KHON2 Feature: Indoor Signs of Shifting and Settling

During the storm season or rainy season, Hawaii’s homes can be dramatically affected by erosion and settling issues. Kelly went back in the field today with Damien Enright, President of Structural Systems, to gain some tips for homeowners on what they can do to keep an eye out for shifting issues and do their own inspections on the inside of the home.  

Damien shared tips on what a homeowner should look for “The first thing we want to do is take a good walk around the outside and inside of the house, look for any noticeable cracks or issues and signs of settlement. Look for cracks in drywall, look for cracks in the flooring. Those two are the clearest indicators of settling in a house. Next, we want to look at the slope of the floors. If I put a ball down, does it roll away? And if so, where does it go to? That tells us a lot about how widespread the movement is. We also want to look at the drywall of the walls; cracks are an obvious sign of movement, but a lot of times it’s not that simple. Many times, old cracks might be patched back.” 

Damien pointed out a few other indicators of erosion in the home, some which may be overlooked by homeowners who don’t realize the severity of the issues.