What Are the Most Advanced Methods of House Foundation Repair?
A lot is relying on your home’s foundation – your whole house, in fact. When it starts failing, it puts your entire home in danger, and the longer you wait for a house foundation repair, the more damage it’ll cause – and the more it’ll cost.
Fortunately, the signs of a failing foundation are well-known, meaning you can quickly assess when to call a professional. Many methods are used to repair problems, but a handful of innovative ideas are making modern restoration easier and more effective.
What Are the Signs of Foundation Problems?
The most common signs you need a house foundation repair are
- Cracks in the foundation, steps or walls
- Doors sticking
- Foundation shifting, upheaving or uneven settling
- Gaps around windows, doors, counters and cabinets
- Sagging or unlevel floors
Some doors may stick a little with changing humidity, but if the problem is consistent, it’s probably due to a shifting foundation.
What Are the Most Common Methods of Foundation Repair?
Slabjacking is probably the method most familiar to people. This uses various materials it forces below a shifted slab to increase structural support and return the slab to its original position. A newer idea that also uses additive technology is soil injection. This method chemically alters the soil with potassium ions to repel water.
Are There More Advanced Methods for House Foundation Repair?
Yep! Adding steel or concrete piles under the foundation is becoming more popular as the price has reduced. Concrete is pressed into 9 – 12-foot holes drilled under the foundation, then reinforced with rebar.
Steel press piling is fast becoming the gold standard of foundation leveling. Hollow steel piles are rotated into the ground, forcing a very stable base that presents an excellent surface area to the ground.
Another idea that’s seeing more use is bellbottom piers. A hole is drilled, then flared out like a bell. Concrete is then poured in. The shape is ideal for spreading a load across a wide area of ground.
Whatever method your experts use for house foundation repair, they also need to consider the cause of the misaligned foundation. Once solved, your new substructure should last a very long time.