4 Signs Your Foundation Has Extreme Damage
Without a strong foundation, your home will experience all kinds of problems. In some extreme cases, these problems could make your home uninhabitable. That’s why it’s so important to be able to recognize foundation problems quickly so that repairs can be done. To give you an understanding of what symptoms to look for, here are four signs that your foundation has extreme damage.
Cracks in Your Walls
If you notice major cracks in the walls in your home, then it’s likely that you have major foundation issues. While minor cracks occur due to settling and are completely normal, major cracks indicate that the load of the home isn’t being distributed evenly. Rather than trying to cover up the symptoms by repairing the cracks in your walls, it’s important to address the foundation issues first so that the cracks don’t quickly reappear.
Dips in Your Floors
Another tell-tale sign of extreme foundation damage is dips in the floors throughout your home. If your foundation is losing its strength, it will lose its ability to support the floor joists that keep the subfloor level and stable. This will result in uneven floors and may even give you the feeling that you’re going to fall through the floor. If it feels like you can’t quite stand upright, it’s time to recruit the help of residential foundation repair services.
Unusual Door Behavior
Since doors require a level surface to open and close properly, any major changes in the behavior of your doors could indicate a serious problem with your home’s foundation. Problems such as sticking doors, doors that won’t stay open, or doors that have to be adjusted to be closed are all cause for concern. Once the problems reach your doors, which are typically well-supported, it’s likely that there are problems with other components in your home, as well.
Loud Creaks
As foundation materials shift, loud creaks can be heard in your foundation and throughout the rest of your home. If these creaks are loud and frequent, then you’ve probably got some foundation issues to address. Frequent creaks, specifically, indicate that your foundation is shifting far more than it should, indicating that its structural integrity has been compromised.
When it comes to major foundation issues, time is of the essence. Since it’s impossible to know how serious the damage is until someone can inspect it, you don’t want to waste time in scheduling an appointment with a foundation expert. Foundation issues don’t go away on their own, so, for the safety of you and your family, act on the signs as soon as you notice them.