A foundation failure can exhibit itself in a number of ways. Some types of foundation damage are easy to see, such as cracks in the wall. Others, however, are not so obvious (loosened plumbing under the house which in turn causes slow leaks). Below, we'll look at several types of damage caused by a moving or broken foundation.
Cracks in one or more walls
If you find cracks in your walls, then that's a sign that there is a fundamental shift in at least part of the wall and one part is pulling away from another or one wall is pulling away from another. This can happen when part of your foundation shifts (by moving sideways, downward or upward, or both) yet the whole structure doesn't move in the same direction at the same speed. In other words, part of the house has moved horizontally or vertically and the rest hasn't.
Cracks in one or more walls
If you find cracks in your walls, then that's a sign that there is a fundamental shift in at least part of the wall and one part is pulling away from another or one wall is pulling away from another. This can happen when part of your foundation shifts (by moving sideways, downward or upward, or both) yet the whole structure doesn't move in the same direction at the same speed. In other words, part of the house has moved horizontally or vertically and the rest hasn't.
Stuck Doors and Windows
Doors and windows get stuck in their frames when the frames are no longer square. In some cases, the frame is narrower at one end than the other. In other cases, the frame can be twisted. With the naked eye, you might not be able to see these deformations in the door frame or window frame, but the door or the window can certainly tell the difference. If the door gets lodged in the frame and won't open or it won't close all the way without hitting the frame, then the door frame is out of square. If the window is stuck shut or won't open all the way, then the window frame is not square. Much like the cracked walls discussed above, bent door and window frames can be caused by a foundation shifting. Indeed, bent frames are often found in cracked walls because a shift in the wall can cause a frame to go out of square.
Cracked or Loose Floor Tiles
Homeowners have a surprising capacity to overlook cracks in the walls because the cracks happen slowly. They may even paint over the cracks and ignore them as long as the crack stays covered (usually, not for too long). As for stuck doors and windows, homeowners will mentally note a stuck door or window and learn to work around it. Cracked floor tiles are something altogether different. It's always annoying to step over a loose tile and a cracked tile stares you in the face every time you walk into the room.
Cracked or popped tiles indicate the foundation is buckling, bulging, or sinking.
Read Full Article Here: Types of Foundation Damage
