Foundation Damage: Knowing When It Is Time To Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company

• By
• FoundationRepair-fl.com

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
This article is written by an independent
resource not affiliated with Ram Jack. Floridas
combination of cool, damp earth and dry, hot air
has a damaging effect on the foundation of many
houses.
If you live in Florida, it is important to look
for the signs of foundation damage and to call a
Florida foundation repair company as soon as they
appear. Several places should be checked for
possible damage and several signs that should set
off clear warning bells.

• Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Your foundation is an integral structural part of
your home and it affects the building from the
basement all the way to the roof if it is
weakened or failing.
If you are worried about foundation damage, the
first place you should check is the outside of
your house. Damage usually starts at the bottom
and works its way up, so you should first look at
the foundation itself.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Cracks indicate a severe problem and you should
call a Florida foundation repair company
immediately if you see even a small one. The
cracks may be in the foundation itself, or they
may have spread up through the brick and the
outer walls of your home.
Foundation damage may not be so obvious, however,
and there are a number of more subtle signs to
look for.

• Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Poor structural elements can set the whole house
out of line and you should check to see if the
fascia board is pulling away or if there are gaps
around the windows and doors before calling a
Florida foundation repair expert.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Once you have examined the outer part of your
house, it is time to check inside. If you have a
basement, this is a good place to start, as it is
usually the first part of the house to suffer
damage.
As always, cracks in the walls are the biggest
sign that it is time to call a Florida foundation
repair company. Some cracks, however, may be too
small to see.

• Orlando Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
In a basement, the best way to determine if there
are tiny cracks in the walls is to look for water
intrusion. This is particularly accurate in
Florida, where the ground is full of moisture.
You should also take a look at the angle of the
walls. Check if they are squared with the
ceiling and the floor.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
If they look like they are leaning either in or
out, it may be time to call for Florida
foundation repair. After the basement, you can
move to the inside of your house. Above ground,
cracks tend to manifest more in the floors and
sheetrock than in the walls themselves. The
floors may be hard to check if they are carpeted,
but cracks will be obvious in hardwood or tile.

• Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
A sloping floor is also a sign that you may have
foundation problems, as are windows and doors
that are misaligned. Even something as subtle as
a window that sticks or a door that does not
close properly may be a sign of much large
problems.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
If you have an attached garage, you should also
inspect this before calling for Florida
foundation repair. Garages often experience
signs such as gaps around the doors and windows,
cracked brick and walls that are rotating out.

• Orlando Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Before calling a Florida foundation repair
company, it is also important to understand what
has caused your foundation damage. Understanding
the cause will ensure that you can give the
repair company all the information they need to
properly fix your foundation.
Additionally, while repair is the first step to
regaining a sound foundation, you may also need
to address the root problems so that the damage
does not recur several years down the road.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Evaporation is one of the main causes of
foundation damage in Florida. Water from the
soil evaporates into the hot, dry air, causing
the soil to shrink.
As the ground pulls away from the foundation, the
house settles into the empty space, often causing
cracks to form. A large tree, or a number of
trees, can have a similar effect on the soil as
the roots suck moisture out of the ground.

• Orlando Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
As damaging as desiccation can be, however,
excess moisture can also result in the need for
Florida foundation repair. Excess dampness will
erode the soil, or consolidate it beneath the
house, causing the building to settle and the
foundation to crack.
Two leading causes of excess moisture are
improper drainage and leaky plumbing. Finally,
foundation damage may be the result of poor
construction.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
If the foundation was not laid properly, did not
use enough steel or was built with inferior
concrete, it may be more easily damaged. The
leading cause of foundation damage, however, is
poor soil preparation.
Soil that is too soft, not dense enough, or was
not properly compacted before construction is far
more likely to shift or consolidate, leaving you
with the bill for Florida foundation repair.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
If you suspect that you have a foundation
problem, it is important to call a Florida
foundation repair company immediately. A good
company will work with you to determine the cause
of the problem and to find a solution that will
prevent it from happening again in the future.
Because local soil conditions play such a large
role in house settlement, it may be a good idea
to find a company that originates in Florida and
is familiar with the most common local problems.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
You can usually check this by looking at the
Florida foundation repair companys website and
reading about their history. Even if they did
not start out in Florida, you should see how long
they have been working in the area. 
A Georgia foundation repair company may be just
as knowledgeable, particularly if they have been
in Florida for several years or even decades.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Once you have found a reputable Florida
foundation repair company, it is time to book an
appointment.   Although you can ask for a quote
over the phone, most experts will want to take a
look at the foundation themselves before
committing to a price.
The cost of your Florida foundation repair will
depend on a number of factors such as the extent
of the damage and what must be done to fix it.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
It is important to make sure that your repairs
are tailored to the cause of your foundation
problems, otherwise they will recur years or even
months down the road. There are a number of
things that a Florida foundation repair company
may do to fix your foundation.
First, they will determine the cause. If the
problem originated because of a plumbing leak,
they may refer you to a landscape plumber before
going any further with their repairs.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Most problems, however, must be repaired using a
system called underpinning. This means that
technicians will extend your existing foundation
into a more stable part of the ground in order to
stabilize the entire structure.
A good repair technician will evaluate your whole
building, not only the parts that are visibly
damaged.

• Florida Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Depending on the company that you hire, they may
only underpin the foundation and stabilize the
structure or they may also repair any existing
damage by patching cracks and filling holes. If
you are trying to keep down the cost, however,
the most important thing you can do is act fast.
The longer a house is allowed to settle
improperly, the more damage there will be to your
foundation. The quicker you call for Florida
foundation repair, the easier it will be to
return your house to it normal, stabilized
condition.

• Orlando Foundation Repair

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Foundation Damage Knowing When It Is Time To
Hire A Florida Foundation Repair Company
Thank You

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• FoundationRepair-fl.com