Has the soil beneath your home shifted and put undue stress on your foundation? Perhaps you are dealing with the deceptively soft Florida ground that gives way suddenly after prolonged rainfall. Saving your home with expert foundation repair is possible. Do you know what is involved in these procedures? Most importantly, how long does it take?
Understanding Foundation Issues
As any Tampa contractor will tell you, foundation repair issues cause homeowners to worry. At the same time, they are more common than you might have thought. One day, your slab foundation is firm and without problems. Suddenly, you notice that there are cracks. What happened?
- SLAB SPLINTERING. It started as small cracks. Perhaps a growing tree’s roots began encroaching on the structural elements underneath your home. Gradually, the first few cracks allowed moisture to enter the foundation. Before long, the slab should be holding strong splinters and cracks in several places. It is no longer strong enough to prevent any movement of the structure that sits on top of it.
- FOUNDATION SETTLEMENT. You notice hairline cracks. These can be indicative of soil expansion or contraction that is going on underground. Eventually, some of these cracks may turn into larger crevices that no longer support the structure on top of the slab. A case in point is the horizontal cracks that form when there is too much moisture in the soil. Many times, they are easy to see with the naked eye. Look near the areas where you notice puddles around the home.
- PIER FAILURE. If your foundation needs piers and some of them have failed, the destabilization can result in cracks as well as shifts in walls. Sometimes, this is a normal component of a home’s gradual aging. At other times, there is sudden material failure that is impossible to predict.
Frequently, you can find out more about foundation problems by looking up rather than down. Cracked ceilings, gaps between doors and jams, misaligned cabinet doors that used to be okay, and sloping floors are indicative of foundation problems.
Tampa Contractor Discusses Slab Repair Issues That Affect Costs and Scheduling
Costs and timelines are of great importance when you are thinking of hiring someone to handle the foundation repair of your home. Ideally, there would be an easy cost estimator; however, because every case is different, it is difficult to put together a possible price point. Moreover, consider that a good-quality contractor must customize their approach to the unique needs of your location. Doing so must incorporate soil treatment and construction approaches.
As a rule of thumb, most slab damage issues take about one to three days for a complete repair protocol to result in adequate repairs. That said, there could be reasons why it is essential to add more time. Also affecting costs, there is the question as to the extent of the foundation’s damage. What might look like little more than a hairline crack on the surface could reveal itself to be much larger once the dirt is moved away from the home’s foundation.
For example, if you catch the damage early where there is only an inch of a settling problem, it is a quick and inexpensive fix. Conversely, when you do not realize that there is a problem until the foundation is 2 to 3 inches or more out of level, there will obviously be more work to do to fix the issues. At the same time, it will take a little longer to take all the steps needed to make the repairs.
Next, there is the makeup of the foundation to consider. Repairing a standard slab is a lot easier and quicker than working with a pier and beam foundation. In these situations, the crew may encounter wood rot and require replacements of the structural elements for maximum efficiency.
For example, when you need our team to use underpins for stabilizing a failing foundation, it may take longer for them to be put into place. The reasoning behind the use of underpins is to stop any additional settling of your home. These supportive structures have the power to create a foundation below the weakening slab that is currently holding up your building.
These considerations take us back to the first point. If you contact us when the damage is still small, cracks are barely visible, and the alignment of joints has not suffered extensively, there may be no need to replace a lot of piers, beams, or pilings. Conversely, when you wait until the damage is more noticeable, there is a good chance that we must increase the number of supporting structural elements we put in place. This adds or takes away from the time to allocate to the process.
Talking about Costs and Labor with the Experts
So far, the discussion has been hypothetical. Therefore, it is not possible to put a price tag on the project. However, our firm will gladly take the time to visit your property and take a closer look at the situation you are currently dealing with. At that time, we will be able to tell you whether we will need to focus on a foundation or slab repair.
Moreover, it is possible at that time to anticipate the likely extent of the project, which allows us to give you a personalized estimate. Contact us today to find out more about your options. Evaluations of your current foundational problems are free.