What to Do About Foundation Failure

All modern buildings, whether office buildings or banks or small residential homes, need solid foundations upon which to sit. Professional crews at a constr5uction project site will put down these foundations right away, and the space will first be dug up before concrete experts pour the formations into place. It should be noted that more than one model of residential foundations exist, and these formations may vary based on the house’s local geology or even the climate, or the homeowner’s preferences. And foundation repair contractors or foundation repair services may be called upon if a homeowner is facing some structural integrity problems, and different soil configurations or nearby fault lines may be a natural factor to consider. When it comes to these concrete formations, what is there to know about their repair and the different models of they are built?

Different Models For Homes

There are a number of foundation models used across the United States, but four in particular have proven common and effective for any home construction project today. The first is the slab model, and slab foundations are a simple and solid way to keep a house upright and secure. Most Texas homes younger than 50 years old make use of the slab model, and they are commonly used if a home does not expect to face certain hazard that may threaten residential foundations such as fires or earthquakes, or floods either.

Another model commonly used in residential construction is the crawlspace. This is a concrete formation that elevates the house 18″ off of the ground, and this creates a low but wide space underneath, hence the name. This means that repair experts, plumbers, and even the homeowner may crawl underneath to inspect the hardware or effect repairs, and this can be very convenient. What is more, since this gap is present, a home is not easily threatened by flooding waters; in fact, the water may simply pass harmlessly underneath the house. This means that crawlspaces may prove effective in areas prone to flooding or heavy rain, a fine investment.

Meanwhile, the third common model is the pillar and beam structure, which is a crawlspace in addition to wood and concrete pillars an beams underneath for extra support. These pillars and beams do not go very deeply into the ground, but they are solid and this foundation model has proven popular and price-friendly across the United States. It should be noted, however, that these foundations are badly damaged during earthquakes, so a geologist should be consulted before they are built too close to fault lines.

A fourth common model is the basement, and basements are well known for adding a lot of square footage to any home. These are, unlike crawlspaces, full-scale rooms that can be used for storage or a living space alike. These basements are resistant to earthquakes and fires alike, making them durable. The main hazard for basements is flooding, since they are large spaces found well under the ground. A homeowner may need to call upon foundation repair experts in their area if their basement is flooding or if cracks and bulges are found in the walls.

Hiring Repair Experts

If a homeowner is suspecting or knows of structural problems in the home, they may go online or get references from their local hardware store. A good foundation repair company will have their own website that clients may visit, and these websites will have articles, videos, and photos showcasing what sort of work they can do. A homeowner may compare and contrast different foundation crews before they choose the right one to hire.

A crawlspace offers plenty of room where repair experts and plumbers may find and fix a problem, and a basement has plenty of room for workers. In a very old basement, limestone brick walls may be bulging inwards due to decades of rain-heavy soil pressing on them, and these damaged walls are cracked and leaking water. So, foundation experts may build concrete walls that can contain those older, faulty walls. Elsewhere, foundation experts can seal and reinforce the ground-level foundation to prevent more flooding water, and plumbers may be hired to install a sump pump. Such pumps draw up loose water in the basement and deposit it all outside to prevent any more buildup.