Have you noticed any structural problems in your house’s foundation lately? There could be a number of reasons behind it, from temperature changes to soil composition. But there is a culprit that is a common cause behind the foundation issues in many homes—WATER.
Water is seemingly harmless, as we encounter it daily. It plays a part when we eat meals, take showers, wash the dishes, and more. Your kids might even enjoy going outside and jumping in muddy puddles during playtime. But did you know it also causes expansive soil problems?
Too little of it can cause your soil to shrink. Too much, on the other hand, will cause your soil to swell. And as the soil beneath your foundation settles or heaves, you’ll see signs of foundation damage in your home. A foundation repair expert can quickly assess the situation and determine the best solution before the problem gets worse.
In this week’s featured project, we help another victim from this foundation culprit. Let’s see how PermaTech Foundation Repair handles this one!
Hidden Plumbing Leak Causing Foundation Issues in McKinney
A home in McKinney had been struck by lighting on the chimney, which had caused a small fire to break out. The homeowner contacted their insurance company to assess the damage. Based on the company’s initial inspection, the lighting strike had damaged the stone on the exterior of our client’s home. But it’s always better safe than sorry, so they reached out to us to check the foundation just in case.
Our team of experienced contractors came in to conduct an in-depth inspection of the area. Most of the damage to the stonework was around the homeowner’s front office room, extending across the front door and around the dining room in one direction. It also reached around the master closet towards the other direction. However, their sheetrock as well as the tiles in the front foyer were also showing signs of damage.
After taking a closer look, we discovered that their foundation was out of level. This could not have been caused by the lightning strike! We suspected a plumbing leak was behind the stone damage, so we had the homeowner test their plumbing. Lo and behold, there WAS a leak in the area of movement!
Our client had three options. One was to ignore the problem, which means the plumbing leak would continue to cause damage to the foundation, spreading the problem further inside and around the house. The second option was for the insurance company to go ahead with cosmetic repairs, which would have very quickly failed and would have needed to be redone.
The third option was to go for foundation work, which the homeowner chose and the insurance company surprisingly covered, so we got started on the project right away!
Our client chose our PT3 System, which is our best system as it is a double-walled, sleeve-locked, concentrically-loaded, steel-pressed piling pier. This point-based support system is designed to easily push through the ground until it sits on something solid like rock. Although this system is more expensive than our other systems that are designed to sit on a layer of restrictive clay, the PT3 structure is expected not to fail within its lifetime.
The project presented us with a challenge considering how well built their home’s foundation was in the first place. Typically you don’t find grade beams under a house closer than 10 feet apart, while most are close to 15 to 20 feet apart. For this home, their grade beams were about 5 feet apart!
After discovering how close together their grade beams were after we dug under the house, we had to install more piers than originally thought needed. 22 in fact! We were able to keep the work contained in the area of the floor that was already being replaced in the foyer. The homeowner’s office needed work done as well, but we didn’t want to destroy his very expensive hardwood floors so our team opted to do the work by digging a tunnel underneath.
The Results of Quality Foundation Repair
This project was successfully completed in 3 days by a crew of four and one crew chief. Our project manager made sure to check in during the important parts of the project.
Your home is a major investment. Our team of foundation repair experts will help you take the best steps to preserve, protect, and repair it. If you see any foundation issues in your home, reach out to us today by calling 214-326-0718 and we’ll get it evaluated right away.
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