Foundation Repair

While we do not do major foundation repair, sometimes we do minor repairs and leveling to homes that have shifted with the North Texas soil. This house had some floor issues where the beams under the house had shifted and were pushing outward.

The floor was pushing the sliding door and entire wall outward...

We dug far enough down to get under the house...

We used jacks and very long threaded 3/4 inch bolts to attach to solid bracing under the house, and used the power of the bolts tightening against the solid bracing to pull the side of the house back together.   Quite a heavy chore, but it worked!!

Here is the finished product after we filled the dirt back in.  It held itself in place and was a very cost-effective repair...

Happy Digging!!

Collapsed Ceiling (Think YOU had a bad day?)

Had this call a while back.  a good portion of the living room ceiling collapsed causing a huge mess.

  It is interesting to note that we were suffering an extreme heat wave at the time of this disaster.  The only things we noted were seriously warped ceiling joist with sheetrock nails popping through the plaster.  This was probably aggravated due to the house standing without proper insulation for many years.  The house has gone through upgrades over the years, but not before the damage from years back had taken it's toll.

  It is a common problem to see this in garages, because many are not insulated.

  If you ever see nail holes appearing in a ceiling or can detect bowing and warping in a ceiling, do not delay in checking out what the cause of the problem is.

  As you can see in the picture, a disaster could have been avoided if the bowing had been noticed.

  Extensive work had to be done, ceiling joist had to be cut out and replaced.  Most of the sheetrock had to be replaced and re-textured.

  It helps to notice the small tell-tale signs!!

Happy Cleaning...

Foundation Issues

Cracks can be very anoying, but it's important to know what is causing the crack and the severity of the problem.
Cracks are mostly caused by small movements in the foundation generally enhanced by long wet and dry spells.  Here in North Texas, it is worsened by the blackland clay that tends to move much more than typical topsoil.
  Some cracks are caused by extreme heat causing wood to twist and buckle, more common in houses that have poor insulation.
  Take care in bringing in people to give you estimates on repairs, many companies make a living off of selling fear.
   When possible, use a company that a friend had good results with.  Get several companies to look it over and see if they all see the same problems. All estimates should be free.
  If you need actual repairs, try to use a company that has been in business a long time and guarantes their work.
Happy Spending!!

Below are 2 examples in a house we are working in today with a moderate to severe foundation problem.  The slab has moved so much that the sheetrock was actually sheered off in a couple places.  Only half of the doors even came close to closing.

  The foundation dropped in one area leaving large cracks under the baseboards.