It’s possible you live in an old New Jersey home that you’ve recently realized hasn’t had as much upkeep as you’ve wanted over the years. With so much to maintain, it’s easy to overlook some things that you perhaps don’t readily see. One of those issues is cracks in your foundation. These can form under your house, and you may not even notice anything until years later when more extensive damage occurs.
You need foundation crack repair as soon as possible if you discover any sizable cracks there. Even if it seems like a mystery how your foundation could need repair so soon (especially if your home isn’t that old), some very good reasons exist why it happens. Plus, you’ll see some evidence inside your home that your foundation is basically sinking due to the cracks.
Repair methods vary, but with a dependable and experienced foundation repair team at the helm, you can get it fixed before it becomes a major expense.
Take a look at what causes foundations to crack and become uneven. Then look out for some of the signs in your home that let you know you need repair now rather than months or years later.
What Causes Foundation Cracks?
Perhaps you’d be surprised that water causes foundation cracks quite often. The underlying problem is when excess water gets into the soil under your foundation, hence putting more pressure on the foundation walls. After months or number of years, cracks start to appear, and your foundation begins to settle.
What you probably didn’t know is the settling can also occur when you don’t get enough water in the soil. This causes the soil to shrink, which brings on the case of your house slowly sinking.
As the result of too much water, you may have to blame your drainage systems not working correctly. Ordinarily, drains get installed to move water away from your foundation, yet they can easily become blocked due to leaves or if you haven’t bothered with annual maintenance.
Once you’ve determined you have cracks and your foundation starts to settle, what signs should you look out for in your home that give proof of trouble?
Interior Signs of Foundation Issues
One of the most common signs inside your house is sticking doors, or doors that don’t seem to close correctly. You might be tempted to ignore this as strictly a door problem rather than with your foundation. Further evidence like sticking windows gives you more definitive proof you need serious action.
Sloping floors are an even worse sign. On floors, sloping is sometimes subtle, though you’ll notice something amiss if things resting on the floor don’t stay steady.
So what kind of repair helps these problems? It all depends on damage severity, despite it never being impossible to fix and prevent from happening again.
Repair Methods
The most common methods of repair is foundation stabilization with concrete or steel piers. Cracks, however, can sometimes have repair with epoxy that works in tandem with carbon-fiber mesh in your walls.
Wall anchors ultimately help considerably in stabilizing your foundation. In the case where excess water caused worse damage to your foundation, it can still be reinforced with concrete as just one option for re-leveling.
Obviously, you don’t want this to happen ever again, and it won’t if you take some precautions. A reliable drainage system needs top priority. In the case of drought situations, drip irrigation is best to keep any watering of plants or trees evenly distributed so it’s not excessive.
Contact us here at A1 Everlast if you need foundation crack repair in NJ. If you have an emergency, call us immediately at 888-399-0955 so we can analyze and fix your foundation before further damage progresses.