Your home’s foundation is made of a concrete slab with pilings underneath it. The pilings are made of materials such as concrete, wood, steel, or a combination of all three. The pilings are used to keep the concrete slab in place. However, this is not always the case. Many different mechanisms can cause significant damage to the foundation of your home.
Your foundation is vulnerable to erosion, pests, and natural decay. If you need any kind of house foundation repair, you should consider the following signs of damage.
Pests
A pest problem is particularly significant for anyone who has wooden pilings. Termites love to burrow into moist and warm wood. They need mud for their termite holes as well as softened wood to create a burrow. An initial sign of termites is termite wings. They have very delicate wings that fall off during the course of flying.
If you notice that the wings have accumulated around your porch or other areas of your home, you probably have termites. You should call an exterminator as well as a specialist in house foundation repair in Houston, TX.
Pests are not the only reason you might need Houston house foundation repair. You also must consider issues involving water and natural decay.
Water and Decay
When rain falls off your roof, it can build up around the base of your home. The accumulated water can separate the earth from the foundation of your home. Then, the erosion can cause the concrete slab to shift or move. It can also expose your pilings and foundation to pests, so the problems are often related.
If your home has erosion, you should call a house foundation repair specialist. Furthermore, you need to consider the decay of the ground. Ground shifts and settles over time. It is entirely possible that the ground under your home has simply moved and caused the foundation to shift. You should call a specialist to have the structure repaired.