Inspecting Your Home's Foundation

Water Damage is an easily noticeable warning sign that your home may be experiencing foundation damage. In Houston we have very heavy rainfall and this can lead to pooling around your home. If you are experiencing any of the following conditions you need to call a reputable foundation company as soon as possible.

– If your home has more than one or two standing puddles that sit around the exterior of your home for more than 24 hours after the last rainfall you may have poor drainage taking place. If this is not fixed it can easily lead to foundation failure.

– Another condition that could show itself is a quick change in the soil composition around your home. If you soil dries out too quickly, holds too much water and stays wet for too long, you may have expansive clay soil taking place and putting pressure on your home’s foundation.

– Lastly, moisture coming in the home through seep holes in the surrounding home brick may indicate that your home is settling on one side and has sunken into the earth. This allows for flash flooding water to enter the home through the brick seep holes and is usually seen around the border of a bedroom.

Sometimes when your home foundation shifts there are interior construction pieces that become affected. If any of the following are taking place in your home, you should call AAA Foundation Service for a free evaluation.

– Do you have windows or doors that no longer open and close correctly?
– Do your support beams have cracking or bulging at their seams?
– Do you notice your floors sloping and buckling?
– Are any of your interior walls leaning in and buckling out?
– Are there cracks in the drywall around your home?

When you are inspecting the actual foundation of your home, you should always perform a visual inspection first. Do you have any concrete that has broken off, crumbling, or chipping away? This may not be damage associated with movement of the concrete slab as there are different things that can have an impact, however, it is cause for concern.

While it is true that seasonal contraction and expansion may take place in some situations on a concrete slab, well-mixed concrete is designed to last. If you take a solid tool such as a screwdriver and can chip away at the exposed foundation with ease, it is best to contact us right away.

Lastly, if you have corners of your home’s foundation that have broken off – you should seek a repair specialist. These corners of your home bear a good amount of weight and if the corner is truncated it could mean you are having foundation trouble.

Cracks are one of the most obvious signs that a foundation is in need of repair and has shifted. As your home settles over time, some minor cracks will appear. If you notice the types of cracking listed below, give AAA Foundation Service a call right away.

– Vertical cracks on the interior walls of your home.
– Cracks that zigzag on the exterior of your brick home.
– Cracks that extend into the base of the flooring and under the floor.
– Cracks that have widened over time.
– Cracks that have extended part of the wall into the home.

The above list is a small list of the inspection points that you as a homeowner should be looking for every few years. In Houston, with the extreme climate changes, foundations often shift.

If you have concerns about the structural stability of your house, contact us today. We’ll conduct a site survey of your home, identify the problem, and provide a no-obligation cost estimate for slab foundation repairs that need to be made.