How to Tell If Your Home Needs Foundation Repair
Your home functions best when it is safe and sound. If it begins to show signs of foundation damage, like cracks in walls, sagging or uneven floors, or sticking doors and windows, it’s time to call in an expert. Contact Foundation Repair Greensboro NC for professional help.
Recognizing early warning signs can help you save money by avoiding costly repairs. A qualified contractor will assess the situation and recommend the most effective repair method.
Uneven floors are not just a nuisance, but they can lead to serious safety and stability problems. If you notice a sagging floor or have trouble walking on uneven surfaces, it is essential to contact a local foundation repair expert as soon as possible.
Most uneven floors are caused by issues involving the foundation, crawl space, or the structure of your home. Depending on the specific cause, different types of repairs are needed to address these issues.
If the problem is foundation settlement, uneven floors occur because portions of the foundation sink or shift over time. This shifting is caused by the natural cycle of soil expansion and contraction due to moisture changes. Expansive clay soils found under homes in Texas are prone to this type of shifting.
Another common cause of uneven floors is a weak crawl space support system or weakened floor joists. Moisture damage to crawl space supports or weakened floor joists can cause the wood to warp, which leads to uneven floors. This can happen due to excessive water intrusion into the crawl space from heavy rain or plumbing leaks, and it can also result from poor crawl space encapsulation.
To address this, foundation professionals can conduct underpinning to counter the settlement. This involves digging down to the load-bearing soil beneath your foundation, then installing push or helical piers to lift and stabilize it. This is a low-impact solution that does not require you to leave your home while it’s being worked on. The repair is complete in a matter of days, and you can avoid having to pay for costly removal or replacement of flooring materials. In addition, repairing these supports can prevent further floor sagging and structural damage.
Sagging Floors
Often caused by soil movement or erosion, sagging floors can compromise the structural integrity of your home. A professional evaluation is essential to determine the cause of the problem and the correct solution. A reputable foundation repair contractor will inspect the area and draft a detailed action plan, including drawings and recommendations for temporary support of the affected areas while work is being done.
Depending on the severity of your floor sagging, you may need to add joists or structural supports, or both. If the issue is due to a sinking or shifting foundation, adding push or helical piers will usually be the most effective solution. In cases where a joist has been damaged, or the piers have become unattached from the foundation, underpinning with concrete can help restore the stability of your foundation.
Moisture is another common cause of sagging floors, especially in crawl spaces. Excess moisture can lead to wood rot, which weakens the beams that support your floors and other parts of the house. This can be exacerbated by leaks, which can cause water intrusion into the basement or crawl space, and by pest infestations, such as termites.
In some cases, sagging floors can be repaired using polyurethane foam injection, which provides a fast and effective alternative to traditional piers. This method doesn’t require digging or excavation, and it uses a non-invasive injection process that reduces disruption to the surrounding landscaping. It also has the advantage of being less costly than traditional piers, as there is no need to hire additional contractors to dig and install concrete. This is a good option for Central Texas homeowners who want a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to their floor sagging problems.
Bowing Walls
Bowing walls are a serious issue that can jeopardize the integrity of your home’s structure and foundation. This common issue is caused by hydrostatic pressure from water-saturated soil and often results in structural damage that can be extremely costly to fix. Fortunately, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to catch the problem early on and can be easily repaired with proper preventive maintenance.
Visible bowing or bulging walls are an obvious sign that your foundation needs repair. Other warning signs include horizontal or stair-step cracks in the wall, sagging floors, and misaligned doors or windows. It’s important to take the time to monitor your foundation for changes over time, so that you can catch any progression in a timely manner and call for professional inspection as soon as possible.
Bowed walls are best addressed with wall anchors or angle bracing, which redirect the pressure exerted on your foundation walls to a stronger section of your home’s exterior or interior. Essentially, this solution involves drilling anchors into the ground outside of your foundation and attaching them to a steel rod that extends inside your basement. This rod is then tightened to pull the bowing walls back into alignment, effectively stabilizing your foundation.
Another option is helical tiebacks, which are typically used for more severe bowing walls. With this solution, a steel shaft with helix-like plates is drilled into your basement floor and secured to the wall using high-strength rods. The helix-like plates on the end of the steel shaft will heave and expand in response to water movement, helping to counteract the force that is pushing your bowing walls inward. This is a good alternative to wall anchors if you don’t have the space outside of your home to install them, but still provide a stable and effective solution.
Cracked Walls
Most brick and mortar homes experience small cracks in walls over time. While most are not structurally significant, they may be a warning sign of more serious problems. Cracks that widen are a strong indicator of serious movement and should be assessed by a professional.
Vertical cracks that travel straight up and down a wall are the most common type of crack. These cracks usually indicate that the foundation is shifting in response to weather conditions or other factors outside the home. However, these cracks can also be caused by improperly sized or installed ceiling joists/trusses.
Diagonal cracks that appear at an angle along the wall are a serious concern and require immediate attention from a foundation specialist. These cracks typically indicate that the foundation is shifting due to soil pressure pushing on the concrete basement wall. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately, as it can lead to more extensive damage in the future.
Regardless of the type and severity of your foundation wall cracks, you can count on our team of experts to provide a customized solution. We offer a range of repair solutions, including epoxy injections, carbon fiber reinforcement, underpinning, and waterproofing. Each of our solutions is based on a thorough professional assessment of the problem and its underlying cause. We then recommend the appropriate solution, whether it’s foundation underpinning, a crack injection system like Xypex, or another method that best suits your needs. Timely repairs prevent further damage, preserve your home’s value, and protect your family’s safety and comfort. Contact us today to learn more about the professional repairs we can provide for your home. We offer free estimates and a transferable lifetime warranty on all of our services.
Mold
Like mildew, mold thrives in damp areas and needs an organic food source to grow. As spores settle in an infested area, they begin producing roots called hyphae that anchor the mold to its substrate and absorb nutrients, just as plant roots do. Left unchecked, the mold will continue growing indefinitely and can damage building materials over time. Mold spores can also produce a musty odor and cause respiratory problems in sensitive people.
Surface mold can be treated with proper cleaning techniques, but mold infiltration that has penetrated drywall or wood is harder to remove and can lead to costly structural repairs. Mold growth can also degrade collection materials, such as books, art on paper, or photographic prints and negatives, because the hyphae digest the organic material and leave it weaker.
Whether your foundation is in need of repair due to sinking floors or bowing walls, it’s critical that your home return to its original elevation. Your home was built at a specific position so that it could work right for you, keeping you safe with door and window latches and locks that function properly, preventing moisture and pests from entering through cracks in the exterior walls and ceilings, and giving you stable places to store items inside your home. Restoring the original position of your home will close up any cracks, straighten doors and windows, and allow trim and finishes to be reattached. There are several methods of repairing your foundation, including pressed piles, bell-bottom piers, and mudjacking, but the most effective way to restore your home is with steel piers. This method involves driving long, steel rods deep into the ground until they reach stable soil or bedrock and then pushing them under your home.
