A home is made up of many parts, but few are more important than the foundation. There are three primary forms of home foundation: crawl spaces, slabs, and full basements. Since the foundation works in part to keep the house standing upright, any damage to the foundation can directly threaten the integrity of the house. This is why it’s so important to know the warning signs that can indicate problems forming with the foundation. This article will take a look at several signs that indicate foundation problems and the solutions that can fix them.
- Water Damage and Mold: One sign that can indicate foundation problems is excessive water damage and mold forming in the crawl space and basement. While over 98% of all homes with basements will experience some type of water damage, excessive water damage and mold can indicate problems with the home’s foundation. One solution is to make use of crawl space encapsulation services to mitigate the problem. Crawl space encapsulation involves laying down a vapor barrier to keep moisture from getting into the foundation and crawl space in that way. Another solution is to make use of basement waterproofing services to keep water from leaking in and damaging the foundation.
- Cracks in the Foundation Slab: Another sign that can indicate foundation problems is cracks forming in the foundation slab. Cracks form when unnatural stress is forming in the foundation slab, causing it to slowly break apart. if left untreated, the foundation can be at risk of breaking apart. The best solution to fix this problem is to have a foundation contractor take a look at the foundation and prescribe the best solution for fixing the problem.
- Settling in the Foundation: And finally, a third sign that can indicate foundation problems is settling occurring in the foundation. Settling is what happens when part of the foundation begins to sink down below the rest of the foundation, causing cracks to form and the foundation itself to become uneven. If left uncorrected, this could cause serious problems for the foundation and the house. One solution for this problem is to bring in house leveling services to raise the sunken part of the foundation up to where it should be, before the ground underneath is reinforced to prevent the problem from happening again.
In conclusion, there are several signs that can indicate problems with a home’s foundation, and several ways to fix these problems. The warning signs include water damage and mold, cracks in the foundation slab, and settling in the foundation. The various solutions include crawl space encapsulation, calling in a foundation contractor, and house leveling services. These are just a few of the warning signs that can indicate problems with a home’s foundation, and the solutions to correct them.