At WCK Foundation Repair, every time we think we’ve heard it all, we hear a new surprising question. And even though we have an FAQ, maybe you have a question that we haven’t answered there. So huddle around—and let us answer some of your questions that may seem “out there.” We’re not here to judge! All we want is to share our knowledge. Discover more and see why you may need foundation repair on your Hammond, Covington, or Baton Rouge home.
1) How Do I Know I Have a Foundation Problem?
Foundation problems will be obvious to all. If you don’t have obvious structural issues you don’t have a foundation problem. Homeowners can do their own inspections. Just walk around the outside of your house and look for any brick cracks mainly around doors and windows, or separation in overhangs and between brick and siding or stucco. Inside your house, you can look for sheetrock cracks, cracks in the floor, and sticking doors.
2) What Causes Foundation Damage?
The main cause of foundation damage is the lack of sufficient drainage of water away from the house. When the soil gets wet it swells, when it dries out it shrinks causing your house to move. This can lead to your footing around the perimeter of your house to crack. Once your footing cracks a hinge point for movement has been created. Now instead of the movement being divided up over the entire span of the house, the movement will all be directed to that one area. At that point, even minor movement can lead to more significant damage directly around the area where the crack in your footing is. This issue can be significantly reduced by improved drainage, however, it is impossible to stop any house from moving completely. We can prevent a house from dropping or sinking but it is impossible to stop a house from upheaving when the soil swells underneath.
3) If I Have Cracks in My Foundation Does My House Need Foundation Repair?
Although in some cases cracks in your slab can lead to foundation repair the vast majority of the time the answer is no. Just like we can depend on the sun rising every morning you can be certain that concrete slabs will crack over time. If you don’t have additional structural issues like those identified in the answer to the first question you don’t have a foundation problem. If the crack can be tracked through the footing to the outside of the house a hinge point for movement has been created which could make it much more likely to be a problem in the future. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you have sufficient drainage. The less your foundation moves from significant moisture changes in the soil underneath your house, your house will not move as much, which will lead to fewer cracks in your slab. Call WCK for help with your drainage issues to prevent foundation damage.
Foundation Repair for Hammond, Covington, and Baton Rouge Homes
Are you in need of foundation repair? We’re more than happy to help! Feel free to give us a call or get a free estimate today if you think your home is in need of foundation repair. Thanks to the soil, we’re able to help those in Hammond, Covington, Baton Rouge, and everyone in between.