According to NJ.com, a 2.5 story home in Bayonne, NJ is in imminent danger of collapsing. The local city fire chief, Keith Weaver, has said that the building needs to be demolished as soon as possible for safety reasons.
What set off the alert? Last week, passerby noticed that the walls of the home — located at 24 W. 19th St. — had begun to bulge outward. This is a potential sign of major foundation damage to the home, and the building is closely surrounded by other homes, making it a potentially risky situation. The building has not been in use for some time. Weaver has gone on record saying that the home needs to be torn down because it has ?foundation issues? and no one should be entering the building.
Is Your Home at Risk?
Have you been worried that your home needs a foundation repair contractor? Don?t worry — tearing down the building is a last resort. If the building had been occupied by legal homeowners the entire time, it?s likely that they would have noticed the structural issues before they were allowed to progress.
Exactly what causes foundation problems? Sometimes it can be that the original contractors did not correctly set the foundation — without a proper groundwork, it?s very possible that pressure will develop over time and shift thing around. Homes built in the early 1900s often have foundations made with too much sand or dirt mixed into the concrete — this can cause deteriorating today.
If your home?s gutters aren?t placed far enough away from the home, pooling rainwater can be another cause for foundation issues — water will create pressure against the walls and floor, causing the distinctive cracks. Sometimes, foundation issues are simply the result of time and settling.
Warning Signs and Foundation Repairs
How can you identify foundation problems? The early warning signs tend to be cracks in walls, over windows, where ceilings meet walls, etc. Doors and windows will often become difficult to completely close. You may notice that your floor becomes uneven (if you set down a marble, does it begin to roll?).
Repairing foundation cracks, leaks and other problems doesn?t necessarily need to be a large, expensive job, depending on the extent of the problem. If you do notice problems, though, don?t delay contacting a foundation repair company for foundation repairs — or your home could end up like the one at 24 W. 19th St.!
