Stuck doors and windows can be inconvenient to live with. Whether they’re stuck in place, swing open after being shut, don’t close at all, or have gaps at the top or bottom, windows and doors that don’t work can lead to uncomfortable or annoying issues for homeowners. What’s even more troubling, though, is what sticking doors and windows could mean about the structure of your home: depending on what’s causing the problem, it’s possible that you may need foundation house repair. Before you get a home inspection to determine what kind of foundation or other home repairs you might need, read on to learn more about why your doors and windows are sticking and other signs of foundation trouble.
Reasons Doors and Windows Get Stuck
Doors and windows could be sticking in their frames as a result of humidity, depending on the time of year and climate in your area. Homes that have moisture problems and get a lot of sun exposure could warp wooden doors, frames, or other components. It might be time to replace some old or damaged hinges or other hardware. Some doors might need sanding if the slab is new but installed improperly or too large for the frame.
A lot of the time, though, sticking doors and windows are caused by foundation settling or shifting. Foundations shift or settle when the soil conditions surrounding them change: hydrostatic pressure, erosion, soil shrinkage, or poor compaction can all create conditions where parts of your home’s foundation sink or shift. Foundation movement can put stress on other areas of the interior and exterior of your home, which could be leading to your problems with sticking doors and windows.
Other Signs of Foundation Problems
If you’ve ruled out humidity and other building issues, your window and door malfunctions may be due to foundation issues in your home. This is especially true if you live in an area with clay soil, which can expand and retract easily, and areas that experience a lot of dry or damp conditions. Only a foundation expert will be able to tell you if your problems are caused by foundation problems, but there are other signs you can look for outside of sticking doors and windows.
- Wide cracks in concrete slabs or masonry
- Uneven, sinking, or sagging floors
- Gaps between the wall, ceiling, and floors
- Cracks in the walls, or torn wallpaper as a result of cracking
- Cracks around doors or windows, especially in the corners
The most important part of repairing a foundation is catching problems early. Regularly inspecting your home for signs of foundation problems will help you see problems before they get too severe to be fixed. If you wait too long to address a foundation problem, it’s only going to get worse and more expensive to repair.
Avoid These Problems by Repairing a Foundation
A lot of structural problems in your home can be solved or prevented by addressing underlying foundation problems. All homes settle eventually, and taking steps toward foundation house repair will protect your home’s structural stability and make it a more comfortable place to live. There are a variety of solutions available for repairing a foundation, stabilizing your home, and minimizing the possibility of investing in more expensive repairs in the future.
Piers can be installed in your home to leverage resistance against a sagging foundation. Helical piers are long, screw-like shafts drilled into the soil and work with heavy-duty brackets to counteract foundation setline as well as sagging floors and chimney problems. If your home has a crawl space, support jacks can be installed to supplement existing supports that are deteriorating or too far from other supports to effectively support your home. Anchors and tiebacks are also viable options for some homes. A foundation expert that knows the soil conditions and climate in your area and inspects your home will know which solution or combination of solutions will work best for your foundation.
Acculevel Foundation Repair
Your foundation is literally what your home is built on, and any problems from below can lead to consequences inside of your living space. While a problem like sticking doors and windows might be inconvenient, foundation problems that are allowed to go unchecked for too long can have a much more serious and negative impact on the structural integrity of your entire home. Acculevel can give you a free home foundation inspection to check for the source of your home’s issues. Contact us for more information.
