5 Signs Your Indianapolis Home May Have a Foundation Problem

This is usually the first thing homeowners notice, and the last thing they connect to the foundation. When a foundation shifts even a small amount, the frame around it racks slightly out of square — not enough to see with your eyes, but enough that a door that used to close easily now catches on the frame, or a window gets hard to open. If it's happening to more than one door or window, especially ones on the same side of the house, that's worth noting.

In block or brick construction, cracks that follow the mortar joints in a diagonal, step-like pattern above a door or window opening are one of the more recognizable settlement signs. A straight vertical crack in poured concrete is usually less concerning; a stair-step pattern in block is more specifically tied to the wall settling unevenly.

Look along the baseboard where the floor meets an exterior wall, especially in a basement or on a lower level. A gap that's opened up there — sometimes just a few millimeters — can indicate the floor has pulled away slightly from the wall, which happens when one settles differently than the other.

Set a marble or a round object on the floor in different rooms. If it consistently rolls toward one direction, or if you notice a subtle slope walking from one room to another, the floor may be following an uneven foundation below it. This one is easy to dismiss because houses settle a little over time as a matter of course — the question is whether it's leveled off or still moving.

This is the one sign on this list that we'd actively encourage you not to sit on. A horizontal crack, or one with a slight inward bow, typically means soil outside the wall is pushing against it with real force. Unlike a vertical shrinkage crack, this doesn't resolve on its own, and it tends to get more pronounced over time rather than less.