A Homeowner’s Guide to Foundation Repair
Your foundation is an unsung hero of your home, quietly maintaining the structural integrity and overall safety of your living space. When signs of damage appear, it’s not just a foundation issue—it’s a potential threat to your entire house.
In this guide, we’ll look at the various methods of modern foundation repair, highlighting why it’s a strategic investment in the longevity of your home.
How to Fix Your Foundation
Foundation repairs are possible for nearly any type of foundation. In Georgia, the most common foundations are crawl spaces, basements, and concrete slabs. Each foundation type has specific tools that work best to repair it. In this section, we’ll outline the best foundation repair methods for each of the four main foundation types.
1. Foundation Repair for Concrete Slabs
Homes with a concrete slab (also called a “slab-on-grade”) are best repaired with foundation piers. Most professional repair companies, including AquaGuard Foundation Solutions, can install three types of foundation piers—push piers, helical piers, and slab piers. While they all accomplish the same goal, there are some differences between the three:
- Push piers: straight design, work for most situations, attach to a foundation footing, and then extend deep beneath the ground into bedrock.
- Helical piers: “screw-like” design, mostly used for lighter structures, hydraulically twisted into the ground and then into bedrock to bolster the foundation.
- Slab piers: usually used for homes with little yard space or for damage that isn’t easy to reach from the outside, placed directly underneath the concrete.
Each pier system will redistribute the weight of your foundation and keep your home stable for years to come.
2. Foundation Repair for Basements
Foundation damage in basements usually appears as wall shearing, floor cracks, or bowing walls. The most effective way to repair and prevent basement damage is with wall repair systems. At AFS, we can install several different wall repair tools in your basement to stop damage and straighten your basement walls.
- Steel I-beams: These strong beams are strategically placed against the basement walls and anchored to the floor and ceiling. Over time, they gradually realign the wall to its original, safe position while preventing future shifting.
- Carbon Fiber Reinforcement: Ideal for tighter spaces, these lightweight yet incredibly strong carbon fiber strips adhere directly to the basement walls. They stop new cracks from forming and prevent walls from bowing inward.
- Channel Anchors: Metal channels attach to the wall and connect to anchors buried in the yard just outside the basement. The tension between the wall and the anchors gradually pulls the wall back to its original position, ensuring long-term stability.
- Wall Anchors: Similar to channel anchors, wall anchors are plates connected by steel rods running through the wall to outside anchors. By periodically tightening these rods, the walls move back into place.
Each method helps prevent foundation damage from occurring again, keeping
3. Foundation Repair for Crawl Spaces
For homes with a crawl space foundation, the most effective repair option is a crawl space support jack system. These steel support beams attach to the floor joists in your crawl space, strengthening the entire structure.
Most crawl space jacks can be adjusted to fit the size of your crawl space. Support jacks make your crawl space stronger and they prevent foundation issues (such as bouncy floors) from forming later on.
What Causes Foundation Damage?
Foundation issues can arise for several reasons. Here are five of the most common causes of foundation damage we see in the field every day.
High Amounts of Water
In Georgia, foundation problems frequently stem from water damage due to our state’s humid climate, including leaks, heavy seasonal rains, or flash floods. This excess water undermines structures as it gathers around foundations, permitting moisture to infiltrate cracks.
In colder regions in the northern part of the state, moisture can freeze and expand, making the cracks worse. Over time, this cycle can severely damage foundations, particularly after intense storms or the heavy rainfall typical of the state.
Expansive Soil
Georgia is well known for its expansive clay soils, especially in areas like the Piedmont region. This type of soil swells when wet and shrinks when dry, exerting pressure on foundations and causing movement, cracking, or buckling. Homes in Georgia built on expansive soil need specific precautions to prevent damage due to the soil’s expansive nature, which is intensified by the state’s humid summers and variable rainfall.
Tree Roots
Tree roots can lead to significant foundation damage as they seek moisture in the frequently humid conditions of the South. They may grow and push against a foundation or extract moisture from the soil beneath, resulting in settlement and foundation cracks. In Georgia’s dense urban and suburban environments, it’s particularly crucial to plant large trees at a safe distance from homes to avoid damage.
Badly Constructed Foundation
Improper construction with subpar materials or incorrect building techniques can result in an insufficient foundation. These issues can lead to uneven settling, cracks, and severe structural problems, exacerbated by the state’s occasional seismic activity.
Poor Drainage
Adequate drainage is essential for preserving foundation integrity in Georgia, where sudden heavy rains can interrupt long periods of high humidity. Without proper drainage, water can accumulate around the foundation, causing erosion, soil instability, and increased pressure on foundation walls.
It’s vital for homes to have well-designed gutters, downspouts, and landscaping to effectively direct water away from the foundation and prevent these prevalent issues.
How to Prevent Foundation Damage
Watch this video from our friends at Groundworks for 12 foundation repair tips. Some basic steps you can take are:
- Install Proper Drainage: Implement appropriate grading, gutters, and downspouts to direct water away from the foundation.
- Regular Soil Maintenance: Manage moisture levels in the soil surrounding the foundation.
- Routine Inspections: Conduct periodic inspections with help from a professional to identify issues before they get worse.
FAQs
Regular inspections, at least annually, can help catch early signs of foundation damage. AquaGuard provides professional inspection services to identify potential problems before they escalate.
Yes, improper landscaping, especially inadequate drainage, can affect soil moisture levels, leading to foundation movement and subsequent drywall cracks. AquaGuard can help identify and rectify these issues.
Look for signs like cracks in walls, nail pops, tilting chimney, uneven floors, and doors and windows that won’t close properly. These can indicate foundation issues that AquaGuard can expertly assess and repair.
Schedule a Free Foundation Inspection With AquaGuard
If you have concerns about foundation damage, don’t hesitate to contact AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. We’ve been helping homeowners in Northern Georgia with foundation repair since 1995, and we’re ready to do the same for you.
With industry-leading solutions and an experienced team, we’re committed to taking care of your home. Don’t let foundation damage ruin the safety and comfort of your home—schedule a free inspection with us today!
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Ted Dryce
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