January 15, 2012 By

Foundation Problems Due to City Water Restrictions

Texas Lake bed near Dallas shows cracks in clay soil

Texas Lake bed near Dallas shows cracks in clay soil

Foundation problems and the need for foundation repair has grown due to recent water rationing and restrictions.  During a period of drought, such as Dallas and Ft. Worth has experienced in 2011 and 2012, failure to adequately water will lead to an uneven shrinkage of soil. The soil then fails to support the foundation.

Maintaining adequate soil moisture is a key part of foundation maintenance in areas with clay soil.  Clay soil has a high index of plasticity, meaning that it is very sensitive to changes in moisture.  From its dry state, clay soil can expand up to 8 inches in the Dallas Fort Worth region.

City managers in Dallas and Fort Worth recognize the critical need to maintain adequate foundation moisture.  During stage 3 and stage 4 water restriction, most cities still allow foundation watering for up to 2 hours per day.

While proper foundation watering can with patience be accomplished with a hand held hose, it is more practical to install a drip irrigation system or soaker hoses.

Watering your foundation is a very critical part of maintaining a healthy foundation and therefore a healthy home. The foundation is very important to other aspects of the home. Even the roof can be damaged due to foundation problems. Roof damage and foundation problems go hand-in-hand.

Other noticeable flaws might be cracks in brick, cracks by windows, corners of rooms or in concrete driveways. For the best advice, contact Granite Foundation Repair. We provide FREE home foundation inspections.

Filed Under: Foundation Maintenance, Foundation Repair Information Tagged With: , ,
October 19, 2010 By

Why does soil consolidation cause a foundation problem?

Soil consolidation is a leading cause of concrete slab foundation failure of houses in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. The soil lacks the strength to adequately support the foundation.

Improper preparation of clay soil can cause consolidation, which means that the clay soil becomes more dense with time.  Soil consolidation can continue for decades.

During building site preparation, the developer should assure that clay soil is at the correct moisture content to enable adequate compaction in thin layers using specialized heavy construction equipment.

If you suspect a foundation problem is caused by soil consolidation, you may want to hire an engineering firm to perform soil consolidation testing.  Site testing can run upwards of $2500.

If your house foundation has failed due to clay soil consolidation, you should consult a construction attorney as you may be able to take action against the site developer and or builder.

The weight of a house will facilitate soil consolidation. One way to mitigate future consolidation damage is by having steel piers installed to take the load of the house off of the top soil in the areas where consolidation is taking place.  Sometimes it is necessary to pier the whole house  to fix foundation problems caused by soil consolidation.

Soil consolidation is common in the Dallas and Ft. Worth areas. If you suspect you have a soil consolidation issue, which is causing foundation problems, contact Granite Foundation Repair. One of our registered professional engineers will come out for FREE to perform a foundation inspection. Once a foundation inspection is performed, we can provide you with any foundation problems we see, the methods of repair we recommend and possibly the cause of your issues.

 

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December 31, 2009 By

Discount Foundation Repair in Dallas Ft Worth Texas/ Part 3 in a Series

This is part of a continuing series. Don’t be mis-lead by deep discount foundation repair .

A disreputable foundation repair company will short drive piers/pilings. Saves on material cost and installation time.   It is easy to drive short pilings in clay soil when concrete cylinders are used.  And for a couple of years, all will look fine.  But don’t be mislead.  Read on:

Pressed concrete piling depth is achieved by using hydraulic force against the weight of the house.  The dryer the clay, the more force is required to achieve pier depth.   The goal in driving pilings is to drive downward to the zone of minimal seasonal moisture variation, or rock.  At the zone of minimal seasonal moisture variation, the pier provides maximum long term support.

Four most concrete slab house repairs, at Granite Foundation Repair, we prefer steel pilings, which always drive to rock.  A lot can be done though to drive concrete cylinders/piers/pilings to maximum depth.  During dry weather, there are several tricks that a discount foundation repair company can use to level your house while attaining a pier depth of 3-5 feet.  This depth is good enough to lift the house, but not to provide long term stability.

What is the foundation repair company’s warranty and remedy for a sinking pier?  ADD MORE STEEL SHIMS. That often fails to stop future subsidence.

Here are 3 ways to achieve maximum depth, maximum stability, which the discounter will avoid:

1. Water injection:  At Granite Foundation Repair, we typically hydrate dry clay soil in 3-5 spots per pier using high pressure water injection.

2. Slow, steady hydraulic driving: A patient installation crew member can achieve 2-5 more feet of depth by using a slow push.

3. Don’t take breaks: When the drive of a single piling is interrupted for more than about 20 minutes, the force to resume the drive increases exponentially with time.  During a drive, a cone of soil occurs at the end of the concrete pier. When the drive stops, the cone disappears.  Resuming the drive means overcoming the forces of flat clay resistance.  Also, during a continuous drive, clay particles slip past the porous concrete. Stop the drive and the clay sticks to the cylinder.

Good stable foundation repair is as much about the process as it is about the base material.  Discount foundation repair is all about taking shortcuts to save the installer money.  In the long run the homeowner may have a lot more problems as a result of deeply discounted foundation repair.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Methods Tagged With: , , ,
October 19, 2009 By

Patented foundation repair method – is this best?

Your foundation needs repair, and one company offers a patented foundation repair method at a higher cost.  Is this good?

In areas like Plano, Dallas and Fort Worth, the soil and the structure determine the best foundation repair method.  About 6-8 years ago at a membership meeting of the Foundation Repair Association, one company spokesman was asked.. why did you get a patent on XYZ? The response.. we needed a marketing edge.

A marketing edge is not what you need.   You need the foundation repair method that meets the needs of your house, your situation.  We are not saying that the patent is without merit.  We are saying that the problem dictates the best foundation repair method.  One patent will not solve all of the problems in the Dallas Fort Worth region.

A foundation on deep sand seldom needs any type of repair.  A foundation on deep clay would be best served by lifting the whole structure off the clay.

It is seldom practical to perform a whole house lift. Furthermore, the structural benefit of a whole house lift seldom warrants the cost.

When a foundation repair company tauts, our method is best because it is patented… watch out. You may be snookered.

At Granite Foundation Repair we offer the broadest selection of foundation repair methods, because your house deserves the best foundation repair method for its particular situation. And sometimes, the best method is not underpinning.  It may be as simple as drainage correction.

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October 5, 2009 By

What is the cost to repair my concrete slab foundation in Dallas?

A full site inspection is required to accurately assess the cost of foundation repair.  For those of you who want the quick answer, call a foundation repair contractor such as Granite, which serves Dallas and other areas of North Texas.

Here is a list of some of the items that effect the cost of foundation repair.

  • The type of foundation problem – heave and settlement are the two most common problems
  • The cause of the foundation problem - this may include foundation maintenance, soil type, soil consolidation, soil erosion, moisture, plumbing, soil slumping, retainer wall failure, etc.
  • Physical integrity and construction quality of the foundation
  • Foundation type – Generally there  are 4 types per FHA, but more enhancements have occurred as of late.  The building code in effect at the time of construction may not have been adequate for expansive clay soil in Dallas.
  • Extent of the foundation problem. -whole house or localized area of the house
  • Goals of the owner – make it like new, quick fix, partial fix
  • Foundation repair method.
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October 1, 2009 By

Pier and Beam foundation leveling problems in Dallas Fort Worth

With proper maintenance, which means attention to drainage, pier and beam houses can be exceptionally stable.

At Granite Foundation Repair we often get calls in the rainy season about pier and beam foundation problems including cracks in walls and stuck doors and windows.

There is one way to eliminate seasonal pier and beam foundation problems… stop the water.

Too often we find that the crawl space of a pier and beam house is wet, and often even has standing water.   That is a problem because when the expansive clay soil gets wet, the soil expands, and the pier rises.  As the soil dries, the pier drops.  More often than not, some piers are on stable soil, while others are in the path of water.

Stop the water.  The soil dries.  The house can be shimmed in its new stable state, and no more cracks or stuck doors.

There may still be some movement around the perimeter, but the bulk of the problem is gone for good.

To see if drainage is a problem, check under your foundation the day after a big rain.  Put on some old clothes, open the scuttle hole, and crawl the length and width of the house looking for damp areas.  The goal is to have uniformly dry soil under your pier and beam house.

If you water regularly or not so regularly, this can also be a problem.  After watering, go into the crawl space and check for water or damp soil.

Filed Under: Pier and Beam Foundation Tagged With: , , , , , ,
September 29, 2009 By

My house was built on an area of cut and fill. Is this why I have a foundation problem?

Cut and fill is a major problem due to the expansive clay soils in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas of North Texas.

Why does improper fill cause a foundation problem?

Clay soil that has not been properly compacted will consolidate over time.. and we are talking about decades.  As the soil consolidates, it drops, and the foundation above it is no longer properly supported.  A foundation that is not properly supported will fail as it too will drop.

What is required to achieve a proper fill?

To properly “fill” a building site, the expansive clay soil must be compacted in no more than 4 inch layers, and be at the proper moisture level during compaction.   Proper moisture means that the clay soil can neither be too wet or too dry.

Why can a site cut cause a foundation problem?

When a site is cut down to a uniform height, expansive clay soil that was covered with over burden is now exposed to the water.   Newly cut soil can be characterized as dry and compact.   The compacted soil is good, but as the expansive clay hydrates (gains moisture), it will expand.  If a foundation is built over a newly cut area, it may heave as the soil hydrates.

Cut and Fill is the worst case scenario for a foundation.

For all the reasons explained above, a foundation straddling a cut and fill is a disaster waiting to happen.  The foundation tends to heave in the cut area, while sagging in the fill area.

Filed Under: Foundation Repair Information Tagged With: , ,
September 29, 2009 By

My foundation is heaving because it is on a cut area. Why do I have a foundation problem?

During housing site development, some high areas of land are cut off, while the low areas are filled with the cut material.   This is called cut and fill.

Clay soil deep underground may be drier than the surface clay. When the clay is exposed to surface moisture after the cut, the soil hydrates.  The clay soil gains water content, and it expands.   The expansive soil swells, forcing the foundation upwards, and we say that the foundation has heaved.

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September 29, 2009 By

Why is expansive clay soil a problem for my foundation?

Expansive clay soil that is correctly compacted and maintained at a proper and consistent moisture level is not a problem for a foundation.

There are four changes in clay soil which cause problems for our foundations:

  • Clay soil expands when it gets wet, causing the foundation to heave.
  • Clay soil contracts as it dries, removing foundation support, and causing the foundation to sag.
  • When clay soil is supersaturated with water, it turns to slippery mud, and the foundation sags.
  • Clay soil that has not been properly compacted will consolidate (become more compact and dense) with time.

If the moisture level in the clay soil under a part of a foundation increases, that area of the foundation will rise or heave.  If the moisture level  continues to rise, turning the clay to mud, the soil will lose its ability to support a foundation, and that area of the foundation will drop or slump.

When the moisture level in clay soil under a part of a foundation decreases, that area of the foundation will drop or slump.

Clay soil that has not been properly compacted during site preparation will consolidate over time due to the weight of the house.  If the consolidation of the soil does not occur evenly under the foundation, some parts will be less supported than others.

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