While foundation repair should always be performed by a professional to ensure that your home is safe and up to code, there are ways to monitor foundation cracks and see if your foundation is moving by yourself. All you will need is a pencil, ruler, some tape, and patience. First, let’s talk about some of the causes of foundation cracks in your home and why you should monitor foundation cracks.
In North and South Carolina, the most common cause of foundation problems is a problem with the soil. The soil in North and South Carolina is varied depending on what location you are. It could be sand, marshland, mountainous regions, etc. If your contractor does not take this into account, there may be future problems with soil compaction, settling foundations, and flooding due to leveling and drainage problems.
The most common problem causing cracks in your foundation is soil movement. Over time, especially in expansive clay soils like in some areas of North and South Carolina, soil that was not properly compacted during construction will shift and cause your home to shift with it. This can cause large foundation problems like cracks in the walls and floors. Additionally, with the rainy spring and summer seasons, drainage and flooding can be a problem if there are any cracks in your foundation walls, so this is something to monitor and take care of right away before it becomes a big mess.
A crack in the foundation may or may not be something that you need to worry about right away. However, to understand whether or not you should, you first need to monitor the foundation crack. Monitor foundation cracks and this will tell you if it has moved and how much. If when you monitor foundation cracks, the cracks do not move and are smaller than the width of a penny, this is probably just due to the normal settling of the foundation and is nothing to worry about. If when you monitor foundation cracks, the cracks do continue to get wider or spread, there are deeper issues that need to be looked at by a professional company like Tar Heel Foundation Solutions.
What you need:Pencil
Tape
Ruler
Penny (optional)
To monitor a crack in your foundation, you should first see if the crack is larger than the width of a penny. Just hold the penny up to the crack and if it is larger, then it is probably something that you need to worry about immediately. If you’re ever unsure, please call us at Tar Heel Foundation Solutions and we would be happy to set up a consultation–you don’t have to do this alone!
The next step, once you have decided this foundation crack may be harmful, is to get two pieces of tape and put them on either side of the crack. They should be even with each other, and if the crack is very long you will need several points of reference. After the tape is up, take a ruler and mark a line across both pieces of tape (even).
After this, you will need patience. Check the tape each day and see if the lines have moved. If they are not even with each other, your foundation has moved. If it has moved, you can then record how far it has moved each day with your ruler. However, at this point, it is wise to call a foundation repair expert like Tar Heel Foundation Solutions because you should never wait on foundation repair. Monitoring any cracks in your foundation is a good idea to make sure that you notice when big changes happen.
Tar Heel Foundation Solutions is an expert foundation repair company that specializes in foundation repairs for home and business. As the top foundation contractor in the area, you can count on us. Our economical solutions and professional installations set us apart from our competition. Contact us today to learn more about how Tar Heel Foundation Solutions can help you with all of your foundation problems with our proven solutions.
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