Do your home’s doors and windows have gaps around them—spaces where they seem to be pulling away from the walls? You may think this is an ordinary sign of settling or changes due to humidity—but that’s not always the case. You may actually have a foundation problem that needs to be addressed to protect your home.
Here’s what you need to know about your home foundation and how it affects windows and doors.
What Does Your Foundation Have to Do with Doors and Windows?
Your home is a carefully constructed combination of different elements that are designed to work together. When one area of your house is experiencing issues, the results can affect other parts of it too. That’s what happens when your foundational slab is moving more than it should. Foundation issues can affect many areas of your house’s structure, including doors and windows.
The Cause: Too Much Motion in the Soil
While a certain amount of settling (minor shifting) is natural for any house, too much soil movement can weaken your concrete slab. This is especially common in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma due to our clay soil—which expands and contracts drastically as we get periods of heavy rain followed by near-drought. So, it’s wise to pay attention to signs of foundation problems and have them checked.
How Gaps Form around Windows and Doors
Problems start to occur when portions of your foundation rise or sink unevenly. Imagine if one corner of your living room floor dropped by an inch or two while the opposite corner stayed the same or even rose by an inch. The unevenness pulls at windows and doors, drawing them out of their firm position in their frames.
Signs that Foundation Issues Are Affecting Your Property
When foundation issues are plaguing your home, you are likely to notice that some of your windows and doors look like they’re askew. There may be visible spaces between them and their frames. You may also have trouble opening or closing them since an uneven foundation can press them too tightly against their frames too.
How to Address Gaps around Doors and Windows
If you have noticed gaps between windows, doors, and their frames, or if they are stuck or hard to open and close, it’s a good idea to find out what’s causing the problem. Take note of any problem spots, as well as other possible signs of foundation issues, such as cracks in walls, and then contact a foundation company for an inspection.
Expertise Is Key to an Assessment of Your Home’s Structure
A trusted foundation inspection requires expertise, and structural engineers play a vital role in giving you an honest assessment of how well your home’s structure is performing. At Edens Structural Solutions, we recommend bringing in an independent third-party structural engineer to inspect your house and provide a totally unbiased report.
If you don’t need our foundation services, we will tell you—literally. And if issues are identified that need repair, we can step in at that point to help you resolve them so you can have confidence in your home.
Get Peace of Mind with a Strong Foundation
Your home is your castle, your greatest investment, and it’s worth taking care of it. Learn more about caring for your foundation by checking out our Foundation Repair Guide. And remember, we’re here to answer any questions that will help you care for your Tulsa area home’s foundation.
