So, we've been in our house for about 8 years now, and lately I've noticed some weird stuff going on in the basement. There's a couple cracks in the walls that weren't there before, and one of the doors down there is suddenly sticking really badly. At first I thought it was just humidity or something, but now I'm pretty sure the floor itself is actually sinking a bit. Like, you can feel it sloping slightly when you walk across the room. It's subtle, but definitely noticeable.
I had a friend come over who knows a bit about construction stuff, and he said it sounds like a foundation issue and mentioned something called underpinning. Honestly, I had never even heard of that before. He explained it briefly, but it sounded pretty intense—like digging under the house and putting in supports or something? Sounds expensive and messy.
I'm kinda stressing out about this because we weren't exactly budgeting for major home repairs right now. Plus, I'm worried about how disruptive it'll be if we have to do something major like that. Has anyone here dealt with this kind of issue before? Is underpinning really the only solution, or are there other options we could look into first? And if you've had it done, how bad was it in terms of cost and disruption to your daily life?
Any advice or personal experiences would be super helpful right now...feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this.
We had a similar issue with a house we flipped last year—cracks, uneven floors, the whole nine yards. Underpinning is definitely one solution, but it's not always your only option. It really depends on what's causing the sinking in the first place. In our case, it turned out to be poor drainage around the foundation causing soil erosion underneath.
Before you jump straight into underpinning (which yeah, can be pricey and disruptive), I'd recommend getting a structural engineer to take a look. They'll pinpoint exactly what's going on and suggest targeted solutions. Sometimes improving drainage or adding gutters and grading around your home can stabilize things enough to avoid major foundation work.
If underpinning does end up being necessary, it's not always as scary as it sounds. We had to do it once on an older property, and while it wasn't cheap, it wasn't a total nightmare either. The crew dug small sections at a time, so the house stayed stable throughout the process. It took about two weeks total—messy yes, but manageable if you're prepared for some noise and dust.
One tip: get multiple quotes if you go this route. Prices vary wildly depending on who you talk to and what method they use (steel piers vs concrete piers). Also check reviews carefully—you want someone experienced because foundation work isn't something you want done halfway.
Hang in there...foundation issues sound intimidating at first but they're usually fixable without completely wrecking your life or budget.
