The foundation of a house or structure holds the structure in place and prevents it from moving along with the earth it either sits in or in case of some patio homes in Denver CO, it sits on. The foundation also helps protect against both cold and moisture. A foundation’s structure varies depending on when a home was built, the climate in which the home was built, and whether or not the home was built with a basement or a crawl space. Here in Colorado the majority of our homes have basements or crawl spaces. Cracks in foundations can foreshadow structural issues and water leaks and in rare cases catastrophic failure. Often, cracks and unevenness are due to “settling.” Settling can be minor or more dramatic. It happens over time to almost all structures. That’s why when purchasing a new property, having a Seven Stars Home Advisors Inspection could save potentially thousands of dollars.
During your Home Inspection, an inspector will determine which type of foundation your home has and check it for potential problems. Some homes have finished basements where the concrete foundation is covered up with framing and drywall. Determining foundation issues in these cases are obviously more difficult, but thankfully because of their nature any real foundation problem will noticed somewhere else in the home. Cracked drywall or cracked floor tile can be an indicator.
It doesn’t matter what type of foundation your potential home is sitting on because there are several key signs that a home inspector looks for. Foundations tend to crack or heave. Sometimes moisture will be present and you will have pooling and moisture penetrating small cracks in the walls. Some of this may be inevitable, especially in older homes but the importance of having your Seven Stars Home Advisors Inspector go through the inspection process with your home is that the inspector can help you determine the degree of danger or the importance and scale of repair that exists. Depending on the type of foundation you have sealants and reinforcements can sometimes prevent major problems so that your homes foundation will last for years to come.
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