How to Handle Your Foundation Repair Project

You go into your basement and notice a crack in your foundation. You stare at it, touch it and maybe show others in your family about your newly found home improvement problem. The next step is much more mysterious. What do you do with this crack in your home's foundation?
It's nothing a little caulk from Home Depot can't cure you think to yourself. So you put the caulk in the crack and hope for the best. Maybe it stays put or maybe over time, the foundation keeps moving and the hardened caulk separates from the crack. Foundations can be frustrating and confusing to fix - who couldn't use a little help (in layman's terms!) in this seemingly cloistered industry, which homeowners don't seem to talk much about?
Foundation work is tricky in that it's what holds your home up, so you want it to be as sound as possible so your home doesn't come crashing down. Most foundation issues aren't that dramatic but my point stands nonetheless.
First, mark both sides of the crack width-wise and lengthwise with a marker. You may prefer to tape a piece of paper to the wall so there aren't permanent marks on the wall. Over the period of a few months, check on the marks to see if they have moved at all. This is some homework or evidence that you can arm yourself with to help be part of your foundation solution.
After you've marked the wall cracks, call a reputable foundation repair contractor. The good contractors may be booked out a few weeks in their schedule, but have patience. It's worth the wait to get a good contractor who everyone else wants to use too because you will rest assured that you're not getting ripped off and also that your foundation issue will be fixed the right way.
Schedule the company to come to your home to look at the foundation and give you an estimate. Many companies offer free estimates, so it's an opinion you pay nothing for. Worse case scenario, you get ideas and opinions from another person, which you pay nothing for. You're not under any obligation until you sign a contract, so make sure you don't sign anything you don't understand.
Listen to what the contractor tells you and always have another family member or friend with you if possible. Like buying a car, you may hear one thing and your friend may hear another. Bring a pad of paper and writing implement so you can take notes to help you remember what the contractor says. When you put your impressions together later, you're likely to have a more information-based and good decision.
After the appointment (it doesn't have to be the same day), sit down with the contractor's estimate and write down your concerns, questions and benefits you see to getting the foundation repair work done. Make a list of what you like and what you don't like about the repair and mark the ones that are most important to you. This helps steer you to topics that are important to you in your decision making process. If you're really stuck, talk it through with a friend or someone else who has your best interest at heart. Sometimes saying your thoughts aloud can help clarify your position.

Foundation Repair Training

Foundation repair is the most complicated and the most expensive type of repair your home will ever need. This is the reason why many people to school to get training specifically to specifically become a foundation repair contractor. This type of course is very difficult and expensive, however, the rewards that comes with finishing the training is immense.
What you need to learn:
The most important skill you will learn in these training courses is how to spot the damage. You will be trained to see the signs of damage and the proper techniques on how to remedy the situation.
Foundation damage is very hard to detect due to the fact that the real damage is generally hidden from the naked eye of the untrained professionals. You will need to be specially trained to distinguish ordinary cracks on the concrete or bricks from serious foundation damage.
Another thing you will need to learn is how to determine the proper repair methods. There are many different ways to fix foundations damage, all depend on what type of damage it is, the location of the damage, and the strength of the surrounding soil around your home is. As a trained contractor you will need to take all of these factors and formulate a solution to the problem. This is very important due to the fact that the wrong repair method will do nothing to fix the situation for the homeowner, and cause them unnecessary aggravation.
Requirements:
In some locations, contractors that work on foundations need to pass a test and receive a license from the state, whereas, in other areas you will only need a license if your repair works will cost more than $30,000. However, some states do not regulate contractors that work on foundations. They do not need to get a license in order to work on foundations in these places.

Foundation Repair Contractor

Foundation is the building block for any concrete structure. If the foundation is damaged or cracked, then the whole structure is in jeopardy. This is because the entire building is supported by the foundation. Therefore, many precautions should be taken when laying and maintaining the foundation of an establishment.
How do cracks take place?
No matter how much care is placed into a building's foundation, cracks and other damage is possible over time. However, you can prevent irreversible damage with annual maintenance. Even with proper care, cracks may form in the concrete foundations. Water is the main cause of foundation cracks. Seepage of water can cause great harm to any solid building, weakening it over time. Cracks caused by water leakages are usually not severe at first, but with time they widen and weaken the base.
Other common causes of concrete cracks are soil settlement, heavy rains and earth movements taking place underground. All these factors are responsible for cracking, crumbling and settling in establishments. Problems such as these may resulted in unexpected repairs. These cracks may eventually weaken the building to point of collapse.
Symptoms of cracks in foundations
There are some clear warning signs of foundation problems to look out for. If you find damp walls with musty smells, cracking brick veneers, leaky basements, titling chimneys, inclined or slanting chimneys, then you should contact a foundation company to inspect your building. If you have caught the problem in time, more extensive repair may be avoided.

Does Your Basement Or Slab Foundation Need

Understanding the reasons for foundation repairs is the first step to deciding which method is best for your home. It is crucial for homeowners to not only understand the reasons for foundation repairs but also the limitations of said repairs. Homeowners must also know who to contact for these repairs. There are many different methods and solutions that must be waded through before making the correct decision for your home and family. Foundation repair is defined as: the art of underpinning or stabilizing a structure that has moved from its originally constructed design.
To underpin a home or structure one must extend the current foundation into a soil strata or layer that is deeper and more stable than the current soil that the foundation is resting upon. This is accomplished by providing additional support from the current footing or wall via piers or anchors. Methods of foundation repairs include push piers, plate anchors, helical anchors or drilled concrete piles. The people responsible for designing and instituting these methods include foundation engineers and foundation repair contractors. A foundation engineer is responsible to evaluate the structure in question and then provide a proposal for his design.
Generally the engineer will recommend a foundation repair contractor to carry out his proposed plan for repair and then sign off on this plan upon the completion of fixing your foundation problem. While it is not always legally necessary for an engineer to be involved it is highly recommended anytime structural repairs are executed. Inadequate soil conditions are caused by several factors. With suitable building sites becoming more scarce many home builders have been building houses on less than ideal lots. These subpar lots have less than suitable soil conditions to support many structures. There are also homes built on expansive soils that shrink and swell as rainfall and moisture levels change.
Due to these conditions foundation support products must be utilized to supply support from deeper layers that are not as affected by fluctuating moisture levels. This underpinning provides a way to lift the home to an acceptable level and prevent additional settlement. Slab on grade or pier and beam foundations are the most susceptible to weak or expanding soils. Due to the nature of having a large surface area resting on the uppermost soil layers these foundations have a tendency to move as the soil moves. Most slab on grade homes are monolithically poured with the slab and beams cast together creating a rigid foundation. This rigid foundation becomes susceptible to differential settlement when moisture levels under the slab do not remain consistent. This can result from broken water lines, poor drainage or even inadequate guttering. Trees can also affect soils by their roots drying out areas under these slabs while the rest of the slab has normal moisture content. Differential settlement causes slab on grade foundations to rise on the perimeter (dish) or fall around the perimeter (dome).
Steel push piers and helical piers are generally an engineer's recommended solution for these conditions. These piers penetrate through unstable soils down to a more consistent soil layer that has adequate strength to support the structure. These piercing systems provide a deep foundation that can now be lifted off of to regain an adequate elevation. In the case of homes with basements, expansive clay soils that have been over saturated with water can cause hydrostatic pressure on walls. This newly imposed pressure can cause wall bowing and concrete cracking. In extreme cases, catastrophic failure can occur from these wall stresses.

Foundation Repair Techniques

The first thing you need to know when dealing with foundation repair is to recognize the problem. The biggest mistake homeowners make is ignoring or not knowing the early warning signs of foundation damage.
Warning Signs:
Structural damage might not be readily visible to an untrained eye. This is why it is very important to know what to look for when dealing with foundation damage. If you live in an older home that is built on top of clay surface chances are you may have foundation problems already. If your home all of a sudden have uneven floors, or develop gaps above the kitchen cabinets you should probably have your home inspected by a contractor.
Repair Methods:
It is an obvious fact that when dealing with foundation repair, you should leave this type of work to licensed contractors with experience dealing with foundation damage, and good local references.
The strength of your foundation is dependent on the soil to hold it up. However, if you already have foundation problems, this means the soil has proven to be unreliable. You will need to have piers installed to help support the home from further damage. The type of pier you need to use will depend on the type of soil underneath your foundation. The contractor will need to determine what type of pier to use, as well as how deep it will need to go. There are two main types of piers being used today for foundation repair, friction and point bearing piers. Friction piers are dependent on the type of soil it is surrounded with to hold it in place, whereas point bearing piers is dependent on the load bearing strata beneath the foundation in order to hold it in place.
The most important thing you can do is to get different quotes and opinions from different contractors and engineers. They will be able to tell you what is best for your home and situation.

Methods Of Foundation Repair

Foundation repair companies use a variety of corrective methods in order to fix a foundation - and the best method can only be determined once the foundation repair service has had a look at the house and sees what is causing the problem.
Below is a look at the six major methods used in foundation repair. These are not DIY projects - a professional foundation repair service should be contacted and consulted if there are problems with a foundation. A qualified foundation repair company can come in, inspect the foundation, and decide what the most cost-effective, lasting solution will be for the home.
Concrete Piers
This method of foundation repair is designed to last as long as a concrete foundation does. These are concrete columns that are poured into drilled holes in the ground to support the foundation. If the piers need to be placed outside the house, the process is quite simple and cost-effective.
Concrete Pilings
Similar to piers, concrete pilings are ready-made concrete columns that are placed underneath the foundation rather than poured in. They take half the time of piers, and last as long as the foundation will. This solution can result in a cost-savings over steel pilings.
Steel Pilings
This is the same concept as concrete pilings, but with steel. Steel, of course, is less apt to erosion and wear problems that are sometimes seen with concrete. However, this is a more expensive alternative to concrete, and is not always an option, as it may not be appropriate to place the pilings underneath the foundation. In that case, concrete piers will be used.
Mudjacking/Slabjacking
This method, using concrete (AKA "mud") or polyurethane resin, pumps the material underneath the foundation to lift it back to its proper space. This is especially used for foundations that have succumbed to sink holes and severe erosion problems.
Soil/Chemical Injection
Potassium ions and ammonium salts are water-soluble chemicals that are non-toxic, and prevent surrounding soil from absorbing water. By doing so, soil will be prevented from swelling and tilting the foundation. This is best used for minor foundational problems where lifting is no more than 1.5 inches.
Root Barriers
When roots from trees and plants begin to push and move a foundation, it's time to put in root barriers to keep damage from going too far. Mostly solid objects and sheet material is used to prevent the roots on a property from growing into the foundation. They will be stopped by the barrier, and grow in the opposite direction or adjacent to the barrier.
These six methods of foundation repair, provided by a reliable foundation repair contractor, can help save a home from severe damage, and prevent further damage from occurring. Early detection of foundation problems can save homeowners thousands of dollars, and contacting a trustworthy foundation repair company can save even more through finding the most cost-effective solution for any foundational problem.