A home is often a once in a lifetime investment for many people, and this means that any problems in the home, its structure, or its foundations can be a cause for concern to the homeowner.
Home foundations can be on concrete slabs or have pier and beam foundations, and these can develop issues. How then do you know that you are having foundation problems that can lead to costly foundation repairs, and structural damage if these signs are ignored?
Fine small cracks in exterior walls are quite common and are part of the normal process caused by expansion and contraction of bricks and concrete due to the temperatures in the environment. It is only when these cracks widen, have a zig-zag pattern or have bricks protruding from walls, that these are signs of a larger problem with the foundations. These same types of cracks seen in drywall and other partition materials can indicate a problem in the walls and supporting structure caused by foundation issues.
One sign of definite problems in the foundation comes from doors that go out of square and lead to difficulty in closing and opening them. The same problem can often be noticed in windows. This is a result of the walls supporting the frames of doors and windows going out of square from the original alignment. When the frames separate from the walls, this is a definite sign of foundation problems.
Floor slabs can sink, tiles can show cracks, and if these are widespread and happen in many rooms, this is a definite indication that the foundation is showing signs of distress. Some homes may have expansion joints to allow the structure to compensate for movement due to earth shifting, temperatures, and other weather conditions. When the foundation develops a problem, often these expansion joints may separate from the structure and lead to more cracks or other defects being noticeable.
The shifting of walls and the structure that is caused by any defects developing in foundations can often lead to nails popping out of any drywall construction. A few nails popping out can be due to poor workmanship or unnecessary stress on the drywall, but if the problem occurs in many ways all over the home, it is a definite indication that the foundation is causing the stress.
If the walls pull away from each other, especially in the case of exterior walls, it is a definite cause for concern, and often points to foundations below these walls settling or not providing the support that they are meant to.
Foundations are based on soil, and if there is a constant change in their moisture content this can cause the soil to expand or contract, and thus lead to the foundations that are based on them to settle or move in an upward direction. The same problem can be caused by soil that has excessive moisture that freezes during extreme winter. Clay soils are the most vulnerable in this regard.
When any of these signs are noticed in a home, it requires further investigation and is best looked at by qualified experts who deal with foundation problems.
