After you’ve identified problems on your foundation that require repair or expert advice, the best action is to call the expert for closer assessment and determine the best approach towards the repair of your foundation.
The most expensive approach would be demolishing your house and starting from scratch but this is not always the case unless under adverse conditions. There are several repair methods that your foundation repair expert can recommend depending on the severity and direction of cracks.
Sealing and patching
This is the most basic yet one of the crucial methods of foundation repair. An expert foundation repair contractor could notice after investigating that the cracks are not severe and deep. In such a case, they could recommend sealing and patching.
When it’s about experts, Olson Foundation Repair is one of the best foundation repair contractors who provide competitive pricing doubled with professionalism in foundation repair as well as basement waterproofing in Kansas City for over 30 years. Olson’s experience is unequaled and offers services ranging from foundation piercing, drainage services, bracing of walls, and wall cracks repair.
Slab jacking
This method is the most applicable to uneven floors. The main cause of uneven floor surfaces is when the soil underneath sinks under pressure leaving uneven surfaces underneath.
The foundation repair contractor drills hole into the slab to the sunken gaps underneath. Once the contractor is fully satisfied that the holes are wide enough to hold as much concrete as possible, they move into the next step.
A solution of soil, sand, and water is mixed and pumped into the gaps underneath and left to solidify, after which the pressure they create raises back the floor to an even surface. The process is repeated until all the uneven spaces are filled. The method is also called mud jerking.
Concrete piling
Concrete piling is a method where the contractor digs deep excavations of about four meters in depth. A pillar is then built using steel and concrete and pressed hard to form a very strong and stable structure. The piling method is a long-term solution to foundation problems and is the most recommended.
The building materials supplier provides all the materials needed for the foundation repair and also provides an estimate of all other materials for remodeling that includes treated lumber, siding, decks, doors and windows, etc. If you are looking for a building material supplier near you, Lumber One in Kansas City will be there to advise you on costs as well as quality.
HD polyurethane foam
HD polyurethane foam is the fastest and least expensive method of foundation repair. After the foundation repair company inspects the foundation, they may recommend HD polyurethane foam as the best option.
Precautions are first observed before injecting the foam underneath. The contractor checks if there are any leakages in the pipe works underneath because the foam can easily block pipes.
If all the pipe works underneath are in order, the HD polyurethane foam is pumped under pressure and then solidifies to form a strong support for the floor base.
Steel/helical piers
Steel piers provide a permanent solution to foundation problems. Because of the strength of the metal, steel piers can incredibly be drilled to depths as deep as 30 meters and thus providing the most stability to the building’s foundation. Steel piers are mostly useful on clay soils that keep expanding and contracting.
Helical piers, on the other hand, are useful when repairing light foundations. The piers also called anchors, are tied to a load that is predetermined and then drilled to the ground firmly. The weight of the house is then transferred to the load, thereby stabilizing the foundation. Helical piers are not common and are only applied in situations where any other method fails to work.
