Rest Easy at Night with Basement Repair
Friday, June 3rd, 2011 by Tay Wright
When most homes are first built, they're solid as a rock. But as the years go by, a home's foundation can become far less than sturdy. If you've noticed cracks along walls or along your basement floor, it's generally a sign that your home's foundation is under additional stress and pressure due to uneven settlement, water problems, and other unseen issues.
A Healthy Basement
Although foundation settlement repair sounds like a very big task, the job can often be completed in a matter of days. The key is to repair the damage before it significantly worsens. After the repairs are complete, you'll be able to rest easy at night, knowing that your home is back on sure footing.
Your basement is the lower, foundation level of your home. So, if you're noticing cracking walls and moisture issues you may need some structural repairs, but you may also need basement repair.
The Beginning
So how does a home's foundation become damaged in the first place? When a home is first built, workers dig a deep hole in the ground for the foundation. Once the foundation is built, the soil is then backfilled around the foundation to provide support. And while this is a common construction method, it is often the culprit of improper settling.
Once the soil is backfilled around the foundation, water can easily make its way through the loose soil and into the lower levels of a home. This means your basement doesn't have a chance! So a beautiful new home can become a washed-out mess after a single rain storm.
As the years go by, this excess moisture can cause serious foundation damage: it can put extra pressure on foundation walls and floors, causing cracks; it can lead to bowed or leaning walls; and it can lead to uneven settling. Needless to say, your basement will be a huge problem. There won't be any living down there, and the air will unfortunately ruminate throughout the rest of the home. If there's mold down there, you'll smell it all the way upstairs.
Noticing a Problem
Have you ever tried to open or close a door or window in a home, only to find that it "sticks," and is nearly impossible to open or fully shut? This is usually a sign of a damaged foundation.
There are a number of effective foundation settlement repair solutions, regardless of the foundation issues your home may have, but the use of a push pier system or a helical pier system are proven quite successful. At the end of the day, a basement that has these foundation issues will inevitably need basement waterproofing--which means cracks and holes will need filling, windows and doors need sealing, a sump pump may need to be installed, an interior drainage system may need to be used, and a dehumidifier.
Push Pier System
If your home's floors and/or walls show signs of cracking, immediate action should be taken. Push piers not only offer a way to permanently stabilize your home, they also provide an opportunity to raise your home back to its original, level position. Once the foundation is in a more level position, cracks in both the exterior and interior of a home can close, and troublesome doors and windows can become "unstuck."
Helical Pier System
Helical piers have a steel shaft and a screw-like end, and are "drilled" into the soil to provide stability. Many helical pier systems can be installed in a single day. This is a common method for foundation settlement repair of older structures or during the early stages of construction for a new home surrounded by softening, shrinking, or poorly compacted fill soils.
Contact the experts at ITG Basement Systems today for basement repair in Allentown and all surrounding areas. They are your local basement waterproofing, crawl space, and foundation repair experts!
