Every homeowner should make sure that their foundation is in mint condition. It is, after all, the part of the home which keeps it all together; when it is damaged, the whole house can suffer. It acts as a stabilizer to prevent lateral movement, ensures that the property is still standing in case of flooding, and acts as an insulating buffer to prevent heat loss. Regular maintenance is necessary to keep the foundation in good shape. Homeowners must also keep their eyes open for any signs of damage.
As soon as you notice any signs of damage, you should contact expert contractors in your area. The foundation is not one of those things you can or should repair on your own. Using the wrong method, materials, tools, or steps can lead to even bigger problems. In the end, not only will you put your home’s structural stability at risk, but you will also spend more money on repairs that could have been avoided if you called the experts to begin with. Luckily, when a homeowner from Tuscaloosa, AL, realized that he had a foundation problem on his hands, he called us instead of trying to fix things on his own.
After conducting a thorough inspection, our team of experts was able to quickly identify the problem and restore this home to its previous condition in two days. With 10 helical piers in place, the homeowner was able to proceed with his plans, confident in the structural stability of his house.
Meeting the Homeowner
The homeowner from Tuscaloosa, near Birmingham, AL, contacted us worried about his foundation. His home was built in the 1980s and he has lived there for three years. The client knew that his house was built on a concrete slab and has been aware of foundation issues for some time.
The first time he realized that something was wrong was a year ago during some remodeling when he noticed that there are cracks in the floor. As time went by, the cracks got even bigger. He noted that the state of the foundation had gotten worse over the past six months. However, he didn’t want to sell the home. In fact, he wanted to keep it forever and rent it out. This way, the home would become a source of a steady income and fixing the damage was a wise investment.
Our Initial Inspection
The customer called us suspecting that he had foundation issues on the carport side of the home. Due to his assessment, we already had a general idea of what we should look for when we visited his home. The signs of foundation issues were all there. Apart from large cracks in the floor, our team was also able to notice cracks in the brick above doorways and windows. In addition, some interior doors were sticking. This was nothing unusual since sticking doors and windows are pretty common for older houses. Although this can sometimes be the result of a moisture issue caused by high humidity, it is more often a sign of a sinking or settling foundation. The settling foundation causes the doors to fall out of squares. Therefore, all the signs that something was wrong with the foundation were there – cracks above door and window frames, problems with floors, and sticking doors.
After a full inspection, our team was able to notify the owner that he has a foundation settlement issue on the front left side of the home. The client was willing to be as proactive as possible and fix the problem quickly before it gets worse.
Since the homeowner lives in the Birmingham area where abundant rainfall and severe thunderstorms are rather common, he understood that he could be just one storm away from a flooded home. When a slab settles, the water can run towards a home’s foundation, it to flood.
Repairing the Damage
All the problems in the customer’s home, from cracks above the windows to sticking doors, were the result of foundation settlement. We suggested piering as the best solution.
Piers are some of the best stabilization methods to use when you’re dealing with a damaged concrete slab and foundation settlement. This is why our team decided to suggest helical piers to the client. These come with a longtime warranty and are a permanent solution to foundation settlement. Their main task is to permanently stabilize and even help raise the house back toward its original position. The fact that piers are a permanent solution and invisible once installed especially pleased the client, since he wanted to rent out the house, and dealing with this sort of problem in the future could disturb his tenants and lower his income.
The project lasted two days and our team was able to install 10 helical piers to permanently stabilize the foundation. With piers in place, the homeowner was able to relax knowing that most issues are solved and the problems won’t pile up.
Due to the mentioned weather conditions as well as the composition of the soil, homeowners in the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham areas are no strangers to foundation settling. Unfortunately, any type of expanding soil in combination with excess rainwater results in basement, crawl space, and foundation damage.
Dealing with this sort of problem can be tricky, and unless you are a professional contractor yourself, you probably wouldn’t even know where to start. If you have noticed that your home has foundation issues, the best thing you can do is contact your local contractors. Reach out to our local team and schedule a home inspection. After assessing the state of your home and discussing your concerns, our contractors can provide you with a free quote and help you understand which solutions could solve your problems in the best way possible.
