The holidays are special, aren’t they? You’ve just gone through a season of entertaining friends and family, fun and merriment, and . . . embarrassment and worry?? The holidays certainly have a *special* way of bringing your troublesome home issues to light when guests notice flaws and experience problems that you have learned to live with.
That one bathroom door that doesn’t quite latch right? It’s not a big concern when it’s only your immediate family at home. Everyone’s used to it. But during the neighborhood Christmas party . . . not cool.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we get it when visiting guests inadvertently highlight your home issues. We’ve seen it many times after 40+ years in business. Your embarrassment is the last straw and the worry about your home pushes you to call for repairs. A few holiday home blunders often motivate homeowners who are finally ready to get their foundation problems handled.
In this article, we will go over the major signs that your foundation has problems. We’ll also cover how to know for sure that repairs are needed, no matter what time of year it is.
Why Is My Home Now Seeming Like It Has Foundation Issues?
We tend to overlook some functional and visual home flaws due to familiarity. You sort of ignore them or have learned to adjust to the issue and work around it. The problem persists, but you’ve found a way to put it out of your mind.
It’s more likely that having people over to the house has shined a spotlight on a few problems, moving them to *top-of-mind* and to the top of your to-do list to handle. Chances are that things have been going downhill for a while now.
In reality, homes don’t suddenly start shifting during a short period like the holiday season. Foundation movement typically happens very slowly over many years. We’re talking about decades of expansive clay soil expansion and contraction. These repeated seasonal settlement and rebounding cycles can eventually begin to cause foundation problems.
Settlement develops unnoticed for quite a while before you even spot early signs of settlement or issues. Then, even more time goes by before it starts to cause more serious damage and negatively affect your daily life.
6 Most Reliable Indicators That Your Slab Has Shifted
Homes experiencing foundation settlement will show signs of distress, causing functional issues and visual problems that upset you more than a little. The most reliable indicators are ones that:
- Don’t have a lot of other causes (or other causes are easily ruled out),
- Show that your home has shifted from the time it was built, and
- Appear on the vertical surfaces of your home.
The most common signs that your slab has shifted are the same no matter what the season. In the spring, summer, fall, or post-holiday season, these are the symptoms we are looking for to positively identify foundation settlement and problems:
- Diagonal cracks in drywall coming off of door and window frames or cased openings,
- Doors that no longer fit within their frame properly or have latching or locking problems,
- Interior trim, cabinetry, or built-ins separating from walls,
- Exterior brickwork cracking in a stair-step pattern along mortar lines,
- Gaps forming on the sides of window and/or door frames (visible from the exterior), and
- Exterior trim distress like brick frieze separating at corners or gapping along the wall run.
Sure, there are some other signs that we see in homes with foundation problems, but some can be misleading, confusing, or have too many other potential causes.
How Do I Know If My Foundation Needs Repairs?
Knowing when repairs are needed feels like a difficult thing to decide. Some professionals, like structural engineers or even other foundation repair contractors, rely heavily on numbers and measurements. How many inches of deflection, degrees of elevation change, etc.
As a foundation repair contractor, we don’t feel like it needs to be that complicated with a bunch of measuring equipment. We use two things to help determine when repairs are warranted: functionality and feelings.
When your home begins to not function properly due to foundation settlement, it’s time to consider repairs. Some examples of functional issues are:
- You have to pound on your front door to get it to close or open,
- You have important interior doors that don’t latch right causing privacy issues,
- Your chair rail trim won’t stay on the wall anymore and keeps popping off,
- Exterior brick is cracking in a stair step pattern and water is infiltrating,
- That built-in cabinet or shelf is coming away from the wall and you’re afraid to use it.
- Under-slab plumbing is cracked and leaking due to settlement, causing recurrent blockages.
Above are more extreme examples of functional issues, but it could be as simple as a door that keeps rubbing against the frame or a gap in your door letting in air.
Another factor to consider is your feelings about any issues that you see or experience. Do any of these sound like you?
- Do you get mad every time you look at that diagonal crack in your drywall?
- Do you worry when your back door doesn’t lock because the deadbolt isn’t aligned?
- Do you feel embarrassed to have people over because of any visual or functional issues?
- Is your brick wall leaning so much it’s starting to really scare you?
- Are you sick and tired of feeling stressed about your house being unstable?
You’re not alone here. These strong feelings are major indicators that it’s time to get a foundation problem handled. If you feel you simply can’t stand it anymore, then that should be a big sign that the time is right for repairs.
What To Do Next If You Think You Have Foundation Issues
Now that you know the reliable signs of foundation problems, do you think you have an issue that needs to be addressed? If so, a foundation inspection is next on your to-do list.
- Do your research and find a foundation repair company that will best meet your needs.
- Don’t be afraid to get a quote or assessment from multiple contractors.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we don’t fix things that don’t need fixin’, and we don’t try to sell you stuff you don’t need. After 40+ years in business, that’s what’s best for our Brazos Valley community and for exceptional homeowners like you. We’re here to help guide you through the foundation repair process, but you’re the one in charge.
If you’re lucky enough to live here in the Brazos Valley area and want a quote from Team Anchor, contact us by phone during business hours (M-F, 9 to 4 pm) or reach out anytime with our easy online contact form.
Hint: Snap a few photos with your phone of your most concerning issues before you start the online form.
