The experts at Tar Heel Foundation Solutions are proud to help the property owners of Columbia, South Carolina with their foundation repair or other structural repair needs, whether your home has a basement foundation, a slab foundation or a crawl space. Our professionals know the area and after inspecting the property can determine the best solution that can both fix the damage that has been done. Our number goal is to make sure your home or business is strong and stable.
No one likes to hear that their home has foundation problems. It isn’t something most people plan for. It isn’t something anyone wants.
The thing about foundations, though, is that they tend not to fix themselves. The problems that the foundation issues are causing aren’t going to get better, only worse. Even if you fix the symptoms, if you don’t repair the foundation problems themselves, you’ll soon be faced with doing the same repairs again.
There are warning signs of foundation failure that you should watch out for, and they extend far beyond the foundation. If your home’s base is unwell, everything from the basement floor to the chimney can be affected.
Here are signs to watch out for when it comes to foundation problems:
At Tar Heel, we believe in fitting the foundation repair solution to your specific problem and type of foundation. What works on a slab foundation, for instance, might either not work or need to be implemented differently for a pier and beam or crawl space foundation.
One of most common solutions we use, however, is foundation underpinning with helical piers or push piers.
The theory behind both push piers and helical piers is the same. The soil beneath the building isn’t properly supporting it, so we will find a layer that can. This is done through sinking steel rods deep into the soil, attaching them to brackets on the building’s foundation and then hydraulically lifting the foundation back to its normal height.
The weight of the house is then transferred onto these piers.
The differences also determine when each is at its best. Push piers are basically a steel rod (or series of steel rods). It is an end-bearing pier, meaning that it needs a very solid layer of soil to avoid sinking farther. Often this means bedrock. Push piers are ideal for soils where the piers can easily extend down to bedrock.
Helical piers are also long, steel rods, but they have helical plates attached to them, giving them the appearance of a screw or an auger. These piers are screwed into the ground, rather than sunk. The plates mean the pier doesn’t have to rely on its end to support all of the weight of the structure. Therefore, helical piers can often find a load-bearing strata of soil at a shallower depth than push piers.
This fact makes them ideal for places where the bedrock is far below the surface.
Regardless, both methods are far less invasive and more effective than solutions involving pouring large amounts of concrete. Excavations must be dug down to the footer at the location of each pier, but those excavations can be relatively small, and no heavy machinery is needed.
We use Earth Contact Products (ECP) tools and products when it comes to foundation repair. These American-made products are the very best in the industry. Their tools have been load-tested and are proven to last. The products you may see us using include helical tiebacks, helical piers, and soil nails. Sometimes we have to tackle the problem at the source.
If you have a crawl space foundation, you likely rarely give it much thought. If it isn’t properly maintained, however, it can cause your home a lot of problems.
There are a number of problems that can affect your crawl space. The piers supporting the crawl space beams, for instance, could begin to settle or fail.
Most crawl space problems, however, have one root cause: moisture. Whether it is in the form of standing water or just high humidity, moisture can wreak havoc on a crawl space.
The problems include:
What repairs we do depend on how severe the damage is. If the beams just need additional support, we can install concrete masonry unit (also known as cinder block) piers in your crawl space to support the beams.
If wood rot or other problems have weakened the beams or floor joists too much, however, they might need to be removed and replaced with new ones.
So your Columbia home’s crawl space has been repaired. The next question is, how do we keep the problem from happening again.
If water was the cause, you take steps to keep the water out.
Crawl space encapsulation typically involves the installation of an impermeable, tear-resistant vapor barrier on the crawl space walls and floor. This, along with other waterproofing and sealing measures, will keep the moisture from getting into your crawl space, preventing your problems from recurring.
Is your basement wall or retaining wall cracking horizontally and bowing? Helical tiebacks and wall anchors will anchor the wall in the adjacent soil, providing a counteracting force to the hydrostatic pressure pushing in on the wall.
Installing a boardwalk? Helical boardwalk anchors can secure the posts in the ground to provide a strong foundation for your boardwalk.
Pressure grouting is when grout is injected into pre-drilled holes to bolster, eradicate cracks, amend faults, and diminish water flow.
Grouting can create pressure below where a structure is beginning to sink into unstable ground.
It is also creates a watertight seal when cured which can reduce the chances of water seeping into your home.
Another solution for bowing and leaning walls is the installation of Rhino Carbon Fiber strips.
Carbon fiber, which is even stronger than steel, can help strengthen and support a wall against the pressure being applied on it from the soil outside.
No matter what your foundation repair need is, you’ll find that Tar Heel Foundation Solutions is the answer to your problem. Our foundation repair service has been helping commercial and residential properties around Columbia for years. We have the experience and products to make sure your home or business is strong, stable, and secure.
Contact us for all your foundation and other structural repair needs. We’ll provide you with a free inspection and estimate and will work with you make sure you are happy with the project from beginning to end.
Tar Heel Foundation Solutions is proud to serve the Columbia, SC area for all of your foundation repair needs.
If you find yourself with foundation cracks or anything foundation problem, remember Tar Heel Foundation Solutions for all your foundation repair needs in Columbia. Call today!
ECP is "The Very Best" manufacturer of steel foundation repair, waterproofing & anchoring products in the industry.
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