Five Signs Of Slab Foundation Damage
Damage can be more difficult to spot on a slab foundation, since you can't easily inspect it from a basement or crawlspace. The good news is that you don't have to just hope for the best. There are signs of foundation damage you can watch for that can alert you if a slab issue is developing.
1. Wrong-Way Water Flow
A properly graded yard ensures that water runoff, whether it's from rain and snow or irrigation, is routed away from your home. Typically, you should see water running off to a street-side sewer, or a drainage feature like a ditch. If the water is flowing toward your home and collecting against the foundation, then you will eventually develop foundation problems if they haven't begun already.
2. Erosion Signs
Erosion around the perimeter of your home is a major red flag for developing foundation damage. If the ground around the foundation is washing away or sinking, or worse, if the soil as eroded to the point where you have visible gaps beneath your foundation, then you need to call a repair service. Sometimes the erosion is the result of poor grading, as mentioned above. In other cases, water runoff from the roof or shifting soils beneath the foundation could be the culprit.
3. Wall Cracks
Cracks can occur inside your home for a variety of reasons. If those cracks tend to branch diagonally up from a corner of the room or the corner of a door or window, then the cause could be a sinking foundation. Vertical cracks that don't line up can also be a sign of slab foundation damage. Cracks tend to occur on inside walls first due to the weaker material, but occasionally they may surface in bricks or exterior stucco.
4. Uneven Floors
In most homes with a slab foundation, the flooring is installed directly on top of the concrete so the flooring should be relatively level. If dropped items tend to roll toward one corner of a room, the foundation may be sinking in that area. You can test this by dropping a small ball several times and checking to see where it rolls to.
5. Door and Window Issues
The doors and windows in your home should close easily. If they are sticking and becoming difficult to open and close, it could be that they are no longer level because a sinking foundation has skewed the frames. This is more likely if more than one window or door is having issues. A foundation inspection will be necessary.
Contact a foundation repair contractor for a prompt inspection if you notice any of the above danger signs in your home. Also, click for more information on how you can get help today.
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