How To Assess Foundation Damage
Suppose you’re putting your Seattle home up for sale. In that case, foundation repair is extremely important because failing to do so could result in significant liability for you (the homeowner or the real estate agent). There is no way to avoid it. Before the sale, the buyer must be made aware of any significant structural flaws. Therefore, before buying or selling a property, a comprehensive inspection of the foundation to assess its integrity could end up saving all parties involved a ton of money and hassle in the long run.
Discover the fundamentals of foundation damage evaluation by reading on. The signs of foundation failure and available fixes are the main topics of this blog.
Cracks in the foundation
The foundation and other structural parts like it are intended to be continuous, especially if their primary purpose is to provide structural integrity and for the structure to have a level of resistance to seismic movement. This continuity is broken by cracks, which act as vulnerable areas where structural failure could start. Furthermore, water intrusion in the basement or crawlspace is likely to be caused by these cracks.
As long as the concrete's structural integrity is still good and the stem walls haven't rotated out of plumb, structural cracks in the foundation (i.e., cracks that weaken or could damage the foundation) can be repaired.
However, to properly assess whether a crack is indeed repairable is better left to experts such as The Five Star Foundation and Drainage Repair team. This is particularly true if you notice cracks wider than a quarter-inch. Disregarding early warning signs could result in more extensive damage and, therefore, higher repair expenses.
Moisture intrusion in your basement or crawl spaces
Crawl spaces and basements with moisture penetration are a sign that your foundation and basement walls need to be inspected. To safeguard the home's foundation, these regions are meant to be completely dry. The presence of water in these areas most often indicates that there is a crack through which water is entering or that the perimeter foundation or basement wall is being put under intense hydrostatic pressure by the nearby soil's water.
Crumbling (concrete) foundation
Nothing screams like foundation damage more than a crumbling one.
The most common cause of concrete foundation collapse is exposure to too much moisture (and exposure to excessive moisture usually occurs due to poor drainage). The use of subpar materials or concrete mixture during construction could also be to blame for the crumbling concrete. However, seismic activity from earthquakes is a major contributor to foundation issues on the West Coast.
Concrete foundations that are crumbling are failing foundations and should be replaced (at least the sections that can no longer just be repaired).
Final Word
In the greater Seattle Area, early detection is key when it comes to foundation repairs. If you want to keep your house in great condition for many years to come and prevent having to spend a lot of money on repairs in the future, you must be able to see the early indicators of foundation deterioration. It is even more crucial to understand how to spot foundation problems if you are a seller or a real estate agent because failing to do so might get you in legal trouble and cause you to lose a lot of credibility.
A simple visual inspection of your property is often never enough, so if you want to have some peace of mind, it’s better to hire experts such as the Five Star Foundation and Drainage team to help you with your foundation woes. The team can perform a comprehensive foundation assessment on a home, so you can rest assured that you’re in capable hands.
