Foundation experts – you can find them online or by word-of-mouth. When to contact a foundation expert?
Do you know? When you’re preparing to facilitate the purchase or sale of a house, you need to know what to look for to make sure the home is structurally sound. You can conduct a quick inspection by taking a walk around the home and look for any of these problem signs. Remember that if the home has a crawl space, it will need to be inspected as well but these are easy problem signs to keep an eye out for.
Foundation Experts: Foundation Problem Sign Areas
If you find any of these problems then there could be a structural issue. Contact a trusted foundation repair expert for an in-depth inspection of the home’s structure.
Living Areas inside the Home:
- Drywall cracks
- Cracks in the plaster
- Nail pops
- Uneven or sagging floors
- Sticking windows or doors
- Cabinets that swing open
- Mold on the baseboards or near vents
- Slab floor cracks
- Windows that won’t close completely
- Gaps between the floor and wall
Basement:
- Cracked walls
- Floor cracks
- Bowed walls
- Wet basement walls
- Water on the floor or in the cove area
- Mold or a musty smell
- Acid damage (rust colored stains on the wall)
- Efflorescence (white chalky powder)
- Wood rot on exposed beams
- Rust on metal appliances (water heater)
- Concrete spalling (concrete chipping away)
Foundation Problem Sign Areas – Outside the Home:
- Ground settling around the home
- Brick cracks
- Chimney cracks
- Leaning chimney
- Cracks in the foundation
- Home addition is sinking
- Cracked concrete floor in the garage
- The porch separating or sinking away from the home
- Sink holes
- Brick that has be re-pointed
- Puddles around the foundation
If you notice any of these foundation problem signs, it’s best to have a professional assess your home’s foundation, crawl space, or basement as soon as possible. The problem has time to progress if you wait, so don’t let a repair become a costly nightmare.
