Costs and Solutions to Home Foundation Repair

Home repair is often expensive and inconvenient, and it’s possible that one of the most problematic is home foundation repair. If you are faced with this problem you mustn’t ignore it. You must make the repair as soon as possible with the help of a residential structural engineer.

The foundation is the most important structural element in a house. The floors, roof and walls depend on a solid foundation to hold them up. If your foundation is sinking, splitting or sliding, your home will suffer serious structural damage that can reduce its value.

Causes of Foundation Damage

Most foundation repairs are caused by soil-related problems such as:

• Poor waterproofing
• Poor compaction
• Overloading
• Excessive organic materials
• Erosion
• Expansive soils as a result of changes in moisture content

Under these conditions, stresses can damage your home’s foundation and overall structure.
More often than not, the cause of the damage is poor construction practices by the home builder. Builders can cut corners to save on costs. In the process, the foundation is not as strong as possible. A footer may be too narrow or thin. A poured concrete wall may not be reinforced with steel. A concrete block foundation wall may not have been filled solid.

Solutions to Home Foundation Repair

If you need major repairs on your home foundation, you must call a residential structural engineer. Making a mistake in repairing the foundation of a home can lead to serious damage. Structural engineers can provide the solution to your home foundation problem. They can also recommend contractors who can do foundation repair work.

For minor repairs on the foundation, including small cracks, FixCrack or similar products can be used. However, if the task proves difficult or challenging, a professional who specializes in repairing home foundations should be consulted.

If damage to the foundation is serious, extensive excavation and powerful hydraulic lifts may be required to secure the foundation while repairs are made. This kind of repair work is very expensive but cannot be avoided. It may even be necessary to shut off the water and electricity for safety reasons.

Home Foundation Repair Costs

To determine the cost of home foundation repair, contractors must make an initial inspection and assess the damage. They have to determine how long it will take to repair the foundation. Cost estimates will depend on the materials used, labor component, and cause of the damage.

It’s best to get at least three estimates from different contractors to compare the cost. The cheapest estimate may not be the best option. You must consider the materials to be used, quality of work, and the contractor’s reputation. It’s better to pay more to get a better quality job.

Home foundation repair is extremely expensive. You may want to apply for a loan to cover this kind of home repair. You may also check if your homeowner’s insurance will cover part of the cost.

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Methods Of Innovative Home Foundation Repair

When it comes to a home foundation problem requiring some type of home foundation repair, the culprit is almost always defined in one word. Water! Water can operate in different modes to create a house foundation problem, either by causing expansion or contraction in the soil below or by intrusion through the foundation creating a moisture problem inside the home. Of course, when a home foundation buckles or heaves due to soil expansion or contraction underneath, the resulting cracks and heaves become water intrusion points.

The first type of soil reaction to water is with soils too high in clay, which tends to expand with water content. Clay soil expansion often accounts for the common home foundation problem of heaving. Improper or inadequate compaction of non-clay soils during preparatory work for foundation building causes settling, another common foundation problem requiring house foundation repair.

Concrete foundation repair techniques of the past involved introducing wood, concrete, steel, or other materials under the building foundation or slab, attempting to jack it up to correct the problem. Unfortunately these types of attempts often proved ineffective. Modern technology offers new methods of innovative foundation repair. Slabjacking, also called mudjacking, is the process of pumping or injecting concrete under the affected foundation or slab to lift it back into place. In addition to rendering effective foundation and slab repair, this process also fills any voids beneath the slab; enhancing future water resistance.

A variation of mudjacking includes lime and soil included in the cement mixture. This will administer lime treatment stabilization to the base soil. Restoring the slab to its original grade; offering stabilization to offset future shifting and damage. Piling or piering is the process of adding adjustable supports beneath the foundation. Large push pier pilings are hydraulically driven into the ground beneath the foundation. Helical auger-type pilings are mechanically twisted into the ground; inserted through unstable soil to reach a stable layer of rock or soil below. Hydraulic jacks are then fitted onto the ends, and the foundation is jacked into place. During this type of process of home foundation repair, pilings are tested to insure they will support the required load. While foundation repair cost can run into large sums of money, it is a better alternative to an unsafe, shifting building. Not to mention the additional time and expense required to jack the building up to install a totally new foundation.

Do not think twice spending money on home foundation repair. Before the concretes or walls of your house start fracturing by soil pressure or other reasons you start repairing it to keep your protection stronger. Foundation problems should be taken seriously especially when they are visible. Otherwise, mildews can grow there or cracks or fractures can be seen in bricks, concretes or in other parts of your house. In that situation you should take the suggestions of the experts. To do this, there are many foundation repair companies you can call or visit their websites or talk to them while facing problems regarding home foundation repair.

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