Preventing & Repairing Foundation Settlement
Like most man-made things, your home’s foundation will degrade over time which can cause foundation settlement issues. After a home has been constructed, things like weather conditions, soil issues, and moisture problems can cause the foundation to settle at an uneven rate, which creates instability in the structure.
When this happens, foundation settlement can create large cracks in your walls, cause difficulties opening and closing doors or windows, and create sloping or uneven floors.
If left unchecked and uncorrected, these foundation settlement issues can compromise the structural integrity of your home, which makes the property more susceptible to damage or collapse from earthquakes.
There are several ways you can prevent foundation settlement or repair foundation settlement. When it comes to preventing foundation settlement, a foundation specialist will typically recommend that a foundation gets shored up using piers, piles and/or caissons.
When this technique is used, piers (made of steel pipes) are driven into the soil and connected to your existing foundation, typically with concrete beams. They can be installed after the home has been built, with little disruption or inconvenience to those who currently reside there.
When foundation piles are used in the shoring, bearing piles are installed to help absorb the weight of the structure while sheet piles are used to block soil and water. Helical piles are also commonly used to enable a pipe to be screwed into the ground. These piles are drilled or screwed into the ground and connected with cement blocks (also called pile caps) and grade beams.
Another shoring method uses caissons, which target deep foundations where the soil condition is extremely poor and/or the structure is exceptionally heavy. Many hillside homes, apartment buildings, and high-rise complexes require this additional foundation support.
When a caisson is built, the foundation contractor will drill a large subterranean shaft and fill this area with concrete, steel, and rebar. Some shafts can be as deep at 150 feet!
If you’ve noticed foundation settlement issues in your home, there are a number of efficient and effective methods for strengthening your property’s foundation.
The best way to determine what type of shoring or strengthening is necessary is by contacting a foundation repair company, like Julian Construction, and having one of their qualified specialists conduct a foundation inspection.
At Julian Construction, we’ll conduct a free home inspection for you, complete with a quote for repair.
We have extensive experience serving our Los Angeles community and nearby regions. In fact, Julian Construction has inspected over 30,000 structures in the area!
Julian Construction was formed in 1994 and our focus has always been on building foundations, doing foundation repair and replacement, earthquake retrofitting, and house leveling.
When you work with Julian Construction, you get the principles of the company and the workers of Julian Construction under your home.
And in order to keep foundation repair affordable for our customers, we offer a price guarantee — because we know our quote for repair will represent your very best value.
Give us a call at call (323) 733-3377 to schedule your free inspection or complete the inspection request form.
