August 11, 2010 By

Do All Foundation Repairs Include a Lifetime Transferable Warranty?

Foundation repair warranties may be transferable for: the lifetime of the structure, for a fixed period, or for a fixed number of property owners.

There is no “standard” warranty for foundation repair. Also, The State of Texas does not warrant foundation repair.

Some companies have established limited trust funds.  The strength of the trust fund is limited by the amount of financial contribution of the company, and by outstanding liabilities should the company fail.

Some contractors warrant that the underpinning will be adjusted if it settles. Other contractors warrant that if the foundation repair pier or piling settles, they will adjust the pier for a fixed fee.

A foundation repair warranty is normally limited to the area supported by the pier.  It is impractical to expect that underpinning in one area of a house will support another part of the foundation.

One company overzealously advertised..“fix it with … and fix it forever”. You will not find that in a brochure anymore.  It is unrealistic to promise that foundation repair will fix all future foundation problems.

Once one area of a house is suitably underpinned, the movement in another area may become more apparent.  This is not a short fall of the foundation repair.  The practical reality is that homeowners seldom take the aggressive stance of totally underpinning a house in order to prevent any future movement.  Such an approach may be too expensive.

No foundation warranty in Texas will cover problems caused by “heave“.  Heave occurs when expansive clay soil expands, raising an area of the foundation off of the structural supports.

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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 8, 2009 By

Why is a plumbing test required after foundation repair?

Water from plumbing leaks is a major contributor to foundation failure.

When a foundation repair is performed in the vicinity of plumbing, a foundation repair company will always require that a licensed plumber check for leaks and that they be repaired.  Leak test and repair is a standard condition in a foundation repair contract.

Possibly a leak was present before the foundation repair, and contributed to the need to fix the foundation.

Sometimes a leak occurs as a result of the house lift.  As the foundation is raised, the plumbing remains firmly embedded in the ground.

If the leak is in the freshwater line, rapid soil erosion can take place, causing the foundation will drop.

When a plumbing leak occurs in the sewer system, it is typically slow.  As clay soil absorbs water, it will expand, causing the foundation to heave.  Heaving can occur over weeks or years.

At Granite Foundation Repair we have seen concrete slabs take a domed shape from the force of  heaving clay soil.  Additional water from a slow leak may turn the soil to mud.  Muddy soil can not support a foundation.

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