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If you have spotted cracks in the walls, leaky plumbing, or leaning walls and find it difficult to open and close doors or windows properly, all these signs indicate problems with the foundation. And if your house is experiencing foundation issues, fixing the problem quickly is crucial. The Foundation Repair methods that your home need will depend on multiple factors. These factors include existing foundation conditions and issues, the composition and compaction of the soil beneath the building, the type of foundation, and how far down stable conditions are located.
Since the foundation is the most significant part of a home, hiring a professional foundation repair service is worth hiring rather than DIYing the project. These professionals know to understand the situation and the tools to repair the foundation. Here we’ve discussed the best ways to repair a foundation and how to find the best repair professional.
The foundation on which the house is constructed is the most critical part of the building. The basis of a building, the foundation, is necessary to transfer load from the superstructure to the Earth. The below-mentioned points highlight the importance of foundation:
Building Support: Foundation bears the load of the entire building while keeping it even. It bears live and dead loads to avoid cracking and buckling. The foundation failure can lead to an unstable building, or even worse; the structure can collapse.
Protection from Settlement: The primary reason for the foundation construction is to protect the building against settlement as it starts to sink over time.
Protection from Calamities: Professional contractors study the area’s weather and ground conditions before constructing the foundation. The foundation is made strong enough to withstand extreme natural calamities like cyclones, floods, earthquakes, etc.
Foundation problems will show themselves subtly, and they can become major issues if not repaired quickly. First, you might notice water intrusion or small cracks in the basement walls after rainfall.
These minor problems can annoy a homeowner but don’t indicate any significant issue. However, these minor foundation problems are often signs of more significant problems if not dealt with immediately. Therefore, if you notice minor signals, it’s better to contact a professional foundation repair service to take a look and assess the situation.
Other signs that indicate major foundation problems are finding it difficult to open and close doors, gaps developing in trim work, cracks in the walls, windows being difficult to operate, leaning walls, and more. In such situations, immediate attention is required to diagnose and repair the foundation.
Sometimes a house might experience foundation issues that are not severe enough to require heavy-duty Foundation Repair but still need professional help to prevent significant problems. Here listed are the effective ways to minor foundation repair:
If the home rests on a concrete slab that has become unlevel or has cracked due to soil erosion, slab jacking is the perfect foundation repair technique. Slab jacking, concrete lifting, or mud jacking is a technique to lift sinking or uneven concrete slabs.
When the Earth beneath a slab foundation changes or collapses, it leaves space below it, causing the slab to sink or tilt. Atlantic Foundation and Repair professionals will use the slab jacking method to fix a settling foundation.
This method involves drilling holes in the existing slab and filling the emptiness by injecting a concrete slurry or dense polyurethane through the holes. As the solution expands, the falling slab foundation is lifted back into its original position.
Sometimes, new homes are constructed on ground that might have needed to be appropriately compacted before foundation construction. After building the house, the same soil can shift or erode, forming gaps between the foundation and the building’s structure.
After inspecting the situation, the foundation repair contractor may decide that filling the gap with steel shims will be adequate for reestablishing the proper support. Shims can permanently solve this particular foundation issue if the soil underneath your home stops settling.
Another effective way to repair minor foundation cracks is to seal them using a waterproof masonry sealant. Now that foundation supports the entire structure, it’s critical to spot and repair even minor cracks sooner rather than later.
Hydraulic cement, epoxy, vinyl concrete, polyurethane, and silicone are some common sealants used by Atlantic Foundation and Repair for coating tiny cracks in the walls. Sealing cracks is often crucial before constructing the basement to keep the new walls dry. Furthermore, the crack’s severity determines the application of a specific sealant mixture.
When not diagnosed on time, minor foundation issues can turn into major ones and, thus, require major Foundation Repair. Here listed are multiple ways to reestablish the support for a building’s foundation:
According to Atlantic Foundation and Repair, the foundation repair Raleigh, NC professional services, installing steel piers under the house is a long-term solution to stabilize the foundation.
The company will appoint skilled and experienced foundation contractors to drive the galvanized steel posts deep into the ground below your home’s foundation. They make sure to drive steel piers as deep as necessary to reach bedrock or compact soil to provide the necessary support.
Steel piers are strong enough to carry massive amounts of weight and can be pushed to depths of a maximum of 100 feet. Moreover, these piers work best in almost any upper soil condition and provide a permanent foundation repair solution.
The blocks or cylinders of pre-cured concrete, the concrete piers, are suitable for a slab foundation and pier and beam foundation. These piles can be driven up to 12 feet deep beneath the foundation into compacted soil. Moreover, these piles may consist of a single piece or multiple pieces stacked on each other. Concrete piles are more affordable than steel piers.
Pour concrete piers are another cost-effective solution to repairing the foundation. This method involves digging a large home below the foundation, filling the hole with a wet concrete mixture, and leaving it to dry before attaching it to the building.
Poured concrete usually is identical to simple cylinders or can be created in a bell shape at the bottom to provide maximum support. Moreover, these piers can be used in multiple soil conditions.
Another permanent foundation repair method, helical piers, are made of galvanized steel. These can be defined as the steep posts driven into the ground with a helically-shaped leading point and the piers pulled deeper beneath the surface via large machinery.
Professional contractors use helical piers as an excellent solution to support the massive weight of the building and foundation when there is no need to reach bedrock. Instead, the piers are drilled into the ground deeper enough to reach compact soil to support the building’s load before attaching it permanently to the house.
Foundation Repair is one of the most important home renovation projects that no one will want to compromise. A competent foundation contractor can complete the project successfully. But finding and hiring the best professional is not easy.
The following listed tips will help you find the best foundation repair service:
Start your search for foundation contractors by looking for licensed contractors. Always remember that a licensed repair contractor will have the qualifications and experience to fix foundation issues.
Atlantic Foundation and Repair is a licensed foundation repair service in Raleigh, NC service that delivers exceptional performance. The company is acquainted with licensed and skilled foundation professionals, experienced in foundation repairs, including crooked walls, uneven foundations, wall or floor cracks, and other issues.
Another great source to find a reliable foundation repair service is referrals and reviews. You can ask your friends, family, or neighbors if they know an experienced contractor. In addition, you can read online reviews about multiple repair companies to know their best features and services.
The budgetary allocation for foundation repairs partially contributes to the contractor hiring decision. Homeowners’ most common mistake is equating the high charges with commendable services. Instead, maintain a balance between your budget and the quality of services. Try to find out contractors that offer cost-effective yet quality repair services.
You must have free-flowing communication with the foundation specialist. Tell the shortlisted contractors your expectations and hire someone who can be on the same page.
Foundation is a structure that bears the load on the entire building. And any issue with the foundation can negatively impact the building’s structure. Therefore, fixing minor or major foundation problems demands appropriate techniques.
It is not a regular renovation project that you can DIY. A minor mistake during a foundation repair project can cause severe damage in the long run, costing you hundreds to thousands of dollars. Therefore, hire a professional foundation repair contractor, regardless of the severity of the foundation issues.
Atlantic Foundation and Repair is a renowned company offering high-quality foundation repair services in Raleigh, NC services. Its mission is to repair a client’s home’s cracked foundation and restore its structural integrity. In addition, the company can help you prevent your cracked foundation by stabilizing it with its proprietary patented support bracket (The Stabilizer).
Atlantic Foundation and Crawl Space Repair
PO Box 1450
Wendell, NC 27591
Fax: 919-855-0855Service Area: Serving Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Surrounding Area and Eastern North Carolina with foundation and crawlspace repair services
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