Foundation repairs are one of the obligations all homeowners have to deal with. Indeed, older houses cause more trouble and they require regular maintenance and control of all the walls and other parts of the house. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean that new houses are free of any duties. People can also find certain foundations and get pretty mad. These are things that we simply can’t control.
Common Signs that Problems with Foundations Exist
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Most people do not even know that they have some home foundations. Because of that, it is essential to notice the most common signs. We like to divide them into two different categories – interior and exterior warnings.
Exterior warning signs are often expressed in two ways – wall rotation and separation in different areas of the house. They often appear somewhere around the windows, walls, and, eventually, garage doors. Apart from that, the foundation can be cracked or broken and the moldings can potentially be displaced.
What about interior warning signs? Well, things are a bit different here. First and foremost, we suggest you check the floors within your house. If you notice they are uneven, that means you will have to do something about it. You also should check if there are any floors there. Apart from the floor, sheetrock can also get cracked.
We will explain each of these foundation repairs better later!
So, What Do You Do After Finding Issues?
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The first thing you should do is DON’T PANIC. People often start to think about the costs they will have to fix the issue.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to spend a fortune on these problems. Apart from that, we also recommend you do not delay. The more you wait, the costs can be higher.
There are three things in front of you that you can do. One option is to examine the foundation alone. This option is great only for some small cracks and issues that do not require any in-depth knowledge.
But, if the damage is bigger and you do not have the necessary knowledge, then it will be necessary to hire a repair expert to do the entire inspection. They will determine whether high pressure concrete crack injection or any other problem is necessary. More precisely, they will know which method to use to solve the issue.
The third thing you may need to do is to contact the structural engineer. He or she will give you more information on the problem that appeared in or outside of your home.
More Information about Common Problems
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After we answered some of the crucial questions, it is about time to move to further explanations. Generally speaking, all the problems will sooner or later appear. We are not negative or pessimistic. These are just things that happen all the time. Because of that, let’s describe each issue that could occur a bit better.
Frames Are Not Close to Brick Wall
As we said, the problem with doors and windows occurs all the time. It may happen that frames of both things simply go away from the brick. If you want to ensure yourself a full comfort, then they need to be stuck together. But, over time, these things happen, and that’s not something you can completely stop. You can just prolong the durability of windows and doors with regular maintenance. Unfortunately, most homeowners do not do that.
Wall Pulls Are Away from Home
It doesn’t matter how experienced you are with repairs and similar tasks. This is the easiest foundation to detect and we are sure you won’t have a problem seeing it. Wall pulls require you to contact the contractor and other experts. This is the main reason why we recommend you do not delay the process. The pull can expand and that can damage the entire house. We are sure this is the collapse you would want to avoid.
The Fail of Expansion Joints
For those that do not know, joints have only one purpose – to prevent the expansion of foundation materials used for the house. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. They can, just like any other part of the walls or windows, fail. That can be one of the reasons why the cracks appear.
So, what do experts need to do here? They need to check the joints separately. Analyzing them will help them realize what are all the problems that could occur or already appeared. Some of them are not easily visible.
Bonus 1: What Is the Main Cause of All the Foundation Problems?
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There are many reasons why you have to contact constructing experts. However, the main cause of most foundation problems is WATER. The moisture content, which is more common for older houses, often causes foundations to expand or shrink. For example, if the soil is too loose, it won’t have the capacity to support the entire foundation. On the other hand, if it is too dry, then you can expect cracks thanks to shrinking. Because of that, you need to be sure that the draining systems are adequate.
Generally speaking, the last thing we said can actually be a piece of advice for people that are planning to purchase a house. You need to know which draining systems are used. If they are not appropriate, you can be sure the foundation issues may be more often and more expensive. On the other hand, if the construction company that worked on your house uses the most appropriate ones, you can be sure you will save a lot of time and money.
Bonus 2: Is Water the Only Cause?
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No, there are many factors. There are some things that you can’t control such as earthquakes. Apart from that, it depends a lot on where you live. In some parts of the world, the climate changes during the year are huge. For example, summers are too warm and winters are too cold. Walls, doors, and other parts of the house can’t resist those changes easily. In the end, you have to be sure there are no tree roots near your home. They can directly hurt the quality of the entire home structure.
