Investing in a large amount of property to create a residential development can be a great way to produce financial security and a significant return on that financial investment. However, building any kind of residential development means that you'll need to have a professional construction contractor on the project. When you're new to working with construction professionals, you may not know what to consider as you choose your contractor. That's why we built this site. We are sharing the benefit of our experience dealing with construction contractors to help you choose the contractor that you need for such a large-scale project. We hope that the information here will help you to find a construction contractor that's best for you.
Foundation repair issues can threaten the investment you've made in your house. You might not be sure if a problem calls for foundation repair services, though. If you're looking at one of these four scenarios, it might be time to ask for a professional's opinion.
The House Is Settling
A house will settle over time, and this can compromise the foundation. Oddly enough, the signs of this kind of damage don't always appear in the foundation. You might notice the doors in your house don't close tightly because one side of the structure is dropping. Similarly, you may see cracks form in the walls because the house has settled unevenly.
If there is visible damage to the foundation, it will follow a similar pattern. You might see cracks in the wall or the floor in the basement could crack and tilt downward.
Water Damage
As a foundation fails, you might see signs that water is getting through. For example, the walls might be stained because water starts depositing metals in the concrete. Similarly, water can leave behind salts that will cause the wall to look white or yellow.
Water damage can also encourage a foundation to crumble. You may see dust around the bottom of a foundation wall, for example. Similarly, you might see cracks or holes where the materials have fallen out. Generally, these cracks turn into gaps as the water wears the space open.
Mortar Failure
If a house has a brick or block foundation, the mortar will hold the pieces together. Over time, the mortar can crumble. Oftentimes, the mortar will stay in place between the blocks or bricks. However, you might see cracks in the mortar. There may even be spots where you can pick mortar out with your fingers.
Plants
Some plants growing along a foundation can compromise. For example, knotweed has a terrible reputation for causing foundation repair problems. If you see woody plants growing near the edge of the foundation outside, they may be trouble.
Notably, you'll want to address the plant problems before you engage foundation repair services. Otherwise, you may be back to square one in a few years as the plants proceed to undermine the repaired areas.
Also, if you see plants growing from the foundation, that's bad news. Growth means there's enough water to allow a plant to thrive. Something is trapping that water there, and it's likely a spot where the foundation has started failing.
To learn more information about foundation issues, reach out to foundation repair services near you.