A damaged foundation is bad news for anyone. Your home’s foundation is what keeps it “alive.” Without it, the rest of the structure would quickly fall victim to shifting ground and instability, making the building dangerous to live in. So, how do you know if your foundation is suffering? What happens if it is? Can you repair a damaged foundation? Leaquida Waterproofing has answers to all of your questions and more. Let’s take a look!
Is My Foundation Damaged?
The first step to anything foundation related is knowing if it’s damaged to begin with. There are obvious warning signs from both inside and outside of a building.
Signs from the interior include:
- Cracks in your sheetrock/drywall
(Not your paint. Old paint get’s little cracks in it over time and this is harmless.) - Cracks in your flooring
This is most noticeable with tiling or the cement floor of an attached garage. - Doors or windows that aren’t aligned correctly anymore
Have you ever noticed your doors suddenly closing more or less easily during certain seasons? This is due to shifting in your foundation. - Floors being uneven
Your foundation was built to provide a flat, even surface for your house. If the floors of your house are not completely flat, the foundation has shifted.
Signs from the exterior include:
- Cracks in exposed parts of your foundation
- Gaps between exterior doors or windows and the exterior wall
- Displaced moldings, doorframes, and window frames
If there is a gap between the frame or molding around a door or window and the wall that it should be sitting against, something is amiss. - Cracks in exterior brick or stone walls
Cracks in the mortar between bricks is bad enough, but any shift in the foundation that can apply enough pressure to crack the bricks themselves is noteworthy.
How to Prevent Damage
If you’re not seeing many of these signs, your foundation is probably fine. However, if you see one or two things that seem like they might indicate the beginning of a problem, there’s a way to prevent that problem from getting worse.
To prevent a damaged foundation, you should heavily consider damp proofing or waterproofing for your exterior. This process is somewhat involved. It aims to install a barrier between your foundation and the surrounding ground. This is very effective at stopping damage from groundwater and moisture. It can also be used to prevent moisture from leaking into basements, which is a leading cause of basement mold.
Can A Damaged Foundation Be Repaired?
The amount of damage a foundation can accrue before it is irreparable is quite extensive. Repairing a foundation actually comes with many solutions. This is especially true if you catch the damage early on. Foundations that are beginning to shift position due to the shifting ground beneath it are some of the easiest to repair – though the process isn’t simple nor cheap.
How to Repair a Damaged Foundation
If you need help repairing a damaged foundation, you’ll need to contact a local specialist. The repair will typically involve digging into the surrounding soil to expose the foundation. Your specialist can then repair it from beneath by applying supports. This uses a method called slabjacking.
If you have questions about damage prevention, waterproofing, or damp proofing, you can get all the help you need right here. Call us at Leaquida Waterproofing and we can help you avoid any future need for foundation repair.
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