Three signs that you might need foundation work

How much do you know about the foundations of your home? Not many people spend a great deal of time thinking about the foundations which support a building until something goes wrong. Normally, the first sign you have that there may be a problem with your foundations is when you start to notice cracks appearing in your floors or walls. By the time that happens, you could already have a serious problem and you will need to consider foundation work without delay. Doing nothing is not an option because the foundation problems will only get worse over time, adversely affecting the value of your property and perhaps even making it impossible to sell.

How to know if you need foundation work

It is possible for your foundation to be damaged by work carried out near the foundation, but more often the problems with your foundation have their origin in mistakes made when your property was built but which do not become apparent until the soil moves over time. All buildings will settle as time passes, but a foundation problem will be caused if that settling is uneven.

Indications that you may need foundation work include:

  • Doors or windows that no longer close properly

  • Uneven or openly cracked walls or floors

  • Visible gaps appearing between the wall and the floor or ceiling

If one or more of these indications has become apparent in your home, then it is time to consider arranging for some foundation work.

What type of foundation work do you need?

Repairing your foundation is a job for a professional foundation expert. They will need to assess the damage to your foundation and decide on the most appropriate course of action. There are several techniques which they could use depending on the seriousness of the problem and the state of the ground under your home. If the foundation contractor looks at your home and decides that the foundation should be lifted then they will probably opt for either piering or slabjacking as the most suitable methods to achieve that result.

Slabjacking involves floating your foundation back into its original position using a grout-based mixture, while using piering will require supports to be placed under the foundation of your home to raise it back to where it should be.

Whichever method is used, it will be the responsibility of your chosen contractor to ensure that all foundation work is carried out in accordance with the relevant legislation and that once the foundation work is complete no additional work will be needed to maintain the foundation on the near future.

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