Signs of Foundation Problems in Your Home
Most foundation problems around Beaumont show up in the house long before anyone looks at the foundation. Here are the signs we get called about, what each one usually means on the clay here, and which ones are worth a look. Call (409) 247-2971 if you are seeing two or more of them.
Doors and windows that stick or swing
The most common first sign. A door that rubs at the top on one side, a window that will not open in summer, a door that swings open on its own or will not latch. Frames are square when the house is level; when one side of the house drops, the frames rack and the doors show it. Sticking that comes and goes with the seasons is a strong sign the clay under that side is swelling and shrinking.
Cracks in brick, drywall and floors
Outside, look for stair-step cracks running along the mortar joints in the brick, especially starting at the corners of windows and doors, and for a gap opening between the brick and a window or door frame. Inside, drywall cracks that run diagonally from the corner of a door opening, cracks where the wall meets the ceiling, and tile cracking along a line. A crack that keeps getting wider, or that closes in the wet season and opens in the dry, is the one to watch. A single old hairline crack that has not changed in years is usually not.
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Floors that slope, dip or bounce
On a pier and beam house you may feel the floor slope toward one wall, dip in the middle of a room, or bounce when you walk. That usually means a pier has dropped or a beam has sagged underneath. On a slab house the floor tilts as a whole, so a round object rolls, or a crack runs across the slab under the flooring. Either way the floor levels can be measured across the house, which is the first thing we do on a visit.
Gaps, leaning and water
Gaps at the top of interior walls, a chimney or porch pulling away from the house, trim separating at the corners, and a crawlspace or slab edge that stays wet after rain. Water is often the cause of the movement rather than a symptom of it: gutters dumping at the wall, ground sloping toward the house and a wet crawlspace all make the clay swell more on that side. If the house has moved once already, water is the first thing to check.
What to do if you see these
Two or more signs on the same side of the house are worth a look. We come out, measure the floor levels in every room, check under the house or around the slab, and tell you plainly whether the house has moved and what it would take to fix. The visit is free and you get a written quote after it. The work itself is described on the foundation repair, pier and beam repair and slab foundation repair pages, and the cost page shows what recent jobs have run.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the first sign of a foundation problem?
Usually a door or window that starts sticking, or a crack at the corner of a door or window frame. On its own it may be nothing; with a second sign on the same side of the house it is worth having the floor levels measured.
Are hairline cracks in brick a foundation problem?
An old hairline crack that has not changed is usually not. A stair-step crack along the mortar that keeps widening, or one that opens and closes with the seasons, usually is.
Why do my doors stick in summer and not in winter?
Because the clay under that side of the house swells in the wet months and shrinks in the dry ones, and the door frame moves with it. That seasonal movement is the most common foundation problem around Beaumont.
My floor slopes. Is that always the foundation?
On a pier and beam house it usually means a pier has dropped or a beam has sagged underneath. On a slab it means the slab has tilted. Measuring the floor levels across the house tells us which and how far.
How do I get the house checked?
Call (409) 247-2971 with the address and what you have noticed. We come out, measure and look, and you get a written quote if anything needs doing. The visit is free.
Will it get worse if I wait?
The clay keeps moving every season, so movement that has started tends to continue. Cracks widen, doors stick harder and the eventual repair needs more piers. A look now costs nothing.
Want someone to look at your house?
Free on-site look anywhere in Beaumont and the surrounding towns. Written quote after we see the house, no obligation. Call (409) 247-2971.