Your home’s foundation is a vital component of its structure. Although you never see your foundation, issues that affect this part of your home can have far-reaching consequences, including interior and exterior damage, basement flooding, and mold or pest problems. As soon as you suspect your home may be suffering from foundation problems, it’s essential to contact a professional contractor to schedule an inspection and foundation repair in San Antonio.

Door and Window Problems

When your foundation develops problems, it often causes issues throughout your home. One of the most common issues associated with foundation problems is sticky or poorly-fitting doors and windows. When windows and doors do not open or close properly, they not only affect your comfort and convenience, they could also pose a potential safety risk if you cannot secure your home against intruders.

Slanting Floors

Foundation problems cause settling that can lead to one area of your home sitting lower than another. This may cause your floors to slant, which may cause vertigo and raise your risk for tripping or falling. Because falls can be associated with serious injuries, this could pose a significant health risk to your family over time.

Interior Damage

As your home settles, this process can also cause cracking and crumbling of walls, ceilings, and floors. This process will not only affect the look of your home, but could decrease the home’s structural stability, leading to the potential for further damage, including the collapse of walls or ceilings under extreme circumstances.

Basement Flooding

Basement flooding is another common consequence of foundation damage. Because foundation damage is often associated with poor drainage, the accumulation of water that damages your foundation can also lead to water damage in your basement, which is associated with costly losses and repairs.

Foundation repair focuses on not only addressing the existing damage to your foundation, but also on providing waterproofing and drainage correction to eliminate the risk of further issues in the future. Your contractor will evaluate the situation affecting your foundation to suggest the best course for long-term foundation repair.

Standing water may develop around your home’s foundation if you don’t have an adequate storm drainage system consisting of drainage pipes, catch basins, a sump pump, and a French drain installation near San Antonio . Comprehensive drainage correction, combined with exterior and interior basement waterproofing, can prevent serious structural damage to your home. Without proper drainage correction, you may be on the hook for costly foundation repairs.

If you notice puddles around our home’s foundation, you should call a general contractor for an inspection. The soil under your foundation may have eroded over time. Your downspouts may be spilling out too much water too close to the foundation. Your home’s gutters may be clogged with leaves, blocking the flow of storm water and causing it to divert to unwanted areas of your home. Your gutters could also be improperly pitched or an inappropriate size for your home’s needs.

Your contractor will determine the source of the standing water around your foundation. He can then offer solutions, such as foundation repair, waterproofing your basement, drainage correction, a French drain installation, re-grading the ground around your foundation, and repairing or replacing storm drainage systems.

The foundation of your home can crack for a variety of different reasons. Some of those reasons stem from mistakes made during the original construction of your home, while others could be a result of your own wrongdoing. Regardless of the reason, you should have foundation repair done to fix cracks and prevent them from getting worse. By working with a company that performs foundation repairs in San Antonio, you can keep your home’s foundation strong. Here are several common causes of foundation cracks.

Excess Moisture Surrounding Your Foundation

If the soil that surrounds your foundation has too much moisture in it, that moisture will often find its way into your foundation. It will also cause the soil around your foundation to swell, which can cause your foundation to crack. You can prevent the need for foundation repair by taking steps to keep water away from your home. By grading your yard, installing gutters and downspouts that direct water away from your house, and inspecting your foundation for signs of moisture on a regular basis, you can prevent water from becoming a problem.

Not Enough Moisture in the Soil Around Your Foundation

While too much moisture can become a problem for your home’s foundation, too little moisture can also cause issues. During drought conditions, the soil around and underneath your home will shrink and put pressure on your home’s foundation. That pressure will often cause it to crack and weaken the foundation as a whole. A company that specializes in foundation repair can speak with you about how to keep your soil moist enough during droughts so that it doesn’t affect your foundation.

Loose Soil Under Your Foundation

When your home is built, the soil underneath needs to be compacted properly so that it doesn’t cause your home to shift dramatically over the years. If proper compaction is not done, you will likely have to deal with cracks in your foundation in the future. General contractors can evaluate your home and figure out the best possible solution if you encounter this problem with your foundation.

Whether you know you’re in need of foundation repair in San Antonio , or you make it a habit to inspect your home regularly, you should add “checking the foundation” to your list of regular home maintenance. If you can catch a small problem early, such as a crack or leak, it hopefully won’t turn into a much larger problem later. Here are some tips for examining your home for foundation issues.

Look Inside

If you notice that doors or windows, which used to open easily, are jamming often or won’t close at all, you might be in need of a foundation repair. Cracks, inside and out, may be your biggest alarm that there is a problem, though. When you notice cracks appearing in your walls or in your tile—if it’s tiled over a concrete floor—you should make it a point to call a contractor who specializes in foundation repair. Also, check your basement or crawlspace. The posts and concrete supports, otherwise known as piers, should look straight and firm. If you notice any puddles or wet spots around the framing, you may have a problem with drainage coming into the foundation.

Look Outside

When you walk the perimeter of your foundation, stop at each corner and look down the line for any leaning walls or bulges. This might be a sign your foundation has shifted or your soil underneath the foundation is shifting. Consult a foundation repair contractor who can give you a definitive answer and suggestions.

Check Your Concrete for Weaknesses and Cracks

If you notice your concrete foundation is flaking or chipping, poke the concrete with a screwdriver. The concrete shouldn’t be damaged, but if it chips even more, call your contractor right away. The concrete might have originally been made from a bad mixture, and it’s possible you will need a new foundation. It’s normal for concrete to have a few cracks, but if you notice horizontal cracks, you may be in trouble. Call your concrete contractors to find out what the problem is and the estimate to fix it.

Are you in the need of an expert-level foundation repair that comes with a lifetime guarantee? Look for the experts in San Antonio foundation repair near San Antonio.

As Edward Mitchell, founder of MitchCo Foundation Repair, says in the video, if you notice your sheet rock, tile, or concrete developing cracks, you may be in need of a foundation repair. There are a variety of different systems that can be used to repair your foundation, such as a pier and beam or slab concrete foundation. Your contractor can give you a detailed evaluation, and you can go over the options that best fit your budget together. As Edward says, always put your trust in a licensed and insured contractor with plenty of experience in foundation repair.

Everyone needs a strong foundation upon which to build, whether that be a relationship, career, or your home. Every once in a while that foundation may crack. It’s better to repair it sooner than later, but so many people allow the myths of foundation repair to stop them from taking action, or influence them into a poor decision. Don’t let these myths get the best of you when making your choice on foundation repair in San Antonio .

Myth: It’ll Be Too Expensive

When it comes to foundation repair, there is the possibility it will be expensive, as with almost any home repair. In regards to foundation repair, it’s not always going to cost you thousands of dollars. The problem may only require a simple solution, such as drainage correction or filling in a crack. With cost in mind, once you’ve received your quote, don’t wait long to take action. Maybe the solution is inexpensive, and you don’t feel urgency to have the problem repaired quickly. Maybe the quote you received was higher than you hoped for, and you want to wait until you’re more financially secure. Both outcomes have a high possibility of costing you more money in the end. Foundation problems usually get worse over time; don’t hurt yourself more just because of price.

Myth: I Found the Problem—Let’s Fill the Crack and Be Done!

This is a combination of two myths: foundation cracks mean you’ve found the root of the problem, and if you fill up the crack you’ve solved that problem. Yes, filling up cracks with epoxy is usually needed and part of the repair your contractor will do, but those cracks might be a symptom of a bigger problem. That bigger problem may be on the other side of the house where the cracks aren’t showing because that’s where your soil shifted. There may a multitude of reasons, but the cause and reconstruction of your foundation repair needs to be left to the experts, your foundation repair contractors.