You might not spend a lot of time thinking about the foundation of your home – especially if you don’t work in the construction industry – and for the most part, it does its job quietly and invisibly. However, your home’s foundation may one day need to be repaired or replaced, and if you’ve noticed some damage to the foundation of your home, it can be helpful to understand the extent of the damage before calling a masonry contractor. Once you’ve examined the damage more closely, you might be able to tell whether repairs will be enough, or whether the foundation needs to be replaced altogether.
If you’d like to know more about whether your damaged foundation needs to be repaired or replaced, you’ll find the following information useful:
What causes a foundation to weaken and become damaged?
Deterioration of your foundation is often caused by the ground it sits upon, such as when the soil starts to compact, contract, expand or loosen, which can cause the foundation to sink deeper than it should, down into the ground.
Seasonal cycles such as freezing and thawing in the winter months, heavy rainfall or a long period of drought, can all cause the soil to shift and harm your home’s foundation.
When your foundation needs to be repaired
In many instances, it’s entirely practical and effective to repair your foundation, and a simple inspection from a masonry professional will give you and them, a clearer picture of how bad the damage is, and what will be needed to be done to repair it.
One procedure that might be suitable, involves a series of holes being dug close to the weaker areas of the foundation, and piers being secured into the bedrock; a technique known as a push pier system. Helping to restore your home to its original structural integrity, this particular procedure corrects foundation settlement, as does a procedure known as parging. Where parging is concerned, a special coat is applied to the foundation to help restore its appearance and repair cracked or crumbling foundation.
Following a consultation with a masonry contractor, you’ll be advised of which procedure will work best to correct the issues your foundation is experiencing.
When your foundation needs to be replaced
In the majority of instances, replacing a foundation is considered as a last resort, due to its cost and complexity. Such action is usually only required following an event such as a major natural disaster, in which an earthquake took place or there was severe flooding. Should this course of action be required, your home would be held up temporarily by support jacks, while the masonry professionals remove the foundation walls and floor. When the foundation has been completely removed, your home would then be lowered back down and secured in place.
Replacing your home’s foundation is a big task and a highly disruptive process, so unless a masonry contractor has deemed this to be the only appropriate course of action, your foundation will likely be repaired.