Foundation Repair

Foundation settling affects the entire house, and the damage can show up in multiple places. Because of this, some Akron-Canton homeowners confuse foundation problems for isolated issues. They go on to repair their home without considering their basement or crawl space, which is what’s causing the damage in the first place. Recognizing the signs of foundation settling will save you from having to spend money on repairs that won’t solve anything until the foundation has been stabilized. If the problem is caught early on, it will also save your home from experiencing extreme structural damage.

The first problem sign you might notice is jammed doors. When a foundation is settling, the house shifts to one side. Some of the structures of your home, which rely on evenness and symmetry, will warp and bend as the house settles. The same goes for your columns and walls, which either crack or bow as the weight of the house is loaded on to one side. The floors will also be affected and become uneven, which you can confirm if you look at the joint between your walls and the floor: if there’s a gap, the floor is uneven.

Outside, you might notice that your chimney is tilting as well, and that the mortar bricks have stair-step cracks. Depending on how advanced the settling is, the handrails on your porch may have warped and are now uneven. If you have an attached deck, the deck posts will look bent as well. You can also visually see that your home is uneven, but it might be difficult to see up close. Take a step back and look at the front or back of your house and see if you notice that it’s sinking.

Foundation settling often gets detected after the house is falling apart. If you’ve spotted the problem signs and have determined that your foundation is failing, you need to act fast. Settling only gets worse with time, which means that what you are seeing will become more of a problem later on. If allowed to go on for too long, the house may even become too structurally unsound to live in. Before that happens, call your local foundation experts for repairs.

Foundation problems are not something you can just DIY, like a paint job or hanging a painting. For the job to be done right, professional solutions are required. At Ohio Basement Systems, we provide the best foundation repair options for the homeowners of Youngstown, OH, such as helical piers and push piers. These pier support systems will permanently stabilize your foundation and completely stop the settling. The piers even have the potential to lift your home and even it out again.

After repairs are done, you can go about repairing any damage created by the foundation settling. If any door and window frames are warped, get them replaced. If any walls have cracks, get those patched up. It’s not worthwhile to repair your home when it’s settling, since anything that isn’t a support pier will not stop the damage caused by settling. If you haven’t already, also consider waterproofing your foundation, since some problem with the foundation drainage may have caused the settling.

One common misconception about trees on a Youngstown property is that the tree roots will damage your foundation. The truth is, it isn’t really the tree roots themselves that cause the problem, but the soil. When tree roots grow to an extent to find moisture, they push the soil around and displace it. Displaced soil will be a lot looser on your property, allowing for easier soil erosion. Properties with loose soil tend to have more foundation and concrete settling problems.

If you have a tree that is close to your home, you might want to consider getting a root barrier to discourage root growth. If you aren’t able to get one, you might have to cut the tree and replant another one farther from your foundation. Trees should be 15 to 20 feet away from the house. You can also look up smaller trees that have roots that don’t extend as much as others. These trees are ideal for planting on a property if you want one but you’re worried about foundation damage.

If you’re worried about how your property will look, remember that your foundation’s health is important too, not just the way your house looks. Beautiful trees can always be replanted, but continuously paying for repairs is not ideal. If you’re unsure about whether your tree is causing foundation damage, give us a call for a free inspection.

When you first move onto a new piece of land, you’ll want to do what you can to stabilize the soil beneath and around your home. While professionals can do the bulk of the hard work for you – and should – there are a few other experts you can work with if you want to protect your home. 

Assess the Stability of Your Landscaping 

Landscapers in your area may be able to make more sense of your trees and grade than others. If you’re moving onto a new piece of land, then, you can work with them to ensure that your concrete slab is as stable as possible. 

Professional landscapers can do what contractors in your area may not be able to when it comes to the environment’s impact on your concrete slab. While landscapers can’t install waterproofing measures around your home, they can help you relocate trees whose roots might otherwise destabilize your soil. Similarly, they can regrade your lawn, ensuring that moisture rushes away from the perimeter of your home. You can take all of these steps long before your concrete slab starts to show signs of instability. This means that you can get ahead of the worst of the slippage that might otherwise negatively impact your home’s value. 

Work with Area Professionals to Protect Your Home 

The professionals in your area are among the best people equipped to make sure that your soil stays exactly where it needs to. You can work with area professionals to inject your soil with polyurethane foam or concrete slurry even before your concrete slab starts to show signs of wear. 

Above all else, though, area professionals can regularly inspect the conditions in your basement, crawl space, and foundation. Because professionals will know what signs of damage to watch for, they can help you act when something starts to go wrong in your home. They can also help you maintain any home waterproofing measures you install, ensuring that you limit your repair expenses later down the line.