Foundation FAQs

The longer you wait to treat visible signs of damage, the more severe the damage can become. Left untreated, minor cracks and leaks can turn into serious structural issues. Some signs of foundations issues include:

• Cracks in the walls
• Cracks in brick or concrete floors
• Doors that stick
• Sagging or rising sections of floors
• Pooling water near a slab foundation
• Wet crawl space after it rains.
• Uncomfortable indoor humidity
• Bowing walls

Is there a musty odor in the crawl space? A leaking crawl space can reveal foundation cracks. A musty smell in a crawl space odor is a red flag. 

Insects in crawl spaces often point to foundation issues. Excess moisture invites insects to enter the crawl space.

Inspect each room of the house. Carefully look at the walls, in particular where the wall meets the ceiling. Foundation problems can cause walls to separate from the ceiling. Other warning signs include cracks splintering up the walls, bowing walls or baseboards separating at corners.

Shifting soil can cause many of the foundation problems in North Texas. However, many foundations may also be adversely affected by the following problems:

Improper drainage: The most common sign of poor drainage is water pooling and forming swampy areas near a home’s foundation. Poor drainage can occur as a result of clogged or damaged gutters, or because the land surrounding a home isn’t properly graded away from the structure.

Water leaks under the slab: Slab foundations conceal sewer lines and water pipes; when a leak develops in hidden line, it can cause the slab to deteriorate. This type of problem may cause moist areas in interior floors, or homeowners may notice a sudden spike in their water bills – but more often than not a slab leak will go unnoticed.

Tree roots: Large trees can cause foundation problems as roots grow through the soil underneath the home. The intruding roots can exert significant pressure on under-slab water pipes and basement foundations. They can also leech moisture from the ground, causing soil to contract away from the home.

Our definition of bedrock is “load bearing strata.” Bedrock is not actually just a rock. Rock could be hit as shallow as 2 feet down. True bedrock is a deep layer in the earth’s crust that is strong enough and stabile enough to support a foundation.