One of the problems that most homeowners are anxious to avoid is water damage. According to Brentwood Management Inc., the attractiveness and comfort of your house can be destroyed over time by water damage.
The foundation of your house is made to last. Yet, its structural stability may be impacted by seasonal variations, soil composition, and geologic dangers. Water damage, though, is the main thing to be concerned about. Water damage to a home’s foundation does not have to be fatal, the building materials and underlying structure of your home may significantly deteriorate over time as a result of prolonged exposure to excessive moisture.
Understanding the common signs of a foundation problem can help you detect water-related damage before it worsens. These signs may include uneven floors, bowing walls, or persistent musty odors in the basement. By staying alert to these symptoms, homeowners can act quickly to address water damage and preserve the long-term integrity of their foundation.
This is why we have created this list of the tell-tale signs a home’s foundation will show if it is suffering from water damage. The signs may be internal or external.
Internal signs
● Cracks on walls and basement floors
Most building materials are porous and when a home gets flooded, its materials absorb a lot of that water. Even after the home is cleaned up these materials don’t immediately release the absorbed water. For materials such as concrete, this can lead to cracks in the walls and floors of the home.
Over time, this moisture buildup can result in structural cracks in walls, particularly in areas like basements where water tends to accumulate. These cracks can signal foundation issues or prolonged exposure to water, both of which can threaten your home’s stability. It’s important to address them early to prevent more extensive damage and ensure your home remains safe and secure.
● Musty air in the basement
A stale scent in the basement is a sure sign of moisture buildup. Basements are prone to this problem because they don’t have enough airflow and the relative humidity tends to be high down there. This problem can become worse by the kind of conditions that were just witnessed in Texas.
● Mold and rotted wood
Mold is synonymous with water infiltration. Even if there are no apparent signs of damage to the home’s foundation, the presence of mold in the home – mostly, in the basement or crawlspace – means that it is likely to happen. Along with mold growth, wood that is damp and rotted is an indication of excessively-high moisture levels.
● Water pooling in basement or crawlspace
A basement flood increases your home’s exposure to the risk of water damage. If the area was recently flooded, you need to be extra vigilant. The effects of the flood could linger or it could trigger existing issues with the foundation and make them worse.
● Jammed doors and windows
If there is a problem with the waterproofing in the basement or crawlspace, the door and window frames could absorb some of that water and swell, making them hard to close or open. A faulty foundation could also shift and push doors and windows out of alignment.
● Uneven floors
This could be the result of the home’s slab foundation not settling at even rates. Or it could be due to the soil beneath the home absorbing water and expanding upwards, thereby causing foundation upheaval. This problem will cause the floors in the home to fall out of level.
● Leaning walls
Movements in the foundation can warp the walls directly above where the foundation movement has occurred. Warped walls will lean or bulge and are likely to collapse. The bulge will often present itself as a horizontal crack in the wall, near the middle.
External signs
● Cracks
Cracks will also appear in the foundation itself. Although cracks are common in a home’s foundation, the type of cracks to be wary of are horizontal cracks and stair-step cracks in block walls. Cracks in joints and in the chimney or a displaced chimney are other clear signs of foundation movement.
● Sinking soil
If the soil around the base of the home is sunken in some areas, that is a problem. It could mean that the soil under the home was not properly compacted during construction. Or it could be the result of flooding. Whatever the cause, if this happens, the home’s foundation could sink along with the soil beneath it.
There you have it. Signs to look out for to indicate water damage in your foundation.
