Signs of foundation settlement have been confirmed in your pier and beam home. Maybe you already had a house leveling contractor come out for a foundation inspection and it was verified. You know that the diagonal cracks in your walls and the door that keeps sticking are from movement or problems in your crawl space foundation.
You know just that much so far . . . but you’re on the fence about if it’s really *all that important* to do right away. You’re like, “How do I know if the time is really right to get this house leveling stuff done?” Good question.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we’ve walked and talked homeowners through the decision to move forward (or not) with crawl space foundation repair *literally thousands* of times in the last 35+ years while serving Brazos Valley communities like Bryan, College Station, Brenham, and Navasota. We can give you the same rundown here.
We will explain two key indicators to help you in deciding to get your house leveled. We will also head off some common fears and the next questions you have while you take the time to make the best decision possible for you and your home.
How to Know When to Get a Pier and Beam Foundation Repaired
There are two ways to determine if settlement signs are an “issue” for you that you might consider repairing with house leveling. These key indicators can help guide the way to making a foundation repair/leveling decision but be forewarned because they are *f-words*. . .
- Functionality
- Feelings
Next, we’ll explore these foundation decision f-words further. You didn’t really think I was going to start swearing, did you?
1. When Signs Cause Something to Not Function Properly
Does the settlement sign concerning you affect how your home works or is it cosmetic? Some signs of foundation issues just look bad or are imperfect but don’t affect functionality, like wall cracks. They are not pretty, but are they making anything not “work right?”
Doors and windows that don’t open or close right are good examples of functional issues that you might want to get corrected with house leveling. These signs of foundation problems become “functionality issues” when your home doesn’t work right by letting you enter, exit, or secure doors properly. Any sign of foundation settlement becomes a problem when things don’t function as they should and negatively affects your daily living.
Another example would be if your plumbing lines are affected by your foundation issues. If your toilet doesn’t flush well, or your tub doesn’t drain properly, then they are not working right. Functionality problems caused by foundation settlement are a signal that it’s time for house leveling repairs (and probably some plumbing repairs too!).
2. When Signs Are Making You Feel Uncomfortable
Part of your home’s job is to make you feel safe, secure, and happy. If you start to have negative feelings and dissatisfaction with your home or don’t feel like your home is protecting you or keeping you secure, then it’s not doing its job.
So your happiness and feelings of safety, security, and protection are important factors in a decision to have your pier and beam house leveled as well. For example, one of the signs of foundation settlement is doors that don’t latch or close properly. If you can’t lock your door, you might feel unsafe and want to get that fixed.
Conversely, if you can’t open your door, you might feel unsafe about being able to get out in case of an emergency like a fire. Either way, there are feelings of not being safe (as well as not functioning right in this case). Your home is failing to perform its main job for you in addition to it just not working right.
Flaws, cracks, and larger visual foundation issues can feel embarrassing for homeowners too. So when even cosmetic things begin to make you really unhappy, it’s a *big red flag* that you feel uncomfortable and unsatisfied with your home and should consider getting your home leveled or your pier and beam foundation repaired.
Is It Safe to Wait on House Leveling While I Try to Decide?
Don’t worry about your home falling over on you while you decide what is best for you and your home. Foundation problems in Central Texas residential homes, like your typical crawl space or pier and beam foundation homes, are not the kind of safety problem where you should be concerned with immediate injury or walls toppling in.
In 99.6% of cases (ok, that’s a made-up number but it’s nearly all) your home is safe to live in even if you have foundation settlement or foundation problems. We have only seen a handful of homes *as in less than 5 in 35+ years* where conditions were unlivable.
Those cases were due to sudden weather events like tornadoes and were not rooted in the typical causes of foundation settlement. Foundation problems happen so slowly and gradually that they do not create unsafe conditions for homeowners to live with while they are waiting for repairs or are still deciding what to do.
Are There Reasons to Wait or Not Wait on House Leveling?
While you are waiting for the *foundation repair spirits* to move you in one direction or another, you might wonder if there are any compelling reasons to wait or not wait on getting house leveling repairs completed. Why yes, there are a little of both as a matter of fact!
Since 1985, Anchor Foundation Repair has been advising homeowners on their foundations in Bryan, College Station, and surrounding Brazos Valley communities like Madisonville, Caldwell, and Brenham. We make it a point to provide homeowners with 100% transparent information on foundation issues.
Sometimes we recommend holding off for a while and sometimes we suggest moving forward with your house leveling repairs. Try one of these options on for size:
Pier and Beam Foundation Repair: 5 Times to Wait on House Leveling
or
Should I Level My Pier and Beam House How? 6 Good Reasons Not to Wait