Foundation Repair
Foundation repair
costs and methods vary widely. Many companies attempt to sell you a
"cookie cutter" approach to foundation repair that is designed to maximize
their bottom line with little concern for the long-term stability of your
foundation. Many of these same companies offer a "lifetime warranty" that only
provides for adjustments if your foundation continues to move.
In order to
understand what is needed to properly repair your foundation you must
understand what caused the problem.
The vast majority of
foundation movement in Texas is the result of clay soils expanding and
contracting. This expansion and contraction is caused by changes in soil moisture
content. Because foundations are designed to be soil-supported, any
soil movement also causes the foundation to move. This soil expansion
and contraction normally extends to a depth of 8-12 feet below the soil surface. This
first 8-12 feet of below the surface is called the "active zone".
Now that you know
what caused your foundation to move, the following will seem fairly simple.
Long-term stabilization of any foundation requires that the repair extends
through the "active zone" and is seated in soils that are not expanding and
contracting.
The only way to
insure that the repair is the proper depth is to drill pier holes, not to
attempt to push or press pilings into the soil. A drilled pier can be
advanced to any specified depth. The eventual depth of a pressed piling depends on the
weight of the structure, the density of the soil, whether the soil contains
rock layers, and many other factors.
The bottom line is
that the only way to insure proper pier depth is to install deep-drilled,
steel-reinforced, concrete piers.
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