Foundation Danger: Five Things Sellers and Buyers Need to Understand

The foundation may not be the most thrilling part of the home however, it is probably one of the most essential. When you are buying a house, there are so many funny things to put all your attention on, such as relaxing in the soaker tub, chilling a bottle in the fancy wine fridge or putting in the outdoor fire pit. However, before you begin to imagining yourself fixing your dresses in an astonishing walk-in closet, you may need to drop down your eyes first and focus on the foundation of the house. It holds up your home after all. If the home’s foundation is not that reliable, it can cause a lot of headaches and might give you big problems as well. 

 

Whether you are a seller who has identified a lot of cracks on the foundation or a buyer with so many concerns about your possible new home’s foundation, you will most likely need to take some actions in order to resolve the problem. The following are some ways that you need to know as a seller or a buyer: 

How to identify the signs of a damage in your home’s foundation?

When you are searching for a house for sale, you will need to understand whether there really is a poor foundation or whether these cracks are from a normal home settling. The following are some things to focus on which could indicate probable problems on your foundation: 

• Cracked drywall 
• Doors which stick or do not latch shut 
• Water in the crawl spaces, around the home’s perimeter, or in the basement 
• Huge cracks in an exterior concrete 

• Gaps between the walls and the ceiling or between the wall seams 
• Sloping staircases or floors (sign of a possible pitch in the foundation) 
• Windows that have cracked glass or that are difficult to open 
•  Misaligned windows and doors (sign of a potential shift in the foundation) 

If you happen to notice one of these problems, you will have to consider hiring a professional and reputable structural engineer aside from a home inspector. As a matter of fact, if you think your home’s foundation needs a repair of some sort, then it is most likely worth the cost of having a professional engineer with you. 

Should you purchase a house with a lot of foundation problems?

Maybe or maybe not. If the house you really wish for has some issues on its foundation, you may not often like to refuse, most especially if you are living in a real estate market. However, do not expect that the purchase will be a catwalk. Right now, that you have already unleashed some real issues, it is time to renegotiate the sale value of the house in order to reflect the value of cash you will have to put in it to patch up the home’s foundation.   

Foundation cracks – Be smart as well as be careful

Not all cracks on the foundation is equal in size. Any size of the crack should be sealed in order to prevent intrusion of the water. If you need a quality foundation repair in Georgetown TX, only trust the experts. 

Roof Buying Guide: Things You Should Consider Before Buying a Roofing System

Buying a roof is not easy. It’s like shopping for essential things that you should take time to think about because one buying mistake will lead to more problems in the future. If you’re planning to buy a new roof for you house, you should be prepared in the idea that there are a lot of roofing materials you never know existed. There are options and features to choose from, thus making a final decision is challenging. In this article, we will give you information about the roofing materials. Read on.  

 

Weather Barrier 

Obviously, the job of your roof is to protect you from the everyday exposure to the sun, rain, sometimes snow and hail and storms. The primary barrier between you and nature is your roof, so the roofing material should be able to protect your home. It must be able to hold back snow, rain, wind and the sun for many years. The manufacturers in your area will mostly sell the roofing materials that can withstand the kind of weather you have.  

Roof Slope 

Another thing to consider is the slope of your roof. You have to consider the surface to be able to finalize the system you’re going to have. The slope is determined by the amount a roof raises over a 12-inch run. Another way to express the slope is pitch. Most tiles, shingles and slate are used to roofs with steeper slope. Flat-pitched or low-pitched should be topped with sprayed polyurethane foam.  Hire a roofer contractor from http://www.ftworthroofingpro.com/ to discuss this.  

Appearance 

We all like to match the aesthetics of your house with the roof, especially if the exterior portion is really visible in the streets. It will affect how your home will look, and would be more appealing to future buyers. The texture, color and type of material should match the exterior finish and style of your home. Whatever the style of your house is, it should match the material that has the same design vernacular as the house.  

The color tone should be considered too. Roofs with light tone will reflect more heat than dark tone roofs. So if you live in a place where the climate is hot, consider the light tones. However if you live in an area where you can benefit from the heat, consider the dark ones.  

Durability and Longevity 

You should consider the lifespan of your roof especially if you plan to live in the house for many years. Roof installation is a costly job, so you better make it worthy. Purchase the roofing material with a long lifespan especially if you want to keep the look of the house for a long time. Also, you would be spending less on repairs and maintenance in the future because of how the roof can hold up. Just remember to do regular check-ups and maintenance though.  

Cost 

Well, budget is also a concern; in fact when it comes to roofs you should consider your budget as a priority. The cost of the entire roofing job is either affordable or too expensive. You would spend much on materials alone, and then there’s come installation and maintenance. However, it is really worth it.  

Search For Those Hard To Find Leaks In Your Home

Leaks are a common problem in a home, and they can give you’re a sense of insecurity towards the safety of your home every time there is a storm in the area. These leaks should be searched and eliminated right away, the longer moisture and water, in general, are exposed to the foundation of your roof, then the weaker it will get which could pose a serious threat. Raleigh roofing is a service that is never taken for granted, if you are having trouble taking care of it on your own, never shy away from asking help from roofing professionals.  

 

There is one trick that is highly effective in learning the location of roof leakages in your own home, but it will take at least two people who are properly in sync to accomplish this task. One person has to be on top of the roof with the hose, at the same time the partner should be approximately in the same location but right beneath the roof. It is more of a trial and error process, expect that you will invest a lot of time during this experiment.  

The one on top of the roof will pour water on the roof, it will be best to get a marker and properly section the roof, and the person beneath the roof will wait if there will be leakage in that area. This is one of the more time-consuming methods, but at least you will be getting more accurate data, and you will more or less know where the problems are originating. Adding a marker like a rope to separate the different sectors of the roof will help in filtering out the healthy part from the damaged areas of the roof.  

Small leaks are a lot harder to detect, but you should be putting more efforts into this search because you do not want this turn into a more serious problem. This is hard to search because small leaks can originate from a small problem with a loose screw, and if you have any installations on your roof, that is probably the first place you should look. It may not seem like much of a big deal, but the small opening from a loose screw can the beginning of a huge leakage problem. That is why it is crucial that you double check the screws in your roof, and make sure that they are screwed in nice and tight.  

Another thing you should try to avoid will be short term band aid solutions, and that means roofing cement products. These products use a putty like material to cover a hole temporarily, but some people use this for long term use because they aren’t willing to spend more for proper construction to fix the problem. I suggest that you let go of this mindset and make sure that you do things the right way because it will be all be worth it in the long run.