Sagging Foundation in your Huntsville Home?
Problems with the foundation of your home can be major issues. If your foundation starts to settle or sag, it may result in structural damage throughout the home. Sagging foundations can also increase the chances that cracks will form in the concrete. When the concrete becomes cracked, it can let water and pests enter your home, leading to some serious threats to the health and safety of you and your family. Fortunately, this is not a problem that you have to handle on your own. The team of expert foundation repair contractors at Affordable Foundation and Home Repair can handle sagging foundation repair in the Huntsville, AL area.
We specialize in several different foundation repair methods meant to lift and stabilize sinking and sagging foundations. First, our team will need to assess the damage and find the cause of the sagging floors and foundation. Once we know what is causing the foundation to sink, we can apply the appropriate solution.
What Causes Huntsville Foundations to Sag and Sink?
A sinking foundation is a problem that you may not notice immediately. However, sagging foundations often cause other symptoms to appear around your home. Look for sagging or uneven floors, cracks in the wall, floor, ceiling, or foundation, gaps and spaces between the walls and floor or ceiling, shifting or compacting bricks, and sticking doors or windows. These are all structural issues that may indicate sagging or sinking of your foundation.
But why does a sagging foundation occur?
There are a lot of reasons that your foundation may start to sink or sag. Following are some of the most common causes of sagging foundations in the Huntsville area:
- Soil Erosion: During periods of heavy rain or other kinds of precipitation, some of the soil underneath your home may start to erode. As this soil is washed away, there is less and less support for the concrete that makes up your foundation. Without adequate support, the concrete will start to sink and may develop cracks.
Drought Conditions: Extremely dry conditions can also cause problems in the soil beneath your home. When the soil dries out, it shrinks. This shrinkage can cause holes to form underground, leaving the above foundation without the proper support. The foundation may then start to sag into the voids formed in the soil.- Poor Compaction: Another reason that your foundation may experience sagging is if the area was poorly prepared when the foundation was laid. If the soil was not packed down properly, it will eventually settle. If the settlement is not even, the foundation may start to sink or sag in areas, and foundation cracks may form as well.
- Vegetation: If you have trees or large bushes planted near your foundation, the roots can sap moisture from the nearby soil. If the soil dries out too much, it will shrink and cause void formation and foundation sinking.
Once we know what is causing the foundation to settle, we can recommend the best solution. We offer free estimates to evaluate your foundation and find the best repair option as well as a variety of foundation repair products installed by our professional team.
Foundation Repair Solutions for Sagging Floors in Huntsville
One of our most common solutions for sagging foundations is to install foundation piers, a process known as underpinning. These piers are made of high-quality steel and anchor into deep layers of soil to provide your foundation with the support that it needs. To install these piers, we excavate a small amount around your foundation and attach the piers to the foundation with a bracket. Once attached, the piers are driven deep into the ground until they reach stable soils that will not shift. Next, the piers are lifted hydraulically to raise the foundation back to its proper level.
We offer a couple different kinds of piers for the lifting of your Huntsville foundation. For slab foundations, we offer slab/resistance piers. For foundations that may require added stability, we offer the installation of helical piers. Helical piers work the same as slab piers, but have threads on them, much like screws. This kind of pier is screwed into the ground to offer extra security.
We also offer polyjacking to lift sinking concrete slabs. In this process, small holes are drilled in the slab. Then, a polyurethane grout material is injected through the holes. The polyurethane expands as it is injected, filling voids that may have formed beneath the surface of the ground and lifts the concrete, leveling the foundation.
No matter what has caused your Huntsville foundation to start sagging, Affordable Foundation and Home Repair can help. Our team is dedicated to giving you the best solution for the repair of your sagging Huntsville foundation. Call us today to learn more.
