When part of your home is dropping because the soil beneath it can no longer hold the load, the signs show up as cracks, sticking doors, and floors that pull away from level. Here is how to read those signs and what our free inspection looks at.
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A sinking foundation is the downward movement of all or part of a home's foundation as the soil beneath the footings shifts, compresses, or loses volume. When that ground can no longer carry the load, the footings sink into it, and the walls, floors, and framing tied to them move down too.
The distinction that matters most is between uniform movement, where the whole house drops a small, even amount and rarely causes damage, and differential movement, where one part sinks more than another. Differential sinking is what usually causes damage, because it twists and racks the rigid structure above.
The movement is usually gradual, so a door that drags, a hairline crack stepping up through exterior brick, or a floor that feels off may be the first sign. Because the cause sits in the soil, our free inspection measures elevations across the structure and examines the foundation, crawl space, and surrounding soil and drainage before any repair is discussed.
Every repair method we install for foundation repair is on the foundation repair solutions page.
Across the Piedmont, including Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and the Triangle, much of the soil is clay. Clay swells during wet seasons, then contracts as it dries through the summer, loading and unloading the footings season after season. Over years it can consolidate the soil under one part of the home more than another, dropping that section. This is a common driver in the region's clay markets.
When a home is built on fill soil that was not compacted thoroughly, the loose soil keeps consolidating under the weight of the structure for years, and the footings on it can sink. This can happen on graded lots and in newer subdivisions where the building pad was filled and leveled before construction. Because compaction usually varies across a lot, the movement is often uneven, which is what can cause structural damage.
Water moving through or under the soil can carry away the fine particles that give it structure, leaving voids beneath footings. Around Asheville and the mountains, hillside lots and heavy rainfall drive runoff and subsurface water under foundations. In the Sandhills near Fayetteville and Pinehurst, sandy soils let water move freely, and fines can wash out as it drains. As voids open, the foundation can sink into them.
In coastal markets like Wilmington, Leland, and Brunswick County, a high water table and sandy, saturated soils behave very differently than inland Piedmont clay. Saturated sandy soil has reduced bearing strength, and shifting moisture and water levels can cause the ground beneath footings to consolidate and give way. Sinking here is often tied to water saturation and the lower bearing strength of wet, sandy ground.
Extended dry periods pull moisture out of the soil, and large trees close to the home draw additional water through their root systems. As clay soil dries and shrinks, the ground beneath footings on the affected side of the house loses volume and the foundation can settle into the gap. This is why a sinking foundation sometimes appears or worsens after a dry summer, or concentrates on the side of a home nearest a mature tree.
In some homes the original footings suited the conditions assumed at construction but were never sized for years of soil movement or for the actual bearing capacity of the ground, and they sink under the steady load. It appears in older pier and beam homes and slab on grade homes alike. Such footings are often underpinned with piers in firmer soil, such as steel push piers pressed down or helical piers.
Answer three quick questions about your home. We'll match what you see to the most likely cause and point you to the right next step.
If your home is showing a sinking foundation, an inspector can find the cause. HydroHelp911 handles foundation repair and related structural and moisture work across North and South Carolina.
An inspector looks at your home, finds the source of the problem, and explains each finding in plain language. There is no obligation.
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For example, helical and push piers carry a lifetime warranty that no additional settlement will occur in the area of installed piers, once the final invoice is paid in full. Read the warranty terms.
Ask your inspector about financing when you get your written estimate. See financing options.
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The cause depends on where you are. In the Piedmont, around Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and the Triangle, clay soils swell when wet and shrink when dry, cycling pressure on footings and sinking them unevenly over time. Around Asheville and the mountains, hillside lots and heavy rainfall drive erosion and washout beneath foundations. In coastal markets like Wilmington and Leland, a high water table and saturated sandy soils reduce the ground's bearing strength. Poorly compacted fill soil under newer homes can be a driver in both states. An inspection identifies which of these is at work on your home.
How a repair moves from a free inspection to finished work once the cause is found.
An inspector looks at the areas showing a sinking foundation, explains what they find in plain language, and answers your questions at no cost.
The repair is matched to the cause the inspector found, with the scope and price in a written estimate.
A HydroHelp911 crew carries out the repair plan you approved.
A free guide for homes in North and South Carolina: what can move a foundation here, the signs worth writing down, and how foundation repairs work, in plain language.
Homeowners across North Carolina and South Carolina describe their inspections and repairs in their own words.
A free inspection finds the cause: one visit, clear findings, and a written estimate at no cost.
