Five Foundation Red Flags You Can Spot While Decorating

TL:DR

• Cracks or bowing walls in the basement when you move storage boxes.
• Sticky doors or windows that suddenly won’t close smoothly.
• Uneven or sloping floors while you’re setting up your Christmas tree.
• Exterior stair-step cracks made more visible by holiday lights.
• Gaps around trim, baseboards, or crown molding that weren’t there before.

Wall Cracks in the Basement When You Unpack Boxes

• Your holiday decor boxes may be hiding foundation damage in your basement. When you take out your boxes to decorate your home, check behind them for cracks or bowing in your basement wall. While cracks are indicative of a settling problem, bowing can be a sign that the soil outside is putting a damaging amount of pressure on the wall. Not every crack is an emergency, but bowed walls should be addressed as soon as you see them.
• When space allows, Frontier can install the Geo-Lock™ Foundation Wall Anchor System to stabilize failing foundation walls. This anchors your walls to hard-packed soil beyond the disturbed soil surrounding the foundation. They are minimally disruptive to install and permanently stop the inward movement of your wall.
• In cases where homes are close together or other obstructions prevent the installation of the wall anchor system, Frontier can install the PowerBrace™ Foundation Wall System. This is an I-beam system that immediately stabilizes the walls and straightens them over time.

Doors and Windows Don’t Close Smoothly

• As you move from room to room, setting up different décor, you may notice doors that stick when you try to open and close them. When a foundation settles or shifts, it causes subtle warping in the structure. Door frames are often the first place where foundation problems show up. The misalignment in the frame can happen because the floor beneath the frame is no longer level, the wall the frame sits on has tilted or bowed, or the beam above the door has shifted.

Your Floors Feel Uneven When You’re Setting Up the Tree

• Whether it's a real tree or a fake one, everyone wants their tree to stand straight and tall. If you find yourself twisting the base over and over again to find the perfect level spot, you probably have a sag in your floor where the middle is dropping. If the floor feels level, but your tree leans at a 15-degree angle, you may be experiencing a slope in your flooring where one side is dropping.
• A sag in your floor could indicate your crawl space piers are sinking, creating a gap between your supports and your floor joists. Frontier can install adjustable SmartJacks in your crawl space to reconnect support with your floor beams and lift the floor back to its correct position.
• A slope in your floor could indicate that one side of the foundation is sinking while the other is stable. This can happen with differential settlement. Frontier can install a pier system that extends deep into the ground, reaching soils unaffected by climate conditions. The weight of your home is transferred to these stable piers and raised back to its original position.

Exterior Cracks Become Obvious While Hanging Lights

• Holiday lights are a welcome sight in the darker, winter months. Many families enjoy the yearly tradition of driving around to enjoy the workmanship of their neighbors. These beautiful lights can also illuminate the existence of exterior cracks on your home.
• If you hang your own lights each year, keep an eye out for stair-stepping cracks in the exterior brick of your home. These cracks often extend from the corners of windows, doors, and garages. This damage can be an indicator of structural issues in your home. If you hire a company to hang your lights, ask them to let you know if they find any of these foundation failure indicators.

Gaps Around Trim, Baseboards, or Crown Molding

• The holidays are a time when we spend more time indoors, enjoying the cozy atmosphere of our homes. When you finish decorating, sit on your couch and admire your handiwork. While you look around, check for gaps around your trim, your baseboards, and your crown molding. These can form if your wall is no longer vertical, the ceiling or floor has shifted, or drywall is pulling away from framing.