Winter after winter, you notice some deterioration in your home.
Have you ever felt like your house is moving or sagging abnormally?
This anomaly occurs when the ground on which your home rests is no longer able to support the weight of the structure.
But how do you know if you’re dealing with the collapse of your home’s foundation or simply constraints related to Quebec winters?
At Fissure Expert, we answer all your questions and offer you our advice on how to act quickly and intelligently in the face of such a situation.
Foundation subsidence: How do you know?
In general, we talk about house subsidence as soon as it seems to start moving. However, there’s no need to panic until you’ve done the right checks.
To do this, it is easy to study certain symptoms that will tell you if you are in the presence of a sagging of your foundations :
- You notice the appearance of abnormal cracks on the outside of your foundation or on the exterior siding of your home.
- Your doors and windows no longer close very well, despite the many adjustments you’ve made. The latter have lost their watertightness causing water infiltration.
- Your floor is uneven and you have the feeling that the ground is soft.
- Your chimney is experiencing significant detachment.
- You notice the appearance of cracks inside your home.
All of these signs can indicate that your home is unstable. It is then advisable to call on a specialist who will check all the structures of your house.
What causes foundation sagging?
As is often the case, understanding the causes of a problem allows you to know how to solve it and, above all, how to prevent it from happening again.
In the case of foundation subsidence, there are various factors that can lead to this finding:
- The harsh climate, as in Quebec for example, affects the composition of the soil. For example, clay soil or a foundation built close to a water table can threaten the weight support of a building.
- Global warming also has a detrimental effect on soil drying.
- Trees that pump water or sidewalks that divert water to drainage systems can also cause the soil to dry out.
- Improperly done backfill can also be detrimental to the stability of your home
What to do if your house is sagging?
If you notice several of the above symptoms, then there is a good chance that a subsidence of your foundation is the cause of unexpected movements of your structure.
One of the first things you should do is contact an expert. He will quickly tell you what to do and if you need to act urgently. In particular, you may be required to stabilize or straighten your pile foundation. This technique is difficult to carry out and only the intervention of a specialist can assure you of the quality of the work.
However, it is essential to apply for a building permit from the city for this type of work.
The foundation collapse of your house is not dramatic as long as you remember to intervene as quickly as possible.
If you need more advice on the subject, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Our experts will be happy to answer your questions.
Need a Crack Repair Expert?
If you notice cracks on your foundation, it is important to act quickly. Fissure Expert offers professional foundation crack injection services throughout Quebec. Call a certified foundation crack contractor for a free estimate. We serve Longueuil, Sherbrooke, Chicoutimi and many other cities.