How to Prevent Your House From Shifting

What Are the Signs of Foundation Movement?

Foundation movement can cause problems in your home. Here are some common signs to look out for:

• Cracks in Walls and Floors: One of the first signs of foundation movement is cracks in your walls or floors. You may notice small cracks in drywall or larger cracks in brick and masonry. Horizontal cracks are often the more concerning kind.
• Sloping or Uneven Floors: Uneven or sagging floors can be one of your home’s most noticeable indicators of foundation issues. A floor where a ball rolls toward one side can mean the foundation or the support under the floor has moved.
• Sticking Doors and Windows: It may be due to a shifting foundation if doors and windows are difficult to open or close. It happens because the frames may become warped as the foundation moves. Check for gaps around the frames, as they may indicate foundation problems.
• Bowed or Leaning Walls: If your basement walls are bulging or curved, this could indicate significant foundation movement. As the walls bow or lean further, they can weaken, which may affect the overall stability of your home.
• Foundation Displacement: When certain areas of your home appear to sink lower or rise higher than others, it may be a clear signal of foundation displacement. This unevenness can indicate potential issues with the foundation.

How Can You Help Prevent Foundation Movement?

These steps help:

1. Homeowner tip, gutters and downspouts: Clean, working gutters and downspouts that carry water away from the house help keep the soil around the foundation from soaking.
2. Check for leaks: Leaking pipes can soak the soil around your home, which can contribute to shifting. Damp spots on floors or walls can be a sign of a leak, and leaks can also lead to mold.
3. Encapsulation (vapor barrier installation): Sealing your crawl space with a vapor barrier as part of encapsulation helps keep ground moisture out of the crawl space and lowers humidity, which helps protect the wood framing and the air in your home.
4. Crawl space supports: Adjustable screw jacks in your crawl space give the floor framing solid points of support and help keep sagging floors from getting worse.
5. Regular checks: Look over your home inside and out for cracks in walls and doors or windows that stick. Noticing changes early helps.

How Is a Shifting Foundation Repaired?

These repair methods help stabilize a foundation that has shifted:

• Pier Installation: Pier installation is a method used to support and stabilize a foundation. Professionals install sturdy columns, called piers (helical or push), which are long, strong supports, into the ground beneath your foundation. These piers go deep enough to reach solid soil or bedrock, where they can hold up the weight of your home.
• Crawl Space Support: Crawl space support includes various tools and components to hold up the floors in homes with crawl spaces. These supports help maintain the stability and structure of your home by preventing sagging or uneven floors. Crawl space support uses steel, wood or concrete support posts installed in the crawl space to carry the weight of the house down to the ground and help keep the floors above level.
• Wall Anchors stabilize walls that are bowing or cracking from soil or water pressure. They are anchored in firm soil outside the wall and help stabilize it against further inward movement; they do not straighten it.
• Concrete lifting: Sunken concrete slabs can be lifted back toward level with polyurethane foam injection.

Get Help With a Shifting Foundation

Your home’s foundation is its backbone that supports and keeps your home stabilized. Cracks in your walls or uneven floors may be signs of foundation movement.

If you notice signs of foundation shifting in your home, HydroHelp911 can inspect it, explain what is happening and recommend the repair that fits. We serve homeowners across the Carolinas, starting with a free inspection.