8 Tips for Identifying Foundation Problems

House foundation struggles aren’t fun.

They threaten the very integrity of the building you call your home. Oh, and getting them fixed isn’t cheap.

You’re looking at between $5,000 and $7,000 as standard. Serious issues could cost well more.

You’re (almost literally) caught between a rock and a hard place. Get the necessary repairs and pay out thousands of dollars. Don’t get the repairs, risk greater damage, and potentially pay more in the long term. Oh, and your house might fall down. There’s always that.

Clearly, it makes sense to get the repair work done.

But first, you need to know there’s an issue. Knowing the symptoms to look for is an essential first step to solving foundation problems and save money in the long run.

Keep reading to find out the key signs of struggling foundations.

8 Signs of Foundation Problems to Know, Look For, and Fix ASAP

Dodgy foundations can have serious repercussions if left to deteriorate further. The following signs are indicative of a problem. Spot them, and call a professional for support fixing them.

1. Slanting Floors

A golf ball that rolls from one side of the room to the other is a bad sign.

Your floors should be level. You don’t want to be walking up and downhill to get from the sofa to the kitchen. Jokes aside, a clear sign of a foundation issue is the sloping of your floors.

It’s caused by the movement in the foundation. As that happens your house is pushed and pulled in certain directions. The weight is shifted, and perfectly level floors begin to sag.

Call a pro if you notice it happening.

2. Saggy Ceilings

Saggy ceilings are another potential outcome of shifting foundations.

For the same reasons that your floors can sag, your ceilings may begin to droop too.

That’s bad news for different reasons. First, your foundations need fixing. Secondly, a drooping ceiling may collapse. You don’t want to be underneath it when it happens.

Seeks professional repairs at your earlier convenience.

3. Walls Are Beginning to Bow

Is your home feeling more enclosed recently?

Do the walls feel like they’re closing in on you? Well, it might not be in your head. They might genuinely be bowing if there’s a foundation in need of repair.

Bowed walls aren’t always easy to spot. It isn’t until the problem worsens that you notice it for the first time. There might be a bulge, a bow, a slide from the bottom, or a lean from the top in evidence.

That may sound like a dance routine. But any of these suggest a serious issue that needs attention!

4. Cracks Keep Appearing

Cracks are ugly.

No-one wants to see cracks in the walls and ceilings of their home. It just doesn’t look very pretty. But cracks can also indicate foundational concerns.

Be particularly wary of cracks in your walls and floors. It’s fairly typical to see thin, hairline cracks around the frames of windows and doors. Things expand and contract in different weather conditions, causing them to appear.

They don’t look great, but they aren’t a real problem.

The same can’t be said for wide cracks that are at an angle, or horizontal. Notice water coming from it? Not good. Likewise, a staircase looking crack running through brickwork needs attention too.

5. Door and Window Trouble

Doors and windows seem the first to struggle when your foundations start to slip.

They might start sticking in their frames. This is caused by frames getting distorted by shifts in the house. The house moves and the frames get pulled, pushed and compressed. The windows and doors start jamming.

Problems don’t stop there though. You might notice the façade of your house pulling away from the front/rear doors, and windows. Again, it’s a result of shifting foundations and the pulling forces that accompany it.

Those gaps aren’t good. They’ll start to let water and pests into your home.

6. Water Damage

Are there signs of water damage in your house?

Damp patches on walls and floors? Dank, musty smells coming from crawl spaces and basements? Are your walls wet to the touch?

You may have water coming into your home. That’s never fun either. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean the foundation is at fault. A pipe might have cracked, or any other plumbing-related factor may be the problem.

However, it could also be your shifting foundations causing cracks.

7. Mold Is Growing

Mold and mildew are signs of damp in your home.

Somewhere in the building, something is causing that damp to appear. Sure, it might be poor ventilation. The problem may be solved by simply opening a window and turning on your dehumidifier.

However, as we’ve just noted, foundation problems can easily lead to water damage. Check where the mold is growing. Do you notice any cracks in the same places? Water could be getting in.

8. Chimney Changes

Brick chimneys form a crucial function for fireplaces.

It’s common to see older homes with decrepit looking chimneys. The bricks might have shifted, the shape may be lopsided, or it may seem on the verge of collapse!

Spotting any of these signs could mean trouble for your foundations. Get your foundations checked out. Oh, and be sure to sort out the chimney while you’re at it.

You don’t want it to fall down and risk injuring someone down below.

Time to Wrap Up

There you have it: 8 tell-tale signs of foundation problems to look out for.

Foundations are fundamental to the structural well-being of your home. It’s essential that they’re looked after, and that problems are fixed as soon as they occur. Unfortunately, the cost of doing so can climb into the thousands of dollars.

However, the prevention of further problems down the line means it’s absolutely worth it. First, though, you need to know the problem signs to look out for.

Hopefully, the information here will enable you to do just that.

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