Spring Home Improvements: Don’t Forget Your Foundation

As spring rolls around, we like to air out our homes, get rid of winter clutter, and maybe do some small remodeling, touch-ups, and sprucing up. Your “honey jar” is probably overflowing. Don’t forget your foundation.

ask yourself:

• Are there cracks in the interior or exterior walls that I have become accustomed to? Why is that happening?
• And those doors: I remember when they opened and closed easily. Why are they sticking now?
• Are my tables tilting because my floors are tilting?
• Do my windows sit square in the frames or are they crimped and/or bound? What about my sliding windows/doors: how do they work?

While there may be several different causal causes of these and other problems, column foundations and supports should be checked for movement, tilt, and settlement.

Winter is a normal time for water, trapped in the soil outside the basement wall, to freeze and rise, cracking the basement wall and gradually pushing the wall inward, a little each year. Unfortunately, the wall does not normally “pop” with the arrival of spring. This can lead to leaks, wall movement, cracked drywall, and other signs of foundation failure.

If you notice cracks in the basement wall that are wider at one end, the foundation is likely shifting. Often you will find another similar crack, compensating for the part of the wall that is moving. This not only implies movement, it is an invitation to the intrusion of water.

Look down the siding line; is it horizontally straight? Check the eave lines to see if they have the same problems.

Cracks in brick walls are easy to spot, indicating the need for foundation repair. Similarly, chimneys lean or slope away from the house when their movement begins to settle. Do birds or squirrels build nests inside your chimney? It’s warm for them but not so good for you.

Another area to consider is the shallow jog around your garage or crawl space. These are shallower, weaker, and therefore more susceptible to cracking and breaking. Sometimes these are difficult to inspect. Maybe all you can see is the top of the wall; you can still check visible areas for cracks. Look for evidence of sagging walls or sloped floors in those areas.

Sounds like a lot of research? We estimate that this type of “verification” will not take you more than 20 minutes. Twenty minutes now could save you more serious problems down the road. So be sure to include a foundation review while you’re in the mood for a “spring fix.”