Your house is probably built on a slab of concrete. Homes are built on slabs of concrete so that they can remain stable and level even if the dirt underneath them shifts. Wind and rain can cause the dirt to move and wash away. If your home had been built on the ground itself, it would sink into the dirt or tilt as the dirt moved around underneath it. In some areas that are particularly unstable, the concrete slab has further supports that stretch deeper into the ground. These are called pilings. If you have concerns about the foundation of your home, you should look for a few signs. You can look for signs you need slab foundation repair by taking a long look at your home from the outside.
Looking from the Outside
First, you should walk out into your front yard and look at your home from afar. Your home should look completely level. If it doesn’t look completely level, you might have some kind of a problem. The concrete slab is designed to keep your home level but if the ground underneath it shifts enough, it could be undermined. If the ground shifts too much, your slab will shift. Fortunately, slab foundation repair in Houston, TX is fairly common. There are a few companies that specialize in Houston slab foundation repair. They will be able to come to your home, assess the problem, and fix it.
Vertical Damage
You might not be able to assess the need for slab foundation repair just by looking at your home. It might look level when it actually is off by a few inches. Or, it might not be noticeable. However, you should look for any vertical damage as well. That could be a crack running vertically through the front of your home. That will indicate that your slab has shifted and put enough strain on your home to cause it to begin to crack apart. You need to address this immediately.