Your foundation is meant to be the rock beneath your home. If it starts to waver, then it’s time to reach out for professional help. The contractors working in the Fargo, ND, area can provide you with a catalog of foundation stabilization and repair solutions. Which will suit you best?
What Are The Different Types of Foundations?
Before you start trying to repair or level your foundation, you’ll need to determine what kind of foundation you have. Sometimes, the construction company that built your home will have left you with documents telling you just that. Other times, you’ll need to get in touch with the company that worked on your home or reach out to professionals for an inspection.
More often than not, your home will have one of the following foundations:
- Slab Foundations – Construction companies build up slab foundations by pouring one cohesive layer of concrete over pre-installed support beams. By ensuring that the slab stays in one piece, the company provides homeowners with longer-lasting support.
- Basement/Crawl Space Foundations – Alternatively, you may be working with a basement or crawl space foundation. These foundations can be rare with modern homes. However, if your home is on the older side, your foundation may reside on top of the structural supports installed in your basement or crawl space. Contractors dig this space out of the ground before installing this initial support system. With the weight-bearing beams installed, all that remains for a company to do is to pour basement walls, if applicable, and move on to the rest of the house.
Why does your foundation type matter? Because the team you bring in to repair and level out your slab will need to know what kind of foundational template they’re working with. If you don’t know your foundation type, you may end up accidentally committing to a solution that won’t suit your home.
Uneven Slabs: What To Look For
That said, you can’t commit to a repair solution without knowing what’s wrong with your foundation. There are some symptoms that will give away foundation damage, including:
- Sagging floors
- Doors jamming
- Cracks in your floor
- Wall cracks
- Stuck windows
These signs also are just as likely to indicate a foundation crack or leak as they are an uneven slab. This is where a contractor’s expertise will come in handy. The contractors working out of the Fargo, ND, area will be able to inspect your home, tell you what’s going on, and provide you with a free quote on potential services, should your slab need to repaired and lifted.
Leveling A Home: The Potential Solutions
Once you’ve determined that your foundation’s been damaged, it’s time to act. There are a number of potential solutions available to you. The one that suits you best will likely depend on the degree of damage done to your foundation, as well as other individual features, including the size of your home and your budget.
That said, some of the most common solutions that contractors make available to homeowners include:
- Push Piers: Push piers are among the most common piers used to stabilize and lift a home. When installing these piers, contractors will take sections of galvanized steel tubes and drive them into the ground. From this point, they’ll connect the tubes to foundation brackets, which are attached to the footing of your home. Once everything’s installed, these piers will be able to alleviate some of the weight-bearing stress from your foundation, potentially lifting it as they do.
- Helical Piers: If some of the lighter parts of your home, like your front porch or chimney, are starting to sink, then your contractors will likely recommend helical piers. These screw-shaped piers are screwed into the ground beneath the damaged foundation and, like push piers, reinforce and have the ability to lift accordingly.
- Slab Piers: If you have a slab foundation, then a slab pier may be the best way to go. Slab piers are designed to work exclusively with slab foundations, stabilizing and leveling after their installation.
Some contractors may also recommend PolyRenewal injections for various areas cracking and sinking concrete slabs around your home including interior slab floors and exterior sidewalks, porches, and more.
Ready to reclaim your foundation? Talk to the contractors in the Fargo, ND, area for more information on the foundation stabilization and leveling solutions available to you.
