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Your home’s foundation will shift over time–it’s natural whether it is 10, 50, or 100 years old. Year in and year out, your home deals with natural soil movement (either through erosion or earth tremors) and endless, sometimes extreme, changes in weather patterns. All of that can add up to home foundation repair that can’t wait.
Are you seeing cracked walls, sloping floors, or crooked door and window frames? The culprit might be your foundation. Understanding what options are available for foundation repair can help you make informed decisions about your home’s maintenance and stay on budget.
What is Foundation Leveling?
In basic terms, foundation leveling is restoring a building’s foundation to its level when the home was first completed, or as close as possible. While it won’t be immediately apparent, there are signals you catch that point to a foundation that might need leveling:
- Visible cracks in walls, floors, or ceilings
- Doors and windows that stick or do not close properly
- Uneven or sloping floors
- Leaning or tilting porches or chimneys
- Gaps between walls and ceilings or floors
- Water pooling around the foundation
Several different methods are used for foundation repair, depending on the scale of your problem. Finding the right foundation repair contractors for the job will require some research (more on that in a bit), but finding a trustworthy and experienced team is essential to give you peace of mind.
Methods of Foundation Leveling
There’s no one ‘best’ way to approach a foundation that needs house leveling. The solution will depend on the type of foundation your home is on, the damage’s extent, and even the area where your home is built. Here are a few of the most common ways a foundation repair specialist can fix your home.
Remember, the prices quoted in this post are for illustrative and educational purposes only. Many factors, such as the extent of the damage and type of foundation, must be considered when pricing home foundation repair.
Steel Pressed Piers
A pier is a construction column that bears the load of the structure. It is used in foundation building when dealing with a structure built on soil. Steel-pressed pilings are driven deep into the ground, stabilizing and lifting the foundation. This is the best solution for sinking or shifting foundations and the most robust and stable foundation leveling available. This method is minimally disruptive but comes with our list’s most significant price tag. Steel piers can run anywhere from $3000 to $10,000 to complete.
Concrete or Steel Spread Footer Piers
The installation process for spread footer piers involves excavating a small hole beneath the foundation in the crawl space using hand tools and small chipping hammers. Once the hole has been dug, concrete is poured, and a steel reinforcement cage is placed inside to provide additional support. The concrete pier is then poured into place, or a steel weld plate is added to support the Steel Pipe Pier. Concrete piers for foundation repair average between $2000 and $8000.
Pier and Beam Adjustment
Over time, due to various factors such as soil movement, moisture changes, or settlement, pier and beam foundations may shift or settle, causing the floors to become uneven or sag. Pier and beam adjustment is the process of correcting these issues. This process can cost from $2500 to $10000.
Foam Injection
If you are in an emergency or cannot afford a more permanent solution, high-density polyurethane foam can be the band-aid for your foundation repair. Various foams are available to fit different needs, from stabilization to specialized foam for moisture-prone areas. This non-intrusive foundation repair method is water-resistant and can be done quickly, but it shouldn’t be considered a long-term fix. It’s essential to get the expertise of a foundation repair specialist as soon as possible to avoid further damage to your home. Foam injection costs can run from $1200 to $3500.
Mudjacking (also known as Slab jacking)
If your concrete porch, deck, patio, or garage floor is sinking, you might consider mudjacking. Also known as slab jacking, this is an eco-friendly way of temporarily leveling a slab for a light load-bearing structure. A grout composed of concrete, soil, and water is injected under the foundation to fill voids and level the structure. With a very affordable price ($500-$2500 on average), mudjacking looks like an appealing quick fix. But that’s precisely what it is–mudjacking is not recommended for more severe foundation issues and, in some cases, can make sinking foundations even worse. This is mainly used to repair ‘flat work’ non-structural concrete pours like driveways and paths.
What to Look For in Foundation Repair Contractors
Finding the right foundation repair specialist can seem like a daunting task. The easiest way to start is to ask around–your friends, coworkers, and neighbors likely have a recommendation or two for you that you can trust. From there, a few specific internet searches for “foundation repair near me,” “foundation specialists near me,” and “foundation experts near me” should yield a few names to check out.
It’s essential to not just focus on the price of the job, either. While your budget is crucial, you don’t want to make a costly mistake that will only get more expensive as time goes on. Use the following tips when choosing the right home foundation repair experts.
- Experience and Expertise: Look for companies with a proven track record in foundation repair and offering substantial warranties. Nearly all contractors will provide a free or discounted quote for you to compare to other builders in your region.
- Insurance: Ensure the company has the proper insurance to protect against any damages or accidents during the repair project.
- Reputation: Check review sites and local social media pages to see what their customers have to say. Don’t just read the best and worst reviews–make sure to read them all and see how the repair process went for them and how the contractor handled emerging problems.
Once your foundation is fixed, the right contractor will review all of the ways you can keep your home safe from further damage, such as scheduling periodic professional inspections to ensure water drains away from your foundation. You can also ask for landscaping tips to keep root interference at a minimum. Your contractor should be your partner in keeping your home in the best condition for years to come.
Quality Foundation Repair Can Help
When it comes to helping Austin homeowners, the expert team at Quality Foundation Repair is the #1 choice for a reason. With multiple 5-star ratings on Google and Yelp, we walk you through every step of the repair process to ensure you always feel informed. Set up a free foundation repair estimate with one of our friendly and professional team members today to see how Quality Foundation Repair can save you time and money while bringing you peace of mind.
