Warning signs that your house is in danger of falling apart

Cracks and moulds on the wall should not be ignored or else they may result in bigger problems that are more expensive to deal with. File photo

What you need to know:

  • Many people invest a lot in building a house but do not put as much effort in maintaining it. Sometimes people ignore small damages in their house or postpone repairs of what they believe is a small problem until it graduates into a bigger issue that in the long run costs them a lot to deal with.

How many times have you heard people regret having ignored a crack in the wall or ceiling stain? These and others are usually harbingers of a much bigger problem that a property owner should respond to urgently.

Because deterioration can be caused by a variety of things including soil, climate, plumbing leaks, poor soil compaction and inadequate foundation drainage, it is always a good idea to be on the lookout for signs of trouble and take care of them before they get out of hand. Things do break down and are prone to failure in due time, while you cannot prevent natural deterioration, you can slow it down tremendously with preemptive measures.

Miriam Kivuna, a home owner, is living in a hotel with her entire family because it was discovered their foundation was experiencing problems. Kivuna says she started noticing that her doors were becoming sticky and needed to be forced to open or close five years after moving into the new.

Foundation
“It was a subtle but gradual problem. Because I did not know what the cause was so I just decided to keep sawing a bit off either at the top or at the bottom just to keep the doors moving. Eventually, I began to notice that they were hanging askew, this is when I asked an engineer to come have a look at the house,” she shares. After the examination, it was discovered that the house was sinking.
Pius Louis Chelimo, a construction engineer notes that a house that appears to be sinking is usually an indication of a foundation problem.

“Some homeowners might notice that one side of the house appears to be sinking first, and will continue to do so until it is dangerously uneven. Once this occurs, you might also notice extensive cracking on the inside and outside of your house. Cracks resulting from foundation settlement are generally vertical. Fortunately, foundation repair service will easily resolve the problem,” he explains.

According to Chelimo, different types of foundations have different reactions, regardless of which kind of foundation the property has, the volume of the soil it was built on can definitely impact how stable it is.

Soil testing
“There are some construction procedures people ignore, which ultimately become very costly. For instance, many people ignore testing the soil before construction begins, yet if a foundation is laid on poorly compacted soils problems can develop when the ground under the house, collapses under the weight of the structure,” he notes.

Chelimo says in such a case, the foundation may need to be lifted and the perimetre of your foundation raised.
He advises property owners to take such signs seriously to avoid causing extensive damages that can be very expensive to rectify.
“What begins as a few uneven inches in one area of your house can grow to become a very large problem. The longer you ignore the problem, the severe the trouble becomes,” the engineer cautions.

Vertical cracks
Other things that might indicate problems with the foundation include vertical cracks in the interior and exterior, floor cracks, gaps around exterior window frames, as well as spaces around their exterior doors, doorframes may become crooked and sagging floors among others.

Plumbing
Has your water lost its pressure? Low-pressure in your faucets can be a sign of a faulty plumbing. Another sign that your plumbing has a problem is a discolouration underneath your window which may even be a sign that there is potentially harmful mould lurking behind your walls that needs professional attention.

Ceiling stain
“If you notice a stain on your bathroom ceiling, it is likely that there is a water leak that needs to be fixed as soon as possible,” says Chelimo.

Peeling paint
Christopher Bigambo, a construction manager, notes that people are quick to blame every paint problem to the poor quality of paint or lacking painting skills yet it could be a sign of a larger looming problem such as termite infestation or a moisture problem.
“The peeling is often caused by water which has seeped beneath the paint causing cracks that keep multiplying. You can always paint over an area where paint has peeled off. But paint will continue to peel off until the source of the problem is identified and eliminated. Instead of painting over the crack, this should be treated as a symptom and further investigations should be carried out to avoid worse damage,” Bigambo advises.

Some people have become used to seeing sparks every time they try to plug in anything in their sockets. While you have lived with sparking sockets or flickering lights for a while without experiencing problems, Bigambo notes this can in fact be dangerous. “Such electrical problems are an indication that there is a fault in the wiring that if left unchecked can actually result in house fires and at worst fatalities,” he says.

Electrical problems
Bigambo advises property owners to do a thorough investigation before rushing into repairs. “People often think if there is a power regulation problem, then a circuit breaker will sort the problem. True this works but not always. Sometimes the electrical system needs a more complex upgrade such as an electrical panel replacement or a meter replacement,” he says.

Another way to find out if the property has an electrical problem is through smells. “Electrical shielding, wires, and other plastic components emit a pungent smell when exposed to high heat. If your house often has that strong smell and you have no idea where it comes from, check your outlets and other electrical equipment and once you discover something that looks burnt or melting, have an electrician take a look at the home wiring,” Bigambo urges.

SIGNS OF Falling ROOF
•Sections of the roof that are sagging
•Bends or ripples in the roof supports
•Framing screws that are bent or missing
•Deformities in the roofing structure
•Cracked or split wood components
•Cracks in the exterior masonry
•Interior signs include
•Cracks in ceilings or interior walls
•A sagging ceiling
•Roof leaks into the interior of the home
•Creaking, popping, or cracking sounds coming from the roof
•Sprinkler heads that have dropped to below the ceiling tiles
•Doors or windows that are hard to open
•Doors that pop open on their own
•Bent utility pipes or conduits that are attached at the ceiling
•Residential roofs exhibit signs of distress before roof failure actually occurs. These signs are identified in roof inspections, so schedule these twice a year and always after a severe storm.
Other maintenance tips
•Having roof damage repaired or replaced before it begins leaking
•Cleaning off roof debris every year.
•Removing mould, moss, mildew, algae, or other fungus that is growing on your shingles; they hold moisture and cause roof rot.
•Keeping roof drains, gutters and downspouts free of debris.
•Positioning downspouts two feet above ground so water flows out freely. roofingannex.com