The foundation is perhaps the most important part of the structure of your home as without the foundation the rest cannot stand for long. Many people forget about their foundation for long periods of time simply because there is no reason to constantly be checking up on them, right? The answer is a little more complicated than you might think. There is a real market for residential foundation repair for all sorts of reasons, but there are several key indicators that might be a hint as to when you personally need your foundation inspected. Here are three of the most common red flags that should tell you that you might need to book an inspection and then perhaps move forward with residential foundation repairs. 

Earthquakes

Many parts of the country deal with earthquakes on a routine basis, and while most of them are quite minor, anytime you can feel a solid shifting movement happening with your home you should consider an inspection. There are many earthquake retrofitting services for foundations across these affected parts of the country, and they can keep costs lower than a full replacement would be. No building can last forever in the face of constant earthquakes, and if you have never had yours inspected since you have lived there, then it is always best to at least get some insight into how your foundations are holding up.

Pooling Water Around The Base Of Your Home

If you have a problem with drainage, as many homes do, then after even a mild rainfall you might have large puddles forming around the base of your home. Firstly, you should arrange for either some soak wells to be installed or for a better drainage plan, but after that, you should definitely have your foundation inspected. Water is one of the leading causes of foundations getting eroded before their time, and it can happen quite quickly.

Insect And Rodent Activity

Older houses often use some sort of wood in their foundations and this can be a major issue if you get a rodent or insect infestation. Keeping an eye out for these pests is vital if you do have a wooden foundation, and it might be a good idea to simply upgrade to a concrete or metal foundation as soon as you can anyway. This will prevent the chance of anything even remotely dangerous happening in the future and will give you the peace of mind that those random creepy crawlies you saw outside your house arent trying to gnaw through your foundations.