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Is Your Home on Solid Ground? 3 Ways to Identify Foundation Problems

When it comes to your home, foundation damage is one of the most difficult problems to identify, especially if you don't know what to look for. Unfortunately, foundation problems can undermine the structural integrity of your home. If the foundation to your home is damaged, you need to have it repaired as quickly as possible. Here are three ways to tell whether the foundation to your home needs repair.

Cracks in the Foundation

One of the easiest ways to identify foundation damage is to look for cracks in the concrete. Look at your exposed concrete first, particularly the driveway and garage. Begin your concrete inspection at the driveway. Look for large uneven cracks—areas where one side of the concrete is higher than the other. Take a note of the location of your driveway cracks. Next, move on to the garage. Look at the floor to see whether the driveway crack stretches into the garage. If it does, you have foundation damage.

Now it's time to see whether the crack continues into your home. Go into your home and look at the floor. If you see or feel raised areas of concrete under the carpeting—or other flooring—you have whole-house foundation damage.

Wall Seams That Are Separating

Once you've inspected your floors, it's time to move on to the walls. When foundations are collapsing, the walls often begin to separate at the seams. Look at the corners in each of your rooms. Pay close attention to areas of the walls that are separating or cracked. It's also important that you look along the edges of the ceiling. The walls should fit flush with the ceiling. If they don't—such as you can see a gap between the walls and the ceiling—you should have your home inspected for foundation damage.

Problems with Doors and Windows

Foundation damage can also cause problems with your doors and windows. Walk around your home and open each of your doors and windows. If you need to tug on your doors and windows to open them, or if they don't latch properly, you're probably facing foundation damage. Changes in the position of the foundation causes the doors and windows to shift in their frames. Finally, look around the actual door and window frames. If you see hairline cracks radiating up the walls from the corner of the frames, you need to have your foundation inspected.

Your home is only as strong as the foundation it rests on. If you've identified any of the problems described here, be sure to contact a foundation-repair contractor such as Alberta Screw Piles LTD. as soon as possible.


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