If you have a cracked foundation, you should invest in professional foundation repairs right away. While other home repair needs are easy to spot — such as plumbing issues or the need for paint — a cracked foundation isn't as obvious. Here are ways you can spot a cracked foundation and what you need to do with what you discover.

Start with the basement

The basement or crawl space of your home can be the best place to look for cracked foundation signs. These are the areas of the home that are closest to the original foundation and will often show the stress fractures of a shifting foundation first.

Check for cracks along the walls of your basement or crawl space. These cracks can be extremely narrow and will vary in length and depth, but they are signs of a shifting foundation nonetheless.

Check the ceilings as well to see if cracks are continuing from one area to the next. If you see multiple stress fractures in one part of your wall or ceiling — similar to how you'd see a crack in your car's windshield — then a foundation repair specialist needs to come to your property to make repairs as needed.

Roll a ball or other round object on the floor

A cracked or slipping foundation will often have uneven floors. Take a ball, bottle, or other round object and set it on the floor. If it starts to roll on its own, you might have a cracked foundation underneath that needs to be repaired.

To be sure, try this other test: take some water and pour a small amount of it in a cookie sheet on the floor. Even floors won't cause the water to spread, but if the floors cant at all, then there may be uneven flooring to contend with and cracked foundation repair needs to be done.

Check the smells of every room

Foundation cracks can cause moisture to enter the home, which in turn will make rooms smell moldy or musty. Check the smell of every room in the house, particularly lower-level floors or floors where there are cracks in the walls or ceilings already. If you see several areas of concern, you may need to have a foundation repair specialist come to your home.

Foundation repair costs vary depending on what is wrong with your home and how long the issue has been going on. The age of your home's foundation also plays a role in how the foundation should be treated. If you worry about your home's foundation even without obvious signs of repair needs, contact a company that offers cracked foundation repair services right away.