Foundation Repairs Most Frequently Asked Questions and answers
what kind of foundation structures are in florida
Typical shallow foundation types utilized in Florida are slab-on-grades, strip footings, mat/raft foundations, and pad foundations.
What is the most common foundation type in Florida?
How much does Foundation Repair cost?
The average foundation repair cost for homeowners is typically just over $4000, or between $1800 and $6500. Minor patching of small cracks is often as low as $500, whereas major structural repairs or underpinning might cost over $10,000.
How long does it take to repair a foundation?
The average residential foundation repair typically takes 2 to 3 days. There are some variables that cause a job to take longer.
Whether to install concrete piers vs. steel piers?
Concrete piers are much heavier than steel piers and strong enough to ensure the stability of the entire structure. While it’s true that these piers can’t be installed as deep into the ground as steel piers, most areas in and around Houston don’t have extremely deep soils.
What are Expansive Clay Soils?
Expansive clay soils (also known as heavy clay or fat clay soil) are soft-textured soils containing minerals that undergo considerable volumetric changes during seasonal moisture fluctuations. They absorb water and expand (swell), as much as ten percent or more when wet, and crack (shrink) when dry.
Can I delay repairing my house’s foundation?
Some foundation damage occurs over a long period of time and doesn’t necessarily present an immediate risk to your home. However, postponing repairs only allows damage to become worse and can result in catastrophic failure of your home’s structural integrity.
surface drain Vs a French drain?
The primary difference between the two systems is that French drains are used for water that is gradually seeping below ground level while surface drains handle water that’s collecting above the ground. Their installation methods and materials also vary.
Will foundation repair destroy my landscaping?
Foundation repair will not ruin your landscaping, but it will affect it. For jobs that can be completed in 1 to 3 days, small plants can be saved. Ground cover such as mulch or rocks can be removed and replaced.
When is a foundation unrepairable?
Cracks in the foundation that are less than 1/4 inch wide don’t usually require repair; however, anything more than that does. Patching cracks can cost a few thousand dollars, depending on where you live, and this doesn’t address the cause of the cracking in the first place, which you’ll also need to fix at some point.
What is Symptoms of Foundation Failure?
The most obvious indicators of foundation movement are:
- Diagonal cracks in interior wall finishes at the corners of doors and windows. Cracks may also occur at the intersection of walls and ceilings, and at the intersection of wall surfaces.
- Doors bind or do not open or close properly. The gap between the top the doors and the adjacent door frames will not be uniform.
- Windows bind or do not open or close properly.
- Cabinet doors do not close properly.
- Floors are not level.
- Cracks in exterior brick.
- Cracks in the concrete perimeter beam. (Look at the concrete beam below the siding or brick along the perimeter of your home.)
- Separations of wood trim at the exterior corners of your home above brick.
- Separations of the brick and the adjacent wood surfaces at the sides of garage doors.
- Separations of the brick and the adjacent wood surfaces at the sides of the chimney.
What is Foundation Repair Procedures?
Minimizing foundation movement normally involves underpinning the foundation with deep piers, correcting poor drainage or both. Deep piers are designed to extend below the active surface soils to areas less affected by season moisture variations. Piers transfer the foundation loads to those deeper, less active soils. The vast majority of registered professional engineers specify deep drilled, steel reinforced, cast-in-place concrete piers. This is the same pier design used in the construction of commercial multi-story buildings and highway overpasses.
Many other foundation repair techniques are marketed. Segmented concrete piers, driven steel piers and helical piers are the most commonly used alternative repair techniques.
Is it normal for concrete foundations to crack?
Yes, and they’re typically not a cause for concern. In truth, most fractures in a poured concrete foundation are caused by foundation settling and concrete shrinkage during the curing process and maybe readily repaired or ignored.
