Foundation Repair for Swelling Soils in Dallas
Foundation Repair for Swelling Soils in Dallas
Fun Facts: Years ago, most foundation damage was caused by settlement. As the result of improved construction practices used by home builders, more foundation damage is now cause by swelling soils than by settling soils.
How do you know if you have swelling soils? There are some easy signs to look for. The best indicator is the condition of the streets in your area. When there are swelling soils, streets quickly become uneven. Swelling soils will cause streets to develop a lot of humps and bumps. As streets move, they crack.
The same conditions that affect your streets will also affect your driveway. If your driveway is breaking into pieces and or the panels are becoming uneven, this is often a sign of expansive soils. If your driveway is higher than your garage, it will not be because your house is sinking. Almost always this problem is caused by a driveway being lifted up by swelling soils. We have seen driveways that were 6 inches higher than the garage! When this happens, it is time for our top-quality foundation repair for swelling soils in Dallas.
Cracks on the Corners of Foundations
Foundation Cracks on Corners of Homes
Fun Facts: As concrete hardens (or as the engineers say, cures) it shrinks and cracks, as a result, all concrete has cracks in it.
One of the most common forms of foundation cracks is the cracks that occur on the tops of the corners of foundations. The cracks can cause a triangular piece of concrete, sometimes called a wedge, to break loose from a foundation.
Most of the time, a cracked corner is not caused by foundation movement. The most common cause is temperature changes. In the summer, the ground is cooler than the air. Because your foundation sits on the ground (and because you air condition our home) your foundation tends to stay much cooler than the air. The difference between the air temperature and the temperature of your foundation will be greatest on hot summer days. Continue reading
Sewer Plumbing Leaks and Foundation Leak Repair in Dallas
Sewer Plumbing Leaks and Foundation Leak Repair in Dallas
Fun Facts: Most homes built prior to 1975 have iron sewer lines. The expected life of an iron sewer line is only 30 years.
When owners think of plumbing leaks, the first idea that comes to mind is leaking water lines. In fact, most plumbing leaks occur in sewer lines. The damage from such leaks can be severe. Advanced Foundation Repair is the top provider of foundation leak repair in Dallas.
For homes built after 1945 and before 1975, the sewer lines were mostly built of cast iron or clay. Because the design life for iron sewer lines was about 30 years, all of the existing residential lines that were installed before 1990 need to be replaced with PVC lines.
The French Drain System and Foundation Repair
Fun Fact: The French drain system is named after Henry Flagg French, who published a book on farm drainage in 1859.
Most of the time when a foundation moves it is because the soil under the foundation is moving. Most soil movement is caused by changing water content in the soil. As a result, most foundation movement can be controlled by controlling ground water.
A French drain is a drainage system composed of a trench, containing one or more pipes, with the pipes surrounded by gravel. The gravel may or may not extend to the surface, and the gravel may or may not be wrapped in geotechnical cloth. In a better drainage system, the gravel is wrapped in geotechnical cloth.
Geotechnical cloth is a fabric made of materials, such as fiberglass, that do not decay and that allow water to pass through while preventing soil from passing through. If the gravel in a trench is not wrapped in geotechnical cloth, soil, sand, and clay will fill the gaps between the pieces of gravel, plug up the drain, and cause the drain to stop working. Wrapping the drain line in geotechnical cloth (sometimes call a pipe in a sock) is less effective than wrapping the trench. If dirt plugs up the gravel, water can not get to the drain line, and the drain will plug up, so the lining on the pipe will be useless.
About Home Warranty Foundation Repair
About Home Warranty Foundation Repair
Fun Fact: A study of North Texas foundation repair companies found that their average life was only 4.5 years.
Remember, you get what you pay for. If a company lasts only 4.5 years, then your lifetime warranty is for the life of the company, not the life of your home!
The original “lifetime warranty” for foundation repair was offered by Perma-Pile. Perma-Pile advertised that their home warranty foundation was backed by cash in the bank. When Perma-Pile declared bankruptcy, they went away and so did their cash in the bank. Tens of thousands of warranties issued by Perma-Pile are now worthless.
If your home warranty foundation repair comes with a lifetime warranty, ask to see the warranty in writing before you sign the contract. Watch out for special conditions and limitations.
