What You Need to Know About Foundation Damage
When you’re buying a home, it’s worth every minute of your time to pay special attention to its foundation. The foundation is the keystone to the entire house, after all, and pretty much holds the whole thing up. A foundation in need of repair can be good if you’re an investor looking for a bargain, but don’t get caught by surprise; if things aren’t good below the surface, it can cost you a pretty penny and cause a lot of headaches at the same time.
The most common visual indicators of foundation damage are cracks, so look before you leap on purchasing. You’ll need to determine whether there are true foundation issues in the mix or whether any cracks are from normal house settling.
There are other things that can be indicative of foundation damage beyond mere cracks, though. For example, misaligned doors and windows could indicate a shift in the foundation (which is a huge pain, by the way). Doors that stick or don’t latch shut can also result from foundation damage, but take care to double-check because that could be from the humidity or temperature. Windows that are difficult to open or cracked can also be an issue, but again, make sure that they’re not the result of something else.
Sloping floors or staircases could indicate a pitch in the foundation, while cracked drywall may point to water damage that has already affected the foundation or water damage that may soon affect it. Water in the basement, crawl spaces, or around the perimeter of the home should be treated the same way. Remember, water is a common cause of foundation damage and any leaks should be treated as serious because, again, if they’re not the result of foundation damage due to water, they could indicate the potential for damage further on down the road.
You can see here that we’re busy fixing water damage to the foundation of a property we’re currently renovating:
If you notice any of these issues, you’ll want to hire a structural engineer to ascertain the extent of the damage because your average home inspector probably won’t be able to. Hiring a structural engineer is going to incur an extra cost, but if you suspect the foundation is damaged and in need of repair, it’s worth the cost to find out for sure.