Warning Signs of Foundation Damage in New Jersey
Do you know in your gut something is wrong with your home, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Maybe you’ve noticed slightly bowing basement walls or uneven floors but brushed them off.
Don’t ignore what your house is trying to tell you. These symptoms are early signs of foundation issues, and it’s important to address them before you’re left with significant damage and a hefty repair bill.
This article explores problems like foundation cracks in New Jersey, the causes, and how professional foundation repair permanently addresses them to safeguard your home.
Top 10 Early Signs of Foundation Issues
Foundation damage makes itself known in many ways. Here’s our “top 10 list” that includes symptoms to look out for around your New Jersey home:
Diagnosing a foundation problem can be complex, as these issues can accompany related basement issues and crawl space damage. If you are unsure what’s going on, contact a local foundation repair professional like Groundworks for a thorough and accurate assessment.
What Do These Warning Signs Mean?
Your home is exposed to external forces like the earth and weather; how these two interact creates a perfect storm for foundation damage.
Many of the symptoms we listed above indicate foundation settlement, a process during which your home sinks into the ground due to unstable soil. Hydrostatic pressure—a force produced by wet, expanding soil and dry, contracting soil—is also at play.
Let’s break down the list from above into a quick cheat sheet:
Foundation Settlement
- Uneven floors
- Gaps between walls and floors
- Vertical or stair-step wall cracks
- Drywall cracks or nail pops
- Sticking doors or windows
- Leaning chimney and cracking bricks
- Slab floor cracks
Hydrostatic Pressure
- Bowing walls
- Shearing walls
- Horizontal wall cracks
- Leaking walls
Let’s dig a little deeper into these issues and why they happen.
What Causes Damage Like Foundation Cracks in New Jersey?
From taking in the sights and sounds at Atlantic City’s iconic Steel Pier to strolling through Wharton State Forest, there’s something for everyone in New Jersey. Along with offering numerous adventures, the Garden State is also home to many different soil types.
Our ground contains clay, sand, silt, a combination of these, and everything in between. The Coastal Plain features sandy terrain, while the Appalachian area is characterized by thin, rock-laden soil. Between these distinct zones lie soils formed from shale, offering a smoother texture.
While this diversity is interesting, it does not bode well for our homes. These varied soil types contribute to foundation settlement and hydrostatic pressure, resulting in significant damage.
We explore these soil types in their interaction with water in our “Understanding Soil and Water Across the U.S.” article, but here are some key points:
- Clay: With its compact structure of microscopic particles, clay soil holds water most effectively but experiences notable expansion and contraction as moisture levels change. This movement can affect building foundations.
- Silt: Medium-sized particles allow some drainage while still holding moisture, though this soil can become compacted when wet, potentially compromising foundation stability.
- Sand: Characterized by large particles and spaces between them, sandy soil drains water quickly but retains very little. While this prevents the swelling issues seen with clay, sandy soil can be prone to erosion, particularly during heavy rainfall, which may threaten structural stability.
How to Fix Foundation Damage
While it’s not practical to replace the soil around your home, there are several ways to protect your home from early signs of foundation issues.
Invest in Professional Foundation Repair
DIY solutions at big-box stores are temporary and can do more harm than good. Trust experienced professionals like Groundworks to install solutions customized to meet your home’s unique repair needs, including:
- Foundation Piers: Helical piers, push piers, or slab piers bypass problematic soil to permanently stabilize settling foundations, stop further movement, and potentially lift the foundation back toward its original position.
- Crawl Space Supports: Sagging floors that need a boost will benefit from our durable and adjustable crawl space jacks.
- Wall Repairs: Permanently reinforce cracking and bowing walls with wall braces and wall anchors that can help restore the walls’ condition, or carbon fiber straps that hold minimally damaged walls in their current positions.
Ensure Proper Drainage and Grading
Install and maintain your gutters and downspouts, ensuring they are free of damage and allow water to drain away from your house. Similarly, re-grade your yard so it encourages proper drainage. These measures prevent water from collecting near your foundation, leaking inside your home, and creating moisture and structural issues.
Install Moisture Management Systems
You can further keep your home free of structurally damaging moisture with basement waterproofing or crawl space encapsulation. Each comprehensive system includes interior drainage and a sump pump to capture and remove leaking water, a vapor barrier to prevent moisture intrusion, and a dehumidifier to control humidity levels and cleanse the indoor air.
Contact Groundworks For Your Foundation Repair Needs
While issues like foundation cracks in New Jersey may be common, they can lead to an unsafe home. The best ways to protect your home are to identify early signs of foundation issues and contact Groundworks for a lasting solution.
Our certified inspectors have many years of experience with diagnosing and repairing these problems to give you peace of mind and a safe living environment. Contact us today to schedule a free inspection and obtain a no-obligation repair quote.
Foundation Repair FAQs
Regular maintenance, proper drainage, and monitoring for early signs of trouble can help prevent many common foundation issues.
Temporary solutions like shoring walls just treat the symptoms. Groundworks uses deep foundation piers and anchors that permanently stabilize your home by transferring its weight to load-bearing soil strata, providing a long-lasting fix.
Groundworks’ solutions are made to last long-term. When you have your foundation repaired by us, it comes with a lifetime warranty of the home. This warranty is transferrable to new homeowners should you decide to sell your house.
