If you’re spending more and more time at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, now might be the best opportunity to discover new hobbies! Why not try pottery? Jump into Art Studios is holding a fun pottery class this February 20 in McKinney, Texas. Aside from learning how to master the throwing method on a pottery wheel, you get to bring your favorite adult sipping beverages—that’s why it’s called Sip and Throw Saturday Night Pottery Party! Book tickets here.
At PermaTech Foundation Repair, we like to get creative with the solutions we provide our clients. Let’s see how we helped a Bedford homeowner in this week’s featured project!
Massive Leak Causes Foundation Failure in Allen TX
An Allen homeowner had just installed beautiful new floors on their house’s first floor. They were so pleased with how that transformed their home’s interior, but unfortunately that wasn’t the only thing changing. They started noticing quite a lot of cracks on the sheetrock inside of their home. Afraid that it was a sign that their foundation was moving and would damage their house, they called us.
It turns out that their next door neighbor had a massive ongoing leak that they have been unable to repair. Our client had started to notice the interior damage after their neighbor’s leak. Our team of experts deduced that our client’s poor drainage along the sides of their foundation combined with the excess water coming from their neighbor’s leak was causing the perimeter to heave more than normal. And whenever summer came and the perimeter was drier than usual, it would then sink down from that lift. Both the heaving and the sinking were causing damage.
We decided that installing better drainage would be necessary to address the issues. A heft french drain down the neighbor’s side would also be needed for protection from the leak, as the drain will direct groundwater away from their foundation and let it drain naturally into their yard. Plus, they needed a drip line to protect the house in the summer. The drip line system will keep the supporting soils of the foundation at the perfect moisture levels so they don’t shrink during the summer months.
Installing Drains, French Drain and Drip Line to Protect Foundation
The bulk of the water that ends up next to the foundation originates from the roof, so they would need drains around their property and a French drain. The drains tie in with the downspouts for the gutters to take the water to the street. The French drain, on the other hand, is more complicated.
A French drain is made up of a trench, a pipe with holes, fabric and gravel. The pipe we use is a 4-inch smooth wall pipe, which is both big enough to manage the worst rainstorms and smooth enough to allow water to move faster. It is less prone to blockage, meaning it’ll last much longer. Next is the fabric, which will prevent any dirt from filling the gaps between the gravel, as well as make the gravel last as long as possible. Lastly, the gravel will ensure sufficient water flow. We use a native river rock blend while other companies use the white limestone. Although limestone is cheaper and more abundant, it’s bad for the French drains because it’s softer and will erode.
For the French drain, we dug an 18-inch trench.
Then, we wrapped it in a soil separator fabric, filled it with gravel, and installed a single 4-inch pipe with holes. Any groundwater will hit the gravel and get sucked into the spaces in between. The water will then fill up the trench and then the pipe, which will carry that water away.
Next is the drip line! The drip line is a two-part water system for the foundation. It’s a hose with drip emitters along its length. This is better regulated, holds pressure over greater distances, and lasts way longer than a soaker hose. Our team buried it around the foundation at an appropriate distance and depth that would help the foundation best.
We then connected the drip line to a smart timer, which pulls weather data to determine how long it should water to best help the foundation. Since the drip line runs on AI, the homeowner doesn’t need to do anything after installation aside from replacing the batteries for the timer once in a while after they get notified on their phone.
With the drains and drip line in place, the house’s supporting soils aren’t shrinking or heaving, thus preventing any damage to the foundation or the house!
At PermaTech Foundation Repair, you will always get trustworthy services that can solve all your foundation problems. We’ll be more than happy to stop by, evaluate it, and determine the best solution. If you need foundation repair, we’re here to help. Call or text us at 214-326-0718 today. We’ll get the job done for you on time, on budget.
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