When you hear a creak in your home, you probably think, “It’s just the house settling.” All home foundations settle over time, but while some settling is harmless, many homes shift or sink on their foundations due to poor soil stability, excess moisture in the soil causing expansion, and tree roots. To prevent a major foundation disaster, floor leveling in Raleigh may be your solution. But how do you know what’s minor settling versus when you need professional foundation leveling? Here are five signs of foundation problems you can’t ignore.
Sagging or Uneven Floors Require Floor Leveling
When you feel sagging or soft spots when you walk across your floor or your porch, you may need broken floor joist repair in addition to house leveling. Shifting in the foundation causes the joists to pull away, crack, or split from where they are attached to the structure.
Uneven floors are often a bit harder to diagnose. While in the most severe cases, you can see a clear slope in the floor, but it’s not always that evident. To see if your floors are even:
- Place a rolling pin or bottle on the floor and see if it rolls for a quick diagnosis. Be sure to check all four sides of the room.
- Use a 4-foot beam level on your floor where it appears to be higher or lower than the nearby surfaces. Check to see if the bubble is floating between the vertical lines. Lift the end until the bubble is between the vertical lines as necessary and check the length of the floor for gaps.
- Look for cracks in tile or separations in plank-style flooring.
Gaps Between the Wall and the Ceiling or Floor
Another sign you may need floor leveling are gaps between the wall and the ceiling or the wall and the floor. When the floor isn’t supported due to a foundation issue, the floor dips. This will either cause the floor to pull away from the wall or cause the wall to pull away from the ceiling. This can also cause seams in the wall itself to separate, such as at the corners.
Cracks and Crumbling Along the Exterior
Walk around outside your home. If your home is brick, do you see cracks or separations in the mortar between bricks? When your home has shifted or sunk on the foundation, the mortar doesn’t “flex” with the shifting and settling, and will crumble or crack, instead. Larger cracks are a sign of more severe movement in the foundation. Homes that aren’t brick still have tell-tale signs on the exterior that Raleigh house leveling is necessary. Cracks or crumbling around the foundation or along the crawl space are just as important to look for as cracks or crumbling in the main exterior portion of the house.
Windows and Doors Stick or Don’t Close
Are there windows that are almost impossible to open or raise more than a few inches? Do you ever need to pull up on a door to get it to close all the way? Doors and windows that stick, especially on one side of your house are often catching on a slight angle to your door and window frames. When your home isn’t at square angles, it’s another sign that your home needs foundation leveling.
Interior Cracks Show Foundation Leveling Needs
Finally, pay close attention to your drywall plaster, or wood paneling. Cracks in your walls, especially near your floor and ceiling are a sign that the house has shifted and settled more than a small amount. While some small cracks, especially in plaster, do happen with harmless settling, it can also be a sign that you need a foundation inspection to check for necessary repairs and floor leveling.
Contact Us for Professional House Leveling in Raleigh
At Crawl Space and Basement Technologies in Raleigh, we offer professional foundation and floor leveling services. We have top quality screw jacks and floor jacks to safely raise your home so our experienced team can quickly and effectively repair foundation issues and improve the structural integrity of your home. Reach out to us today at 919-847-7072 or contact us using our online form.