Your home’s foundation is an critical part of its wellbeing. If something goes wrong in your foundation, your home can can develop structural problems that cost significantly more to repair than foundation problems alone.

There are three major reasons home foundation problems occur:

• Stem walls can deteriorate. Stem walls sit on your home’s concrete slab and are the base structure that attaches to your walls and your floors.
• Your foundation can settle due to weather and over time, which can cause soil under your foundation to shrink.
• Soil under your foundation can heave, or surge up over time. This can happen as soil settles in other areas.

There can be visible signs you have foundation problems
To help prevent you from facing expensive home structure problems, here are seven visible signs you may have foundation problems:

• Cracks on your walls, columns, floors, door openings or windows
• Windows and doors sticking when you attempt to close or open them
• Basement walls bowing inward, which is caused by pressure from outside the walls
• A chimney leaning one direction
• Sagging crawl space floors
• Porches sinking
• Water easily intruding into your property

Contact a home inspector or engineer if you believe you have foundation problems
If you notice signs of foundation problems, promptly contact a home inspector or engineer to investigate. While home inspectors can detect basic foundation problems, engineers can provide a more detailed analysis of the problems and repairs needed.
Expect to pay $200 to $800 for a report containing with structure repair plan from an engineer.
Fixing foundation problems is costly
The bad news is fixing problems with your foundation is expensive. The good news is it tends to more affordable the earlier you detect problems. Some foundation problems and their estimated costs can include:

• Fixing cracks – this can range from several hundred dollars to $3,000
• Lifting a sinking foundation – depending on your foundation type and repairs, this can cost $1,000 to $3,000
• Major foundation repairs – expect to pay anywhere from $3,500 to $30,000
• A new foundation – this can cost up to $40,000

The vast majority of home foundation problems can be fixed
Home foundation problems can be expensive, but nearly all are able to be fixed. By detecting the problem early on, you’ll have a better opportunity to limit any damage.
For more information on home foundation problems, visit the Houselogic website.