems if the different foundations start to move away from each other. A leaning chimney can cause problems because if the chimney leans too far, it can start to fall over.
Bowing Basement Walls
When you go into your basement, what do you see happening to the walls? If you notice that your walls bulge inward, especially if that inward bulge is very prominent, chances are you’re dealing with a lot of hydrostatic pressure. This can lead to problems with your home’s foundational stability, which can lead to wall cave-ins in especially severe cases.
Musty Smell From the Basement or Crawl Space
An unfortunate number of people assume that a “musty smell” in the basement or crawl space is simply normal. However, it’s actually not normal, and it’s indicative of mold, mildew, and wood rot. Regardless of what you’re experiencing in your basement or crawl space, a musty smell indicates that something is wrong, and it’s important to address it early on.
Damp Walls and Water Intrusion
If you’re going to keep anything out of your crawl space or basement, focus first and foremost on keeping water out. Waterproofing is one of the most important things you can do for your crawl space or basement because water wreaks havoc on the entirety of your home. Whenever you run into something that indicates an issue with water, try to mitigate it early on.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a variety of warning signs that can indicate issues with your crawl space or basement. Plus, many of them are signs that you can notice even if you’re not an expert. Keep an eye out for all of these problem signs. That way, if you notice one of them, you can call in an expert as soon as possible.
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