Causes of Foundation Problems

Your foundation repair issues are most of the time due to bad drainage, ground movement, subsidence and poor construction, which will cause your foundation to shift and settle. you may start to take notice by doors or windows that will no longer open or close, and you'll notice drywall cracks. Incompetent or failure to properly waterproof around and under your basement walls and floors may be significant reason of your sinking foundation problem.

How to Spot a Settling Foundation

You may notice your home gradually leaning to one side. This problem can lead to needing some underpinning piers.

Make sure you watch out for things like your windows and doors becoming stuck or misaligned. Watch for cracks in your basement, slabs, and or on sheetrock walls in the living areas of the house. You might also notice a pooling of water that form around the base of your home may also indicate that you have foundation problems.

Your soils around your home, typically 6 to 8 feet below ground level, go through wet and dry cycles due to the seasonal moisture and temperature changes. When you have a drastic change like a heavy rain fall right after a drought, water moves through the soil at greater rates than normal. The water always looks for the path of least resistance, if this path is leading the water through or under your foundation, settlement and cracks will start to appear. If you have soils with heavy concentrations of water, that can double in weight causing hydrostatic pressure to push against your foundation, or consolidate soils. This consolidation can cause your homes foundation to sink because of  the lack of support.

You can use steel push piers to give your home new support to structures that have lost their original supporting soils. Like stilts, these underpinning products will not only stabilize a sinking foundation but they'll also lift and hold the homes structure at its originally designed elevation.