If you have noticed a home’s doors and windows becoming hard to open or if gaps are starting to form between walls, it’s a sign that the foundation is shifting. These issues may become more severe if a house has significant water damage or if the soil around the foundation isn’t properly graded.
What type of foundation repair is best?
If these signs are present, you need to get your foundation repairs checked out immediately. Otherwise, they could become a serious problem that will be expensive to fix.
Step 1: Repairing Cracks – Small cracks that aren’t more than 1/4-inch wide are generally not a problem, but larger ones should be inspected for evidence of further damage. These can be patched, but if they’re a lot bigger than that, the repair might need to go deeper to fix the underlying issue.
Depending on the extent of the damage, you might also need to address drainage issues. Specifically, make sure that your gutters and downspouts direct water away from your foundation.
Another potential source of moisture in the soil around a foundation is a blocked perimeter drain system, such as a French drain. This can cause a major problem by causing water to accumulate, putting pressure on the foundation.
In most cases, the most effective long-term solution to repairing a foundation is to install piers beneath it. These are galvanized steel posts that are driven deep into the ground below your home. They are strong, load-bearing structures that hold your home steady and work in almost any upper soil condition.