But orchestrating home improvements that make the most of your time and money means balancing a lot of details—such as budget, timeline, design, personal preferences, and return on investment. And of course, you must decide which areas of your home to tackle first. It may not be as exciting to plan for structural improvements like repairs to your foundation—but such improvements are essential to maintaining your investment in your home and maximizing what you spend.

That’s why, before starting any home improvement project, wise homeowners assess their home’s needs and make sure key elements like their foundation are cared for before they invest in a home remodel.

Here’s a more in-depth look at how making home foundation repairs first can dramatically improve your investment in your home in the long term.

Your Foundation Is the Backbone of Your Home

Just as your own spine is essential for maintaining a healthy body that functions as it should, your home’s foundation is essential for keeping your home safe and structurally sound. A well-maintained, properly working foundation ensures that every element of your house—walls, doors, windows, pipes, floors, ceilings—are in place and functioning as they should.

Your foundation is the literal base that your beautifully remodeled rooms will be built on, so it’s essential to make sure it’s in good condition. And if repairs to your foundation are needed, it’s wise to resolve that issue before you take on a home remodel of any kind.

Keep in mind: A concrete foundation is expected to last 100 years or more—but only if you’ve maintained it properly and made repairs as soon as they’re needed. When foundation damage shows up, it can compound quickly if left undealt with, lessening the life of your foundation and decreasing your home’s value and safety.

How a Poor Foundation Impacts Your Home

Wondering how to recognize potential foundation problems? There are many signs to be aware of—signals that your home has foundation issues. When the foundation is in poor shape or damaged, you can end up with:

– Cracks in your walls and ceiling

– Warped and disjointed doorways

– Doors that are hard to open and shut

– Windows that don’t open and close properly

– Cracks in a ceramic tile or vinyl floor

– Curves, bulges or other weaknesses in poured concrete walls and block foundations

– Moisture in your crawl space

– Issues with plumbing and heating

Talk about a set of headaches no homeowner wants! These issues can devalue your home and leave you living in a space that isn’t entirely safe for your family—which is why proper maintenance and swift foundation repair pay off in the long term.

How Foundation Repair Affects Your Home

The biggest reason to tackle needed foundation repairs before remodeling other parts of your home is the way in which a foundation repair impacts your home’s whole structure.

A foundation repair essentially addresses issues caused when the foundation is either sinking or off-kilter in some way. The repairs will lift up your home’s foundation—sometimes by as much as four inches—and will align your walls and floors evenly again. This lift can result in temporary issues that may also need to be addressed before the repairs are completed.

Why Foundation Repair Should Be Done Prior to a Home Remodel

A reliable foundation contractor will do everything possible to minimize issues, but foundation repair, by its nature, will shift things in your home. The more dramatic the repairs needed, the more likely you are to experience:

– Shifts in plumbing pipes

– Potential damage to sheetrock

– Cracks or warped tiles in floors and roofing

– Fractures to exterior brick and other siding

– Cracked countertops and other home surfaces

These issues can be minimized during the foundation repair, and any resulting issues can be addressed quickly. The temporary inconvenience of these issues is offset when you consider how a strong foundation ensures your home looks beautiful, functions properly, and maintains its resale value.

But imagine the cracks and shifts that are a necessary part of foundation repair occurring after you’ve already invested in time-consuming, costly upgrades to your kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom. All your hard work and investment in those improvements could be undone, making it necessary to do a second remodel—which means spending even more time and more money to get your home in shape.

Addressing foundational issues first, therefore, makes the best sense in terms of maximizing your budget and protecting your investment in your home.

Find Out the Condition of Your Foundation

If you’ve been contemplating a home remo