Household Signs of Sinking Foundations

While it’s easy to see water in your basement or smell something foul coming from your crawl space, foundation problems can be harder to diagnose. After all, most of your foundation is below ground and outside cracked or bowing walls, most issues are hidden. But there are signs to watch for throughout your home that can help you identify problems with your foundation.

Sloping Floors

Does your desk chair roll across the room? Do your cabinets fall open at random? Unless you have a poltergeist, it’s likely that one side of your home is sinking and causing the whole home to lean off-kilter.

Sticking Doors and Windows

If you need to put your back into it when you close a door, you can once again point to that sinking home. When your foundation starts to settle, everything above it often comes with it. This can happen unevenly and make door and window frames fall out of a squared position. Putting a rectangular door into a crooked frame takes effort, which you’ll see in the form of hip checking your front door closed every day.

Archway Cracks

Diagonal cracks coming from doorways and archways in your home are another sign of settlement. As one side of the house sinks, weak points like arches will break away and lead to drywall cracks.

Baseboard Gaps

One of the most overlooked signs is a gap between the floor and the baseboard. Think about it - when the baseboard was installed, it was installed right against the floor. If there’s a gap, it means the floor is sinking while the baseboard stays nailed in place on the wall. 

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You don’t have to be a structural engineer to catch early signs of foundation settlement. Just pay attention to your home, and it’ll tell you everything you need to know. And if it’s telling you it needs professional help - call us for a free inspection and estimate.