You’ve noticed some problems with your foundation lately. Perhaps you discovered a lone crack or realized the floor is sloped. You’re concerned about the structural integrity of your home and if it’s safe for you and your family to live in. Do you need to evacuate and get repairs immediately? Can you put off repairs until later? Find out here if it’s safe to live in a house with ongoing foundation problems.
Living in a home with foundation problems is safe… until it isn’t. A small crack or shifting soil won’t cause your home to collapse, but foundation problems only worsens over time. Eventually, they could become severe enough to pose significant risks to you and your family.
Over time, cracks, gaps, and other irregularities in your home’s foundation can create health and safety risks. Settlement can lead to beam, wall, and floor instability. In some cases, it can pull nails out of the roof’s framing, resulting in bowing, failing, or leaking. A family member could sustain injuries from falling drywall or debris or get sick from mold or mildew growth due to moisture infiltration.
That’s not all. Settlement can result in uneven floors, which are trip hazards for young children and the elderly. Settling can also damage your home’s sewer lines. Broken sewer pipes can introduce harmful bacteria, such as E. coli, salmonella, and pinworms, into your home. Lastly, cracks in a foundation provide an entry point for pests like termites, cockroaches, and rodents, which can carry diseases and leave behind droppings, food, and nesting materials that make your living environment less sanitary.
Is it safe to live in a home with foundation problems? In the meantime, perhaps. However, neglected foundation problems will eventually make your living conditions unsuitable. Don’t wait until a family member gets hurt or sick or your home is on the verge of total collapse to deal with your home’s foundation troubles. The sooner you call in a contractor, the sooner you can put your foundation issues behind you. Simpler fixes usually have lower prices.
If you need professional foundation repairs in California, contact Foundation Technology today. We’ll inspect your foundation for free and devise an affordable, permanent solution to your foundation problems so you can live in your home with peace of mind.