The most important part of your house is its foundation. Its primary purpose is to hold your house up and prevent it from sinking into the ground. The foundation helps your house resist movement due to changing soil conditions. It also keeps moisture out, prevents insect invasions, and even helps with insulation. 

It’s fair to say the overall health of your house is rooted in its foundation. So, if your West Allis house has foundation problems, it could spell serious trouble. 

This isn’t something that can be ignored, because it won’t go away and will only get worse. You’ll either have to fix it—which can cost anywhere from $450 to $11,000—or if you can’t afford that, you might consider selling the house. 

Fair Deal Home Buyers buys houses in West Allis, even if they have serious foundation problems.

What causes foundation problems?

Most foundation problems are caused by water. If there’s too much water, the soil will swell; if there’s too little water, the soil will contract. The type of soil also plays a role. Expansive soil with a lot of clay—which is common in West Allis (and throughout the Midwest)—efficiently absorbs and releases water, which means it expands and shrinks a lot. Wisconsin’s tough climate also plays a role, especially after heavy rains or when water expands as it turns to ice in winter.

Improper drainage is another major culprit. When the soil around your home becomes over saturated, it can cause soil erosion, which in turn can destabilize walls. Drainage problems are caused by a number of factors, such as:

• Water cascading from your roof and pooling near your foundation.
• Clogged gutters that result in water pooling near your foundation.
• Poorly angled downspouts that also allow water to pool near your foundation.
• Low areas in your yard close to your foundation that collect standing water after heavy rains. 

The simplest thing you can do to prevent foundation problems is to follow proper water drainage practices.

Signs of foundation problems

Not sure if your foundation is in trouble? Here are some telltale warning signs to look for:

• Gaps between crown molding and the basement ceiling.
• Sunken or sloping basement floors.
• Bowed basement walls.
• Cracks in basement walls.
• Water pooling in your basement or around the edges of your house.
• Doors and windows that no longer fit their frames and are hard to shut.

Remember, any basement that has cracks or leaks is technically considered to have failed.

What happens if you don’t fix your foundation problems?

Most foundation problems are not so severe that they pose a safety risk, although in extreme cases they can. Typically, it takes years of neglect for a foundation problem to get that bad. In the meantime, however, a shifting foundation can lead to cracked walls, jammed doors and windows, uneven floors, and mold and water damage. Added together, this type of damage will reduce the value of your home by tens of thousands of dollars.

How we can help

If your West Allis house has severe foundation problems and you can’t afford to fix it, Fair Deal Home Buyers will buy it for cash. We buy houses in “as is” condition. It doesn’t matter if your house needs thousands of dollars in foundation repairs or already has foundation-related problems, we’ll buy it anyway!