Home Owners

WE TREAT YOUR HOME AS IF IT WERE OUR OWN.

Preface

At Xpert Foundations we believe in offering as much information to our customers as they would like to have. As home owners ourselves, we understand how hard it can be to make major decisions about and for your home (your largest investment), and we treat every project as if we were working on our own home. On this page we have outlined for you the basics of what you may want to know.

As in everything, prevention is always the most cost effective way, but if you are already experiencing foundation problems, understanding the causes and knowing how they can be remedied will truly help. We do provide home evaluations that are Engineered specifically for your needs, if you have any questions or would like to schedule a Certified Inspection of your home, do not hesitate to contact us.

We wish you all success and a happy secure home!

Causes Of Foundation Failure

It used to be as easy as buying a good piece of land, and then building a home on it. Today, with most of the good land already taken, a lot of construction has been forced on land more prone to foundation problems and settlement. How do you stop this from effecting you? The best way is to understand it.

Active soils cause most foundation problems. Clay based soil is the major cause, and water is it's catalyst. It takes an electron microscope to see the little particles in the soil (called silica), expand and contract due to dryness or moister. Clay soil can shrink down by as much as 12%, and swell up as much as 50%. What this does beneath and around your foundation can be devastating. This is why it is important when you are preparing to build a new home to make sure your foundation has been stabilized even before the footing has been poured. Clay soil has been known to be responsible for:

• Bowed & cracked walls.

• Leaky basements.

• Sinking foundations.

• Leaning chimneys.

• Sinking concrete slabs.

Homes built on fill dirt (undisturbed soil that was moved from one location to another) has caused many recent foundation problems. Natural settling of the home is expected to occur, but when the home has been built on loose soil it will settle more dramatically in a shorter amount of time. Many new home subdivisions have been constructed on cut and fill dirt. When you cut a soil, its natural compaction is disturbed, it becomes fluffy, and no longer stable. If you place dirt or soil on a site without properly compacting it, the fill dirt will compact itself through gravity, vibration, and water saturation. Foundations placed on fill dirt or loose soil will, most likely, crack and fail.

Foundation failure can also be caused by something most people don't think about. The trees and bushes close to your home. Roots suck up and trap excess moisture around foundations, this is called Transpiration. Roots can be corrosive to foundations, they have also been known to push against, even in some extreme cases, push through foundation walls. Before placing a tree or bush near your home, you may want to find out how deep and how far out the root system will spread. Usually, if the tree’s distance from the foundation is greater than the mature height of the tree, the risk to your home is lower.

Plumbing leaks and poor drainage can also cause foundation problems. Ponding near and around the home is a general sign. If left un-repaired, both can cause significant damage to your foundation.

Seasonal cycles also contribute to foundation failure. When a home is first built, there is normal soil moisture and static pressure (the pressure of a stationary fluid) surrounding it. When the home goes through it's 1st summer, it loses it's frictional bearing (it's grip) on the surrounding soil as the ground dries out. This is when the soil will actually begin to pull away from the foundation, leaving it more exposed and vulnerable. Then when you water your lawn or it rains, water enters the voids caused by the shrunken soil. The soil becomes slick as it saturates, the clay in it swells, and the soil liquefies beneath the load bearing area of the foundation. Now your foundation goes from lacking support, to being forcefully pressed against, and settling. Because of this tug and pull process, you may experience changes inside the home as well.

Signs Of Foundation Failure

A stair-step crack. A crack in the concrete floor.

A leaky basement. A sinking garage.

Corner cracks inside the home.

Typical signs of foundation failure inside and outside the home are:

• Cracks in the brick or foundation.

• Gaps around the doors and windows.

• Cracks in the concrete floors.

• Cracks around the windows and doors.

• Walls leaning in or out.

• Doors that are hard to open or close.

• Windows that stick.

• Sloping of the floors.

• Water intrusion.

• Chimneys, porches, steps, garages, and additions that pull away from the home or settle.

• Slabs that heave or buckle.

Not only can these problems be prevented, if you are experiencing any of the above it can be stopped. Problematic soil activity usually occurs within the first 18 feet of depth beneath and around the home, this is called the Zone Of Influence. Below 18 ft. the moisture in the ground doesn't change much. Most foundation repair methods fail because they are done within the first 18 ft. If bedrock or a solid load-bearing strata cannot be reached within the first 18 ft, then using conventional repair methods will not fix the problem.

Foundation Solutions

Stabilizing a sinking porch.

Here is a list of the quality solutions we offer to combat the above mentioned problems:

• Green Friendly Products.

• Pre-Construction Piers.

• Helical Soil Nails.

• Push Piers.

• Rock Anchors.

• Helical Foundation Supports.

• Wall Tie-Back Anchoring Systems.

• Carbon Fiber Reinforcements.

• Basement Sump Pump Systems.

• Exterior Drainage Systems.

• Masonry Repairs.

• Mud Jacking.

• Polyurethane Injections.

• Epoxy Crack Injections.

• Complete Foundation Restorations.

• Sea Wall Tie-Backs.

• Basement Waterproofing.

• Engineering Support.

• Basement Tuxedo Refinishing

What makes Xpert Foundations different?

Foundation preparation and restoration is our specialty, keeping up to date with the latest technology, and continuing to educate ourselves, we attend new seminars, and classes every year. To ensure that we can offer the best products available, we offer only solutions that are effective, and proven to work.

Our unique piering system is the strongest and most cost effective system available. Whether you are facing pre-construction or have a pre-existing foundation problem, we have the right solution for your specific needs.

Xpert Foundation's products are internationally known, environmentally safe, and have been the choice of Homeowners, Engineers, Builders, Contractors, and Architects for decades. With high-quality control standards, fast and clean installation provided by certified professionals, we have a proven track record. Licensed and insured, our installation personnel have been trained in all six aspects of foundation stabilization:

• Site inspection.

• The pier selection process.

• Loads.

• Soil Science.

• Pier placement and inspection.

• Lifting Procedures.

We are more than just a piering company. Our complete foundation restoration processes have saved many historical homes, building new foundations under homes that were constructed without foundation footings is also another specialty of ours. It doesn't matter how bad the condition is, we have been able to repair the most difficult problems, even problems others were unable to fix. If you would like to see before, during, and after photographs refer to our album page.

For further information on our products and services, please contact us directly.