Foundation repair tips Salt Lake City with foundationprosofutah.com
Basement waterproofing Utah by FoundationprosofUtah: Looking for a basement waterproofing company in Utah? You have been putting off calling the foundation repair company even though you’re pretty sure something is wrong with your the structure of your home. Maybe you see cracks in the walls that are getting bigger, or the doors are sticking, or maybe the floors are un-level. But who do you call? If you’re like most homeowners, you really don’t know too much about foundation repair, but you want an honest company.
At first, a minuscule crack in the wall or the slight buckling of the foundation might not seem like an immediate problem for your home. Minor issues are often overlooked and neglected—until the problem becomes much larger and compromises the overall stability of your home. The best defense against escalating expenses is to scan for potential signs of foundation damage and address these issues as soon as they appear. Many of these signs often manifest in other parts of the home, usually several levels above the underlying foundation.
If you’re buying an old building, check whether it’s listed, as this will severely limit the changes you can make, plus as a new owner you’re legally liable for rectifying any past illegal works, often at huge expense. Generally, unless you have a bottomless budget, avoid: properties built to a substandard quality, such as some cheaper Victorian terraces built without firebreak party walls in lofts and with worryingly thin single brick rear additions (which cause problems with mortgage lenders), those that have suffered botched alterations such as chimney breasts and internal walls illegally removed without Building Regulations’ consent.
The founding partners of Foundation Professionals of Utah recognized a need for a foundation repair contractor in our community that provides straight and honest answers and leaves the buying decision where it belongs—in the hands of the customer. As a foundation repair company, we seek to educate and consult our customers on all repair methods and let you decide how to proceed with your repairs. People recommend us because we treat them right. From the initial inspection appointment to the completed job, you can expect us to arrive on time, provide honest estimates and friendly service, and to solve your problem in a timely manner. Read more information on Salt Lake City Foundation Repair.
Let’s look some different types of foundation repair methods and in what situations they might be better handled by a professional foundation repair specialist: This type requires one, or both, of two methods – either making the foundation stronger by adding concrete columns or by shoring up the beams with additional timber. This type of repair will help prevent further movement as well as stop additional decay to any damaged wood that already exists. The issue with completing a pier and beam repair is that this type of foundation typically only exists in homes with a crawl space. The accessibility is limited so it might be difficult for even a handy person to navigate.
Be careful with landscaping. Did you know that you can actually compromise your home’s foundation by planting trees too close to your home? Trees that develop deep roots in close proximity to the home’s foundation can actually cause a number of issues in the years to come. Make sure you know how far roots stretch before planting.
There are several causes for the foundation movement that occurs in and around your home. These problems in the Salt Lake City and surrounding areas are most commonly poor compaction, soil erosion and soil shrinking and expansion due to clay content. All of these causes are a direct result of the soil under your home and its temperature and water content. All of the solutions that we offer deal with eliminating or by-passing these causes.
Get the first course right. Use a torpedo level to level each block front to back and either a 4-foot or 6-foot level to keep each course level and even. Set the blocks with a heavy rubber or plastic mallet. Getting the first course flat and level is extremely important, so take your time. Try to lay the course as close to the center of the trench as possible. Even a small pebble on the surface of a block will throw the one above it out of alignment. And that crooked block will affect the one above it, and so on. That little stone could eventually create an unattractive hump in the top course.Reducing soil erosion, turning steep slopes into terraced backdrops, creating focal points in the landscape—retaining walls serve many purposes. Indeed, they are some of the most common ways to correct problems caused by hilly areas! Well-built retaining walls transform unworkable inclines into usable outdoor space for the garden. Despite their simple appearance, though, these walls require a good deal of planning—sometimes professional engineering—to keep their shape. Soil is heavy, especially when soaking wet from a recent rainstorm, so a basic retaining wall (four feet tall and 15 feet long) potentially has to support up to 20 tons of soil pressure. With every additional foot of height, the pressure of the soil increases substantially. Miscalculate your construction plans, and you could end up with a weak wall that risks bulging or, worse, collapsing altogether. For just this reason, retaining walls taller than four feet should be designed and constructed by the pros.