How Extensive May A Home’s Foundation Repair Needs Be?
The possibility you may need to do some residential foundation repair work can sound daunting. Before you start a residential foundation structural repair effort, you should understand the extent of the problem. Here are three ways to look at the level of potential trouble and how involved the remedies may be.
Identifying the Damage Type
You need to take a look at the sort of damage that's appearing. Some foundation issues arise from stress, but many are driven by the presence of water. This happens even in the driest and warmest environments.
If you're seeing clean fractures in the foundation's structure, there's a good chance stress is causing the damage. Most likely, the house has shifted or the supporting soil has failed to hold it up. If there has been an earthquake in the last few years, that may also be a possible cause.
Conversely, water is a common culprit, even if there is basement waterproofing present. Waterproofing materials can fail with time. Once water hits the foundation, it will find cracks. As the temperature goes up and down, the water can expand and contract. This process can cause the foundation to crack or crumble, and you'll likely see evidence of it on the basement floor in the form of loose materials.
Fixing Problem Sources
Residential foundation repair projects can only accomplish so much if homeowners don't address the root issues. Suppose water is getting into the basement's walls. To fix the problem for decades to come, a homeowner has to do residential basement waterproofing work. Otherwise, the water will eventually come back and start a new cycle of damage.
Similarly, stress issues may require some adjustments to the foundation or even the supporting earth. If a house's foundation is failing because of soft earth, for example, you might need to install supports to reach harder rocks. Another solution may be to replace the soft material with something more solid.
Bear in mind, some issues may require additional contracting work beyond what the foundation repair company does. If a house is sliding down a hill, for example, that may require significant civil engineering work before you even attempt to fix the foundation.
Repairing the Foundation
Residential foundation repair options are usually fairly simple. Some situations may require a contractor to reinforce the walls. In other cases, the contractor may be able to remove the affected materials and replace them with fresh ones. Presuming other issues are solved, though, the repaired foundation should provide decades of service.
Contact a company like Hydroarmor Systems LLC for more information.
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