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A serious home foundation problem
was certainly not something you hoped for when
you invested in your home. However, we are here
to help educate you on your foundation problem
and to help you locate a foundation contractor
that understands home foundation repair problems.
With the information we provide you, we hope
that you will be able to make an educated and
informed decision on how to proceed. Here are
some short discussions on foundation repair
that are covered in our website:
The
signs of foundation
repair problems are many times obvious.
Doors and windows are not shutting properly,
there are cracks in basement walls, exterior
walls are sinking, or there are cracks in the
basement floor foundation slab of your home.
Study the
cracks in your
walls and foundations. Wall cracks
can tell a story. Looking at the patterns
of a foundation crack can be informative.
When studying walls, in general, vertical cracks
are less likely to be structural in nature whereas
horizontal and tailing (step down) cracks can
be signs of structural failure. One way
to determine if a wall is still moving or settling
is to measure the crack.
The
causes of home
foundation problems vary significantly.
There are many reasons why your home foundation
might be sinking, cracking, or leaking.
The primary reasons foundations fail include
poor soil, poorly compacted soil, expansion
and contraction of soil, and water/erosion.
In the worst cases, however, it can also be
the result of a poor foundation contractor.
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Soil Problems: Poor
soils or poorly compacted soils are a leading
cause for home foundation problems.
First, different types of soils react differently.
If your home was built on expansive soils,
over time the soil beneath your home will
expand and contract as the moisture content
of the soil changes with the seasons and
temperature. This expansion and contraction
often causes cracks in foundations.
Second, if your home was built on "fill"
that was not properly compacted, over time
the soil will compact and result in settlement.
This settlement can cause foundation cracks.
A little settlement is typical for most
homes and many times the soil will, over
time, reach a stable compaction point. At
that time, foundation settlement will stop.
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Water & Erosion Problems:
Water and erosion are common reasons why
foundations begin to sink or settle. This
can occur as the result of changes in water
drainage patterns (development around your
property), changes in water table levels,
plumbing leaks, and drainage from your roof
or driveway.
There are many
foundation
repair methods for solving your foundation
problems. Included among these repair
methods are: helical pier systems, push piers,
resistance piers, concrete underpinning, slab
jacking, mud jacking.
Helical
piers are used for new construction and
to support existing structures. In compression
they are used as footers and in tension they
may be used to support retaining or foundation
walls. Using a hydraulic motor attached to a
backhoe or skid steer, the pier (which is essentially
a large screw) is drilled into the earth to
a specified depth or until refusal. It is a
fast and easy way to install a foundation system.
The one thing everyone hates
is a leaky basement. However when you need
foundation
waterproofing, you need to find a good
contractor to solve the problem.
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