The house you live in is more than just walls and a roof. It’s a place where you can feel safe, where you can feel comfortable. You need to know that the walls, floors, the roof, the security system – all of it should be able to keep you from the weather, from the outside world, and it should give you a space where you can make memories. The thing is, houses are not – as opposed to what the three little pigs say – infallible. Houses can fall down. Houses can break. And when foundations and walls of your home are falling apart, you need to know what to do about it. Even the most eagle eyed of people can miss some of the repairs that need to be made that could become catastrophic later.
If you notice there are issues in your foundations, a contractor and a builder should be able to help you put it back to normal with repairs. They will be able to use resources like the AS 4902-2000 Standards to help them to bring your home back to its best. Before that can happen however, you need to know the signs that your house really is falling apart. The good news is all you have to do is keep reading!
- The Earth is no longer stable. That sounds rather dramatic, doesn’t it? The house has a soil parameter, but if it is starting to sink and become sloppy, that’s not just a sign that there is poor landscaping at play. It can also mean that you have some difficulties with your drainage or there is a water leak. Water leaks under the brick foundation of your house? That’s not a good thing. It could mean that repairs are on the horizon because structural damage can happen due to weather, making the soil around the outside of your house mushy and begin to erode.
- You’re noticing your walls are not even. So, you’ve moved in and you’re hanging your pictures. The spirit level you’re using doesn’t seem to be working correctly – or does it? Uneven walls are not one of the quirks you need in your house, and they can be a sign of foundation issues or a sign that there has been a builder who tried to ineffectively fix said issue.
- The walls look warped. Did you know that if your drywall has absorbed water it can start to swell? Over time the swollen areas will crumble and that’s especially true of the baseboards at the bottom of the wall. If your walls look slightly warped or feel uneven, you need some help.
- Your floors are uneven. The walls could be perfect. The walls may never have any issues. But if your floors are steep and you can rollerskate down them, you need somebody to check out your foundation. If the ground was not compacted the right way, the foundation can shift as the weight of the building rests on top of it. This can result in cracks up your walls and floors and an unsettled foundation. Neither of these things are ideal for your home.
- Bounce, bounce. Instead of steep floors, you’re dealing with bouncy floors. The thing is, you didn’t install trampoline flooring. Soft and spongy floor boards are a big sign that you have termite damage in the wood. You need more than a builder here though, you need a pest control company to help.
- The paint on the walls is peeling. Did you know that peeling paint is a sign that you should’ve paid for a better contractor? More than that it’s a sign you have moisture and damp in the walls because the paint can no longer grip the walls and stay there. Not only do you want to have an installation completed for a bathroom fan and an extraction system, you need to make sure that you have somebody come in and check the moisture levels of the walls of your bathroom and your kitchen.
- You’re noticing your vents have spots around them. Another sign that your home may be falling apart is the paint around the vents in your house is now covered in spots. This is a sign of mold, so you need contractors. It’s a sign that you need somebody to come in and see the mold because those spots are not going away without treatment.
Nobody wants to live in a home that’s falling apart, and nor should you have to.