What To Expect During the Foundation Repair Process

Aside from the costs associated with foundation repairs, the next big thing homeowners want to know is what to expect during the foundation repair process. Makes sense, right? You want to have all your ducks in a row, and be sure that you’re fully prepared for this major home improvement project.

The good news is, in most cases, there isn’t much work to be done by the homeowner prior to repairs! Majority of the prep-work will be done by the contractors.

What to Expect During the Foundation Repair Process:

Packing Up Your Belongings

While it might make you feel more comfortable to take decorations off of your walls, it isn’t really necessary. Aside from the noise from small excavating or lifting machinery, there isn’t much disturbance to your home. For some reason there’s a thought that lifting a house means earthquaking or shaking movement, however, that’s not the case!

The only packing that might need to be done is if excavations will be performed from inside of the home. In many cases, excavations are done on the exterior, however, there are some instances in which interior excavations might be necessary. Your contractor should inform you of the process if this is the case.

Excavation

In order to perform exterior excavations, your foundation repair team will dig up any plants and landscaping items that you want to save. These will be saved for reinstallation after repairs are complete. After landscaping has been carefully removed, small holes will be dug next to your foundation. The quantity, depth, and location of these holes will be determined by the repair plan, and support needed to properly restore your home to its original location.

Preparing the Foundation

After excavations are complete and the foundation beam has been exposed, your contractor will begin preparing the foundation. Poured concrete foundations are cast in a trench that is dug into the soil, which often means that the concrete is not always smooth or level. In order to attach a steel foundation bracket, the concrete surface needs to be smooth and even for a proper load transfer process.

Installation, Load Transfer, and Lifting

After the pier locations have been excavated, and the foundation preparation is complete, the pier installation can begin. The installation method will vary by underpinning product. Regardless of the product used to lift your home, the installation should be smooth and without any shaking.

Following the installation of foundation piers, the lifting process begins. To begin lifting, hydraulic jacks are placed on each pier bracket. These hydraulic jacks control the lifting pace. As the floor begins to level, your contractor or project supervisor will close valves on specific jacks to stop the lifting process in that area.

After all valves have been closed, each pier is secured to a pier cap on each foundation bracket. By this time, the weight of the home has been successfully transferred from the compromised soil to the structural steel piers.

Want an in-depth look at what to expect during the foundation repair process?

Check out this post written by a registered engineer on the ECP blog! In this post, Donald J Clayton gives homeowners an in-depth look at the foundation repair process from a professional’s perspective!

Looking for a foundation repair contractor in your area? Just give us a call and we’ll do the rest!