Nothing can be as puzzling and alarming as the initial visible cracks on your foundation. The first scare is often that the cracks may affect the homes’ structural integrity. This is because foundational cracks result in severe structural issues if they are not remedied. Comprehension of foundational issues is critical as it helps you detect any signs of trouble. This makes it easy to know when the time is ripe to call a professional for a crack repair to save on time and costs. Furthermore, it also aids you to protect your home’s structural integrity by preventing extensive damage. This article will discuss what you need to look out for so that you can be better informed about when to call a professional.
Upon the First Sight of the Problem
Call us to repair your foundation crack
For many people, a DIY can suffice, but it is rarely effective as the possibility of a recurrence is always very high. Many experts in this area posit that it is prudent to call and involve a professional repair company from the onset. This is because such professionals are able to inspect the house to establish what the prevailing issue could be after which they provide you with unique and sound solutions. The repairs are then done professionally and the idea here is that even though the cracks may appear minor and insignificant, you cannot permanently fix such problems by yourself. This therefore necessitates the involvement of a professional with the right skills and materials required to fix the issue. It is worth noting that some will still prefer some DIY repair when they deem the cracks very small, but this is usually at their own peril as it may cause extensive damage to your building making you incur more costs in future repairs.
Deteriorating Foundation
Sometimes the situation may spiral out of control and the signs may be just too profound to ignore. An example of a foundation that is extensively damaged by cracks is if the doors fail to operate well and when you encounter shifting in the walls. The shifts and movements should never be ignored. More so, you may also have glaring and obvious flooring problems, as they may be visibly uneven. All these signs dictate and demand that you hire a professional repair company to remedy the problem immediately before the damage becomes too much and unresolvable.
Water Leakage
When the water commences seeping through the cracks, this is usually a very big warning sign. It manifests as an erosion of the foundation and the presence of mildew. This can be detected by checking the basement to confirm whether there is any advanced water damage. If the answer for all is in the affirmative, you should involve a professional repair company as soon as practically possible. Some try to bypass this in a bid to save on costs by hiring mold remediation companies and plumbers, and they always fail to resolve the problem. Foundational cracks are not to be assumed and neglected as the consequences could be calamitous hence calling a professional when there is clear water leakage should be a no-brainer.
Widening Cracks
When the cracks are relatively or fairly small, many people feel like a DIY can suffice. It is however still not advisable. However, when the cracks start widening and become bigger than 1/10 inch, professional attention becomes crucial before the cracks start to continue to widen and cause more damage.
Horizontal and Vertical Cracks
These cracks are usually an indication that you need to call a professional. Even though vertical cracks are not as severe as horizontal cracks, they should still not be ignored. All these cracks coupled with others in several distinct areas is usually a sign of larger foundational and general structural issues.
When a DIY is Unsuccessful
This is inevitable and when it happens and the issue goes out of hand, call a professional immediately to inspect and assess the situation so that he can remedy the foundational cracks permanently.
Whenever you encounter foundational cracks, your first instinct should be that the house is not safe. The implication is that if you DIY or ignore such foundational cracks, they are bound to resurface and this could culminate into collapsing walls and even demise because interim measures rarely ameliorate the problem. This therefore makes it necessary to involve a professional without hesitation. Failure to do so means that you will spend more when the cracks cause more damage in the future or even regrettably have to deal with bigger issues as foundational cracks and their impact can often be very fatal.
