Introduction

Yourhouseisprobablythemostexpensiveinvestmentyoullevermake.Thatswhyit
paystoprotectit.Ifyoususpectthatsomethingswrongwithyourfoundation,itswise
tolearnhowtoidentifythe8mostcommonsignsoffoundationproblemsinhousesor
commercialstructuresinmostareasoftheUnitedStates.Concreteslabsandpierand
beamfoundationscandevelopsevereissues.Basementscanalsobecomeseverely
damaged.

Becausedeteriorationcanbecausedbyavarietyofthingsincludingsoil,climate,
plumbingleaks,poorsoilcompactionandinadequatefoundationdrainage,itsalwaysa
goodideatobeonthelookoutforsignsoftrouble.Tohelpyouidentifypotential
problems,wevecompiledalistofthethingsthatmayindicatethatyourequire
foundationrepairservice.

PropertiesinsomepartsoftheUnitedStatesareadverselyaffectedbyiceandsnow,
whilepropertiesinsubtropicalregionsfrequentlydevelopcomplicationsduetoexcessive
heat(over90100degrees),rain,extensiveflooding(45ormoreinarelativelyshort
period)anddroughts.Fortunately,foundationissuesinresidentialandcommercial
buildings,aswellasapartmentcomplexes,canberesolvedrelativelyquickly.

Ifyoureconcernedaboutfoundationdamage,itsadvisabletocontactagoodfoundation
repaircontractorandhavetheminspectyourconcreteslab,pierandbeamfoundationor
basement.Anexperiencedprofessionalshouldbeabletopinpointthesourceofyour
problemandstopthedeterioration.Remember:Identifyingthecauseofthetroubleisthe
firststepinfindingthebestsolution.Insomeinstances,thecontractormayrecommend
thatastructuralengineerbeenlistedtoevaluateyourfoundationandprepareaformal
engineer'sreport.Thisgenerallycostsabout$350$500forahome,and$500$750per
buildingforcommercialbuildingandapartmentcomplexes.Pricesaregenerallythesame
inallUScities.Factis,thelargerthestructure,thehigherthecost.Obtainingastructural
engineersreportmaybebeneficial,dependingupontheseverityofthedamage.

Topreventtheneedforextensiverepairs,takeafewminutestolearntorecognizethe
signsthatmightmeanthatsomethingiswrongwithyourfoundation.Afterall,problems
areverycommonandcanprovecostly.Whilefoundationrepaircostsforslabandpier
andbeamfoundationsgenerallyrangefrom$4,000$8,500foranaveragesizedhouse,
thepricecanbemuchhigherifyourpropertydamageisextensive,orifyouownalarge
structuresuchasanapartmentcomplex,church,school,warehouseorcommercial
property.

Whenreadingtheinformationbelow,pleasekeepinmindthatthefollowingisan
abbreviatedlistofthingsthatfrequentlysignalfoundationtrouble,andthatmanyother
conditionscanindicatecomplications,too.

The 8 Most Common Signs of

Foundation Problems Include:
Foundation Cracks, Wall/Floor Cracks and Other
Types Of Fractures:

Ifyouvenoticedgapsinyourfoundationoronthebrickexteriorofyourhouseor
commercialproperty,itcouldmostdefinitelyindicatethatyouhaveatleastoneofthe
manyconditionsthatsignalafoundationproblem.Floorcracks,wallfissuresanda
brokenchimneycanalsomeantrouble.Overtimeyourstructuremayexperience
foundationmovementduetoavarietyofconditions.Whenthathappens,yourfoundation
canshiftandgapsmaybecomeaveryseriousconcern.Expandingandcontractingsoils,
aswellasinclementweather,areoftenthecauseoftheproblem.

Whileitsnormalforafoundationtosinkanddeveloptinycracksinthefirst23years
followingconstruction,(1/16hairlinefissuresareexceedinglycommon),horizontal
cracksinbrickexteriorsortheconcreteblockwallsofyourbasementcouldindicatethat
yourhousemaybeexperiencingmorethananacceptableamountofsettling.Evena
gapcanwarrantconcern.Thesetypesoffracturesareregardedasbeingmoreserious
thanverticalcracksbecausetheycanindicatethattheperimeterofyourhousefoundation
isunderalotofpressure.Cracksthatruninaverticaldirectionarentgenerallyasignof
troublesincedrywallsruninthatsamedirection.

Moderatewallandfoundationcracksaretypically515mminlength,whichequatestoa
widthof.2.6.Moreseriouscracksaregenerallyabove15mm(.6)orless.Ifyou
discoverthatfracturesarehorizontal,thismaymeanthatanexcessiveamountofwater
pressureisimpactingyourfoundation.Ofcourse,somefoundationcrackscanbehuge
andgrowtobe12wideorlarger.Wheninsectsorwaterinvadethesecracks,theycan
weakenanalreadydamagedfoundation.

Whenexaminingyourgaps,especiallythoseininteriorwalls,youllwanttodetermineif
youhaveaverticalcrackoronethatishorizontal.Ifyounoticethatsomeofthefractures
arepositionedata45degreeangle,thiscouldindicatethatseverefoundationmovement
hasoccurred.Ifthatsthecase,sheetrockinyourwallswillslowlyripanddeveloplarge
tearsovertime.

Brickthatmakescontactwithaslabfoundationcancauseangularcracksinthe
foundation.Itisnotunusualforthesefracturestobe1015long.Whenbrickexpands,
itforcestheedgesofthebrickoutward.Thisisgenerallynothingtobeconcernedabout
andisnotcommonlyregardedtobeasignofaseriousfoundationproblem.

Othertypesoffracturesthatwarrantcloserexaminationarestairstepcracksinbrick
exteriors.Thesefissurestypicallyappearnearthecornerofexteriorsandrunupand
down.

Whilefracturescanindicatetrouble,dontassumeyourfoundationisdamaged.Its
importanttokeepinmindthatmanycracksarecosmeticinnatureandabsolutelynothing
tobeconcernedabout.

2. Foundation Settling Or Sinking

Ifyourhouseorotherstructureappearstobesinkingorhavingsettlementissues,haveit
checkedout.Thatsbecausesettlingisanotherordinarysignthatyoumayhavea
foundationdilemma.Overtime,youmaynoticethatonesideofyourhouseislowerthan
theother,oryoumayobservethatthecenterofyourcommercialbuildingissinking.If
so,yourfoundationmayneedtobeliftedandrequiretheinstallationofinterioror
exteriorfoundationpiers.Theseareplacedaroundtheperimeterofyourfoundationin
ordertoraiseit,orelseinstalledintheinteriorofyourstructure.Asmanyproperty
ownerswhohaveconcreteslabfoundationshavediscovered,installinginterior
foundationpiersinvolvescrackingtheconcreteslabandcreatingabitofamess.

Gapsresultingfromfoundationsettlementareverticalthevastmajorityofthetime.
Wheninspectingyourfoundationitpaystokeepthisinmind:Whatbeginsasasmall
dipinoneareaofyourhousecangrowtobecomeaverylargeproblem.Leftunattended,
itisentirelypossibleforafoundationtosettleintotheearth24.Evenlessthan
11/2isextremelysevere!Thelongeryouignoretheproblem,theworseyourfoundation
troublebecomes.Whatsmore,whenextensivesettlingoccurs,amultitudeofsafety
issuescandevelopquickly.Byenlistingafoundationrepaircontractorwhenyoufirst
noticecomplications,youcanavoidfoundationfailure,whileminimizingcostsand
danger.

Astheyearsgoby,otherareasofyourfoundationwillbegintosettle.While
homeownersgenerallynoticethatonesideofthehouseappearstobesinkingfirst,the
otherssideswillinevitablybegintomoveinadownwarddirectionandyourfoundation
willbecomeincreasinglyoutoflevel.Eventhoughtheloadbearingweightofahouseis
equalonallfoursides,thedifferentialmoisturecontentoneachsideofthefoundation
canvary.Thatswhysomepartsofafoundationsettlebeforeothersectionsdo.
Contractorsoftenrefertothisasdifferentialmovement.Oncethisoccurs,major
structuralchangestakeplace.Beforelong,youllbecomeawareofallsortsofstrange
issues,includingextensivecrackingontheinsideandoutsideofyourhouse.Cracks
resultingfromfoundationsettlementaregenerallyvertical.Fortunately,foundationrepair
servicewillresolvetheproblem.

Foundationmovementleadstosettlingandimpactshousesandcommercialsbuildings
differently,dependinguponwhattypeoffoundationyouhave,andhowwellitwas

constructed.Slabfoundationsdonotreacttofoundationmovementinexactlythesame
mannerthatpierandbeamfoundationsdo.And,ofcourse,houseswithbasementsarea
differentmatteraltogether.Regardlessofwhichkindoffoundationyouhave,thevolume
ofthesoilitwasbuiltoncandefinitelyimpacthowstableitis.

Unfortunately,somebuildersutilizepoorconstructiontechniquesandhaveevenbeen
knowntoconstructfoundationsonpoorlycompactedsoils.Problemsdevelopwhenthe
groundunderthehouse,apartmentorbusinesscentercollapsesundertheweightofthe
structure.Ifyourebuildinganewhome,youmaywanttoenlistasoilengineerto
performasoilsiteanalysisoftheearthandmakesureithasbeenproperlycompacted.

Bearinmindthatasingleverticalcrackcanmeanthatyourfoundationismoving
upwards.Intheeventyounoticethatyourfoundationissuddenlysinkingorsettling,its
possiblethatyourhousewasbuildonasinkhole.Whilethisismostuncommon,itdoes
occurfromtimetotimeandwarrantsimmediateattention.Ifyouthinkthisisa
possibility,donotdelayincontactingafoundationrepaircontractor.

3. Foundation Upheaval

Ifyourslabfoundationhasmovedinanupwarddirection,itisexperiencingfoundation
upheaval.Thisisfrequentlyanindicationoffoundationproblemsandmaysignalthat
yourstructureisexperiencingtheoppositeoffoundationsettling.Heavinggenerally
affectstheperimeterareaofaconcreteslabfoundation,butitcanimpactyourhomes
interior,includinghallways,doorwaysandotherareas.Outsidegaragewallsarealmost
alwayspushedupwards,too.

Therearemanycausesoffoundationupheavalinslabfoundationsincludingsoilthat
expandsandcontracts,excessivemoistureduetorainorunderslabplumbingleaksand
frostheave.Claysoilsaremostoftenaffectedbymoisturebecausethistypeofsoil
expandsandgainsvolumewhenitbecomeswet.

Moistureisthe#1thingthatcontributestoupheavalinslabfoundations.Heavyrainsas
wellasplumbingproblemsresultingfromunderslabplumbingleakscanleadtoan
abundanceoftrappedmoisturebeneathyourslab.Youcouldbelosing1050gallonsof
waterperday,andmaybeevenmore.Checkyourwaterbillifyoususpectthatiscould
behappening.Whensoilgetswetitbecomesheavy.Theweightofthesoilcanbegreat
enoughtoforceyourfoundationupwards.Itiswhenthisoccursthathomeownersmost
oftennoticethatdoorsarestickingandthatfireplaces,aswellassteelcolumns,have
movedupwards,too.

Frostheavecommonlycausesfoundationtrouble.Thatsbecausewhenwatergetsbelow
32degreesandfreezes,itincreasesinvolumeby9%.Thisputsaddedpressureonyour

foundationandcanresultinfoundationmovement.Whenthefoundationshifts,slab
foundationcracksmaysoonbecomevisible.

Slabfoundationscanmovequitealot,anditisnotuncommonforthemtobeforced
upwardsbyasmuchas11/221/2.Itrequiresfarlessmovementthanthattoseverely
damagealltypesoffoundations,includinghousefoundations,commercialbuildings,
apartments,schools,shoppingcentersandotherstructures.

4. Doors That Stick Or Dont Open And Close

Properly

Ifyouvenoticedthatyourdoorsaresticking,thatsfrequentlyanindicationthereis
somesortofproblemwithyourfoundation.Wheninteriordoorsareaffected,theytendto
stickordragatthetop.Exteriordoorswithfoundationissuesaremorelikelytodragat
thethresholdorhangdownatthetopandappearuneven.Forexample,thetopleftsideof
thedoormaybehigherthanthetoprightsideofitis.Itcouldbeoffbyaslittleas,but
thedifferencecomebecomeorlarger.Frenchdoorsorotherkindsofdoubledoors
maynotmeetinthemiddleorhangcorrectly.Thisisanissuethatiscommonlyaffects
allkindsofslabandpierandbeamfoundations,regardlessofwhetherit'sonahouseor
commercialstructure.Nopropertyisimmunefromthisformoftrouble.

Sometimesdoorsstickanddontopenandcloseproperlyduetohumidity(75100%).
Thisisoftenthecaseduringthe23dayperiodimmediatelyfollowingaheavyrainor
severeflooding.Ofcourse,ifyoualsonoticefoundationcracksorothersortsoffractures
inandaroundyourhomeorcommercialproperty,itcanbeasignofsettlinginyour
foundation.Whenfoundationdamagehasoccurred,endescalatingproblemsquicklyby
contactingaqualifiedcontractor.

Ifaprofessionalevaluatesyourfoundationandsuspectsthatwaterleaksarecausingthe
problem,alicensedplumbershouldbeenlistedtoperformahydrostaticplumbingtest.If
youdontknowwhotocall,agoodcontractorcanhelpyoulocateone.Thistestcan
determineifyouhaveleaksandifso,wheretheyare.Ofcourse,theproblemcouldbe
thatdroughtconditionsorexceptionallywarmweathercouldbecausingthesoilaround
yourfoundationtoshrinkandmove.(ManypartsoftheUnitedStatesexperience
temperaturesrangingfrom20degreestowellover105degrees.Heatsometimesexceeds
120.)

Theresnowayofknowingexactlywhatthetroubleisuntilitisthoroughlyexamined.
Sinceafoundationevaluationdoesnttakelongtodo,typically45minutestoonehour,
itsalwayswisetohavethingscheckedout.Anexperiencedfoundationrepaircontractor
shouldbeabletoletyouknowmoreaboutthesignsoftroubleandwhetherornotyour
propertyrequiresrepair.

5. Gaps Around Window Frames Or Exterior Doors

Homeownersoftennoticegapsaroundtheirexteriorwindowframes,aswellasspaces
aroundtheirexteriordoors.Theymayevenbecomeawarethattheirdoorsnolonger
latch.Thisisasignofaproblemthatcouldbeaffectingthefoundation.

Whensomethingisamiss,doubledoorsfrequentlydonotalignproperly,whichmakes
themverydifficulttoclose.Whatsmore,doorframesmaybecomecrookedandimpair
alltypesofdoorsfromoperatingproperly.Ifyounoticesomethinglikethis,performa
visualinspectiononyourhouseorotherproperty.

6. Sagging Or Uneven Floors

Ifyouvenoticedthatyourfloorsareoutoflevelorappeartobesagging,bowingor
dipping,thiscouldindicatetrouble.Whenfoundationissuesimpactpierandbeam
foundations,floorshaveatendencytosagandsqueak.Whereconcreteslabsare
concerned,floorsarepronetobeunevenoroutoflevel.Sinceslabfoundationsare
positioneddirectlyonthegroundandpierandbeamfoundationsarenot,theyare
affecteddifferently.Whilebothmayhaveflooringissues,thesignsofdamagedontlook
thesame.

Inadditiontobeingunsightly,saggingorunevenfloorsaredangerous,especiallyfor
smallchildren,elderlyindividualsorpeoplewhoarephysicallyimpaired.Overtime,
floorsthatinitiallyappeartobeoutoflevelbyorso,maybecomeunevenby
11/22.Toavoidhazardslikethis,haveyourfoundationfixedassoonaspossible.

7. A Damp Crawl Space In A Pier And Beam House

Heavymoistureinthecrawlspacecanbeasignthatthefoundationhasproblemsorwill
soonbedevelopingthem.Itsimperativetodeterminewhythecrawlspaceiswetand
thentakestepstominimizemoisture.

Alwayskeepinmindthatanabundanceofmoisturecanattractterminatesandalsocause
thewoodenbeamsbeneathyourhouseorbuildingtorot.Dampcrawlspacescanomita
foul,mustyodor,whichyoumaysmellevenwhenyoureinsidethehouse.Moldand
mildewisarealproblemwhenyouhaveawetcrawlspace.

Ifyouliveinanareawhereitrainsfrequentlyorfloodingcommonlyoccurs,its
importanttohaveaneffectivefoundationdrainagesystem.Youmayrequirethe
installationofasurfacedrain,whichmovesvastamountsofwaterquickly,oraFrench
drain,whichredirectssmalleramountsofwaterthatareslowlyseepingbeneathyour

house.Standingwateraroundyourfoundation(evenamountslessthan1/8deep)can
damageyourfoundationandleadtotheneedforexpensiverepairs.Iftheresanoticeable
amountofmoistureatall,itsaproblem.

Ifyounoticelotsofmoisture,youmaybenefitfromhavingapolyethylenevaporbarrier
installedinyourcrawlspace.Thisbarrierpreventswaterfromevaporatingfromthesoil
andmakingthecrawlspacedamp.Contractorswhocommonlydealwithpierandbeam
foundationscancertainlybeofhelp.

Thereareseveralotherthingsthatcanbedonetodealwiththesetypesofissues.Ifthe
spacebeneathyourpierandbeamfoundationshowssignsofproblems,consultwitha
contractorthathasexperiencerepairingfoundationsonthesespecifictypesofresidential
andcommercialstructuresrightaway.

8. Counters And Cabinets Separating From The Wall

Haveyouevernoticedthatyourkitchencabinetsorcountertopsseemtobetiltingand
pullingawayfromthewall?Atfirstitmaylookliketheyvemovedatinybit,andthen
thenextthingyouknowthegapis1/8wide.Beforelong,yourcabinetsorcountertops
appeartobe1/2ormoreawayfromthewall.Atthatpoint,youvegotmajorissues.

Ifyoubecomeawareofsomethinglikethis,itsdefinitelyasignoffoundationdamage.
Whenwallsarentlevel,cabinetsandlotsofotherthingsinyourhouseceasetobelevel,
too.Itmayseemtoyouthateverythingisslopingornothangingcorrectly.Thats
becausesomethingisaffectingyourfoundationandcausingittobeuneven.

What To Do If You See Things That Indicate Foundation Issues:

Ifyouobserveunusualthingshappening,thesituationwarrantsfurtherinvestigation.The
firstthingtodoistocontactaqualifiedfoundationrepaircontractorandenlistthemto
performathoroughinspectiononyourhouseorotherstructure.Theseevaluationsare
generallyprovidedforfree.Inmanyinstances,propertyownersdiscoverthattheyhave
absolutelynothingtoworryabout.

What If A Contractor Determines That Repairs Are Needed?

Intheeventthatthecontractordiscoversfoundationdamage,theycanprovideyouwith
anestimateforrepairingyourcrackedconcreteslab,sinkingpierandbeamfoundationor
troublesomebasement.Thisestimateshouldbepresentedtoyouinwriting.Whenyoure
consideringhiringacontractor,besuretofindoutifthecompanyoffersafoundation

repairwarranty.Ifso,askifitsatransferablelifetimewarrantybecausethatsthevery
bestkind.

Ifyoulearnthatyourfoundationneedstobefixed,thecontractorsjobistorestoreitas
closetoitsoriginallevelpositionaspossible,andmakeituprightagain.Thisprocessis
oftencalledreferredtoashouselevelingorfoundationleveling.Makingrepairs
entailsliftingyourhouseorcommercialpropertyandinstallingstructuralsupportscalled
foundationpiersorfoundationpilingsbeneathit.Whenthejobiscomplete,your
foundationwillrestontopofthesepiers.

Whiletheseareawidevarietyoffoundationpiersthatcanbeused,mostcontractorsopt
toinstallpressedconcretepiers(whicharecylindricalinshapeandroughly1011long)
orsteelpiers.Bothworkverywellandcanmakeyourfoundationstructurallysound.
Theprimarydifferencebetweenthetwoisthatsteelfoundationpiers,whichcostmuch
morethanconcretepilings,canbeinstalleddeeperintothesoil.Infact,theyare
sometimespushed35intotheearth,andtheymaygodeeper.Ofcourse,thevast
majorityofhousesandcommercialbuildingsdontrequirethatpiersbeinstalledthat
deepbeforetheyreachsolidrock.Mostpiersmustonlybedrilleddown1220belowthe
surface,sotheresnopointinpayingforsteelpiersifyoudontneedthem.Afterall,
pilingsmadeofsteelcancostover$500each.

Contractorsusuallyinstallconcretepiersuntiltheyreachwhatisoftenreferredtoasthe
pointofrefusal.Thisbasicallymeansthatthefoundationpiersareforceddownwards
intotheground(usingahydraulicjack)asfarastheycango.

Afoundationrepairexpertcandetermineexactlyhowmanypierswillberequiredtofix
yourfoundation.Thenumberofpilingsthatmustbeinstalledwillaffectthepriceto
restoreit.Itcouldbethatyouonlyrequire68piers,oritispossiblethatyourmayneed
morethan25.Onlyacontractorcantellyouforsure.

Recognizingthatyourhomeorcommercialbuildingrepresentsamajorinvestment,its
besttotakestepstopreserveyourbuildingandifneedbe,haveitrepaired.Sotakea
littletimetoperformavisualinspectiononyourstructure.Ifyouhaveanyconcerns
aboutyourfoundationorseesignsofcommonproblems,haveitevaluatedbyaqualified
contractorrightaway.