Identifying Home Foundation Trouble

Knowing the early warning signs of foundation troubles can head off problems that ultimately could cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. The sooner you identify potential problems, the easier (and not to mention less expensive) it is to fix them. Ground Up Builders are the foundation repair experts in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Middle Tennessee.

If you see (or feel) that your house is settling, that isn't cause for panic. Houses settle over time, and a little unevenness is to be expected. Even though houses settle, you need to be aware of the warning signs that more dramatic changes are taking place.

On the inside of your home if you start to see any of the following, call Ground Up Builders and have the professionals come and inspect your home for any foundational problems that might be starting.

• A door begins to jam or fails to latch.
• Cracks appear in walls, especially over doorways, windows, or where walls meet ceilings.
• Cracks open in vinyl or ceramic tile over a concrete floor.
• Windows that used to open and close easily suddenly begin to stick or won’t close completely.

Moving to the outside of your home, check to see if your foundation is straight by sighting down the length of your foundation wall from each corner. The walls should be fairly straight, both up and down and from side to side. Check for leaning walls with a level.

A bulge or curve in either a block foundation or a poured concrete wall could signal that the foundation has shifted, or that the soil around your foundation may be expanding and contracting, putting pressure on walls.

Expansive soil, also called shrink-swell soil, is a very common cause of foundation problems. Depending upon the supply of moisture in the ground, shrink-swell soils will experience changes in volume of up to 30% or more! Foundation soils ,which are expansive, will “heave” and can cause lifting of a building or other structure during periods of high moisture. Conversely, during periods of falling soil moisture, expansive soil will “collapse” and can result in building settlement


Ground Up Builders can determine whether any of these warning signs point to normal settling or to structural damage. Call us today at 615-624-1027 for all of your foundation repairs! Be sure to check out our Facebook page and visit us HERE for special coupons and discounts!

Is Your Basement Ready For Winter?

Many people think the worst time of year for a basement is during the rainy season. Constant rain and flooding will certainly test your basement’s ability to keep water out of your home. Water leaks and flooding are bad enough, but happens after the flooding is even worst.... mold growth. Ground Up Builders of Nashville wants to make sure you and your basement are ready for the cold weather!

Unfortunately, if your basement has not been waterproofed by a professional like Ground Up Builders, the winter months can be just as bad as the worst rainy season. In Tennessee, we don't get much snow, but it has been cold and wet lately. When the ground is above freezing temperature, and if there is snow on the ground, it instantly melts turning into water, which has the same effect as rain. When the ground is below freezing, the sticky snow accumulates, waiting for the temperature to rise so it can turn into a torrent of water.

When water accumulates near your home, the water seeps in through the porous surface of cinder and brick. A sudden temperature drop can freeze the water, weakening the integrity of your foundation. When the temperature goes back up, the miniature cracks have grown slightly-larger (from the ice), allowing the trapped water to flow more freely into your basement than ever before.

Nothing will wreck your holiday season more than opening the door to your basement to find it flooded! Call Ground Up Builders today to make sure you won't end up with a huge mess on your hands! 615-326-5790. We service all of Nashville, Murfreesboro and Middle Tennessee! Make sure to LIKE us on Facebook and click HERE for our special offers and coupons that you won't want to miss!