subject: Seattle General Contractor's Guide To Warning Signs Of Foundation Problems [print this page] Seattle General Contractor's Guide To Warning Signs Of Foundation Problems
If your home has foundation problems, it's sending you warning signs. Unfortunately, most people don't recognize these warning signs until it's too late and significant damage has been done. For example, is it more difficult to open and close your front door than it used to be? While the most common first reaction to this problem is thinking something's wrong with the front door, in reality the problem may be the foundation.
The warning signs of a failing home foundation are usually cosmetic in nature, making it often difficult to detect foundation issues early. Since your home's foundation holds up the rest of your house, foundation problems are quite serious to the structural integrity of your home. This article provides some tips from a Seattle general contractor for noticing the warning signs of trouble with your home's foundation.
Warning Signs On The Exterior
Start looking for foundation problems on the exterior of your home. Does your roof look like it's sagging when you look at it from a distance? If you notice one side of your roofline looks lower than the other side, this is a definite sign of trouble. The most likely cause for a sagging roofline is shifting or settling soil underneath your foundation.
Sometimes this is because of swelling and shrinking soil underneath your foundation due to moisture. For example, clay swells dramatically when exposed to water, but as it dries out it shrinks. Another reason the soil underneath your foundation might sag is if you have a bad plumbing leak, especially if your plumbing leak has gone undetected for a long time. It could even be air conditioner drainage that pools up and swells the soil underneath your foundation.
Other signs that you may have foundation problems are windows separating from your siding, or a chimney pulling away from your home. You should also look for cracked mortar and brick, cracked mortar and stone, cracked stucco, and any other cracking or pulling away.
Warning Signs In The Interior
There are also foundation problem warning signs you can look for inside your home. Do your floors seem to slant or be uneven? If your floors slant to one side or drop in the middle, you likely have a foundation problem. Are your doors and windows difficult to open and close? While this may signal a problem with your doors and windows, the most likely cause for problems with windows and doors is a faulty foundation.
Do you have cracks in the drywall of your home? These are most likely stress cracks because part of your house is shrinking due to foundation problems. What about cracks in your tile floors? While wood floors, vinyl floors, and carpeting have the ability to give a little more if there are stresses on your foundation, tile floors will crack because they don't allow for any give.
Foundation problems are serious, but luckily they're pretty easy to diagnose if you keep these tips from a Seattle general contractor in mind. Take a few minutes and walk around your house testing your doors and windows and looking for cracks and sagging. It's well worth the effort because it could save your home. If you notice any of the warning signs of a problem with your foundation, contact an expert immediately.
