Check your Foundation 

In the past we have talked about the extreme importance of your home’s foundation. The foundation of your home is the basis of everything. If your foundation started to crumble or fail, the rest of your home will follow suit.  This is why it is incredibly imperative that you keep your foundation in optimal condition. 

One great way to make sure that your home’s foundation is staying in good repair is to look for markers that may indicate issues. Another even better way to make sure that your foundation is in proper working order is by hiring a reputable professional to do a thorough inspection. A thorough inspection should include checking interior, and exterior walls. Checking outside along the base of the home. As well as going underneath the house into the crawl space. Make sure that you hire someone who is very experienced in recognizing foundation issues. This is a great way to keep your home from falling into disrepair.

But how can you know when it is time to call a professional? On the plus side there are ways that make it easy to tell that it is time to call a professional.

1. You have had standing water on your foundation. 
2. You have noticed uneven flooring.
3. Your doors and windows are not aligning properly.
4. There are cracks appearing in flooring or in the sheetrock.
5. Any type of Wall rotation 
6. Cracks in the bricks or foundation on the exterior of your home. 
7. Garage door or windows starting to seperate.

These are just a few warning signs to look out for when thinking about foundation inspection.

But many people may wonder why their foundation would fail. Unfortunately, there are many issues as to why your foundation may be failing. Some of the more common reasons include; plumbing leaks, being built on clay or improperly compacted soil. Perhaps if there isn’t a proper drainage system around your home, if you have had a bad earthquake or flood, sometimes tree roots can work their way in, and even if your area gets extreme weather. Because of all of these reasons it is highly advisable to have you foundation inspected regularly.

So now that you know it is time to have you foundation repaired or replaced what will the process look like? Generally, they will dig holes around or under the home around the foundation, they will have to remove debris, plants and shut off some utilities to have proper access. Concrete, or steel piers will then be installed. They will then lift up the structure slowly, they will then put hydraulic jacks under the foundation to help lift it! 

After that they will proceed in repairing the foundation. When your have a foundation replaced it is a very similar operation. When they are done with the repair they will refill in the holes that were dug and clean up the construction site. There are other ways of having the foundation repaired so make sure you talk to your contractor to find out exactly what steps they will be taking. It may take quite some time to have your foundation repaired or replaced but it is definitely something that must be done.

Needing to have your foundation repaired or replaced is an unfortunate situation. However, everyone at Your Crawl Space Guys want to make the process as easy and painless as possible. For all of your crawl space needs call Your Crawl Space Guys!