Your home is important to you. You have invested a great deal of time, money and effort into making it what you want it to be, so overlooking minor structural...

Your home is important to you. You have invested a great deal of time, money and effort into making it what you want it to be, so overlooking minor structural repairs and allowing them to become major problems should not an option. However, if you are not certain what symptoms may indicate a potential problem, then it can be difficult to be proactive when it comes to your home’s structural support maintenance.

As a structural repair company in Charlotte, NC, we have seen our share of issues, and want to help you minimize the risk of severe damage to your home.

 

IDENTIFYING COMMON STRUCTURAL REPAIRS NEEDED FOR HOMES IN CHARLOTTE

Ben Franklin is credited with saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This was true centuries ago and it holds true today. So, to help you be more aware of common structural repairs, here is a list of the ones often found in Charlotte structures:

• Uneven floors – This can be caused by your home settling, but may also be a result of cracked floor joists, termite damage or inadequate sub-floor supports. You can easily determine if this is a problem by placing a ball at one wall or corner of a room and noting if it consistently rolls in a particular direction. The standard approach to repairing this structural problem is re-stumping (aka reblocking) and involves resetting the stumps of the subfloor. This issue is more common in older homes.
  
  
• Timber rot – If your home is all wood, rather than having any type of masonry foundation, then you need to be vigilant in checking for signs of timber rot. Yes, timber can last for years, but you need to be sure that it is properly protected from the elements else you risk damage due to mold and certain species of fungi. Be sure your home’s timber is not exposed to high levels of moisture or nutrients that can cause decay. If you aren’t sure if your home’s timber is not properly protected, be sure to bring in a structural specialist.
  
  
• Crumbling concrete – Just because your home has a masonry foundation doesn’t mean you never need be concerned about structural repairs. If the soil in your landscape contains higher levels of salt or chloride, it is possible for them concrete to absorb them and for the steel work within the concrete foundation to corrode. If your home has brick and mortar at the foundation, be sure to periodically note the status of those bricks closest to the ground as those areas can sometimes become soften as time goes by.
  
  
• Damp sub-floors – If there is insufficient ventilation in a crawlspace or basement, then this can cause rotting floor timbers. There are several ways to correct this problem, but you will need a specialist to determine the best approach.
  
  
• Roofing – Though not as common, there are situations where a sagging roof can be indicative of a structural problem. Sagging or uneven roof lines can be a sign that timber damage or concrete damage has occurred – especially to load bearing walls within the home.

Other indicators that you should have a structural repair specialist check out your home’s foundation include the following: doors and windows no longer fitting or opening closing properly, warped ceilings, exposed gaps between the walls, or stair step-like cracks above doorways.

You don’t have to be stressed about the status of your home’s foundation. If you suspect that your home is in need of structural repairs, don’t wait. Talk to one of our team at Sherrill Structural Repairs today and schedule an assessment.