What's an Elevation Survey?

An elevation survey shows the elevation of various locations of the slab surface or, in the case of a finished house, the finish floor. An elevation survey is a snapshot of the situation. To get the big picture and a better sense of how the foundation moves, it's more useful to take an elevation survey at different times.

You may need an elevation survey if:

• You live in an area with unstable soil
• You have drywall cracking, binding doors, sloping floors, or foundation wall cracks.
• You have had past structural repairs.
• You are anticipating the need for structural repairs.
• You are in dispute with your builder over construction defects or deficiencies.
• Your home is for sale, and the buyer's home inspector has reported on structural movement.
• You are buying a home and want to have maximum information regarding structural condition.
• Your structural warranty company has denied your claim for structural damage.
• You want to have a "benchmark" document for monitoring for future movement.
  

For more information, visit www.AceFoundation.com.

When It Rains, It Pours.

It won't be long before we start our annual North Texas spring rains. For now, take advantage of our winter rains to identify potential problems and correct them before the heavier rains start.

After a good rain, look for water pooling near your foundation. If there are puddles, then you need to find a way to direct the water away from the house. You can install a French drain, cut a swale, or change the grade around your foundation.

Also, look for leaks in your home. Some leaks may be caused by foundation problems. So, once you've identified a leak, you need to find the reason for the leak. If the reason is straightforward, such as problems with your roof, then you can the problem and be done with it. If you cannot figure out why the leak exists or where it's coming from, then it may be time to get a professional to look at the problem.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

What is an Initial Site Inspection

An initial site inspection determines the most likely cause of damage and if it's caused by the foundation.

An initial site inspection requires the inspector to gather lots of information. Such information includes but isn't limited to:

• structural and architectural drawings
• grading plans
  
• plat of survey

You may not have all this information, especially if you're not the original owner of the home. In this case, the inspector will make a visual inspection of the property to get information about where foundation cracks are located, the structure type, the foundation type, the depth of the foundation, the how much and in which direction the building has moved, and any signs of earlier repairs (either to walls or the foundation). The inspector may also consider nearby trees, drainage around the home, and other exterior conditions.

Once all the information is gathered, the inspector will produce the initial site inspection. The initial site inspection is then used -- along with an elevation survey -- to determine the cause of the damage to your home.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Guest Post by Ken Johnson, Express Foundation Inspection

Nearly all foundation problems stem from either an excess or lack of water. During rainy months, the soil swells, shifting the foundation, and during the dry months, the soil contracts, sometimes repositioning the foundation in an unfortunate manner. It is important to ensure that
the foundation is uniformly hydrated, both during dry and wet periods. Aside from making sure that your foundation is watered, there are a few other things to be mindful of:

1. Plumbing
   

   
   The most common problem is not with a high pressure water leak, but with waste water leaks.
   

   
   

   If your insurance covers under the slab leaks it is always good to have a plumber check your waste water lines before you begin foundation work.
   

   
   

   Many insurance companies no longer carry this coverage unless you pay for it specifically. Check with your insurance agent to see if you have this coverage before you begin any foundation repairs.
   

   
   

   Once foundation repairs are completed a check of all plumbing lines both high pressure and waste water along with gas lines should be checked for leaks.
   

   
   
2. Trees or shrubs with large or greedy root structures
   

   
   In a situation where a tree or group of shrubs are absorbing water and making the foundation sag, a root barrier or removal of the offending foliage are two of the leading options in prevention and correction of damage.
   

When purchasing a home these two things should be paid special attention. As a licensed professional engineer, I can help you determine if piers, root barriers, or drainage solutions may help maintain your foundation. Express Foundation Inspection can help you determine if the home you are looking to purchase has any signs of foundation damage, and if it does, we can pose solutions to solve such problems. Contact us at kjohnsontexas@verizon.net or call (972) 495-0890.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Scary Pictures of Foundation Cracks

We probably see more foundation cracks than most people. After all, we visit home after home, business after business! You name it, we've seen it.

Here's your chance to see a variety of foundation cracks and other foundation problems. We've gathered together for you three links of pictures.

• Google Images
• Yahoo! Images
• Bing Images
  

Some of these cracks look pretty scary, don't they?

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

What to Do After Foundation Repair

If you've just had your foundation repaired, then you're probably interested in protecting it for as long as possible. The key is to remove any of the conditions that caused your foundation to fail in the first place. Follow these tips and your foundation will provide a solid, stable base for your home for years to come.

• Check the drainage around your home and fix any problems you find. Make sure that water drains away from your home. You may need to regrade your lot or add swales. Also, make sure that your drain spouts aren't clogged and that they release water sufficiently far away from your foundation.
• Review your landscaping. Shrubs and bushes should be at least 18 inches to two feet from your foundation. Trees should be even further away. Look for tree roots shoving their way under the foundation and cracking or moving it. Tree roots can also invade and break water and sewer lanes. Install root barrier systems once you have removed damaging roots.
• Minimize the contraction and expansion of soil near and under your foundation by using soaker hoses during the summer. The best way to do this is to regularly and responsibly water your lawn. You'll get double use of your water with this technique!

Following these steps and keeping an eye for tell-tale symptoms (such as cracks around door frames) will ensure your foundation stays in tip top shape.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

5 Reasons Why Putting Off Foundation Repair is a Bad Idea

No one likes to think about foundation repair. It's not the cheapest home repair you can think of and it's certainly not glamorous. No one will walk into your home and say, "My, my, my! You have a beautiful home and -- wait -- you must have just had the foundation repaired! It's gorgeous!"

However, ignoring foundation repair or saving it to the very last can be a costly mistake. Below are five reasons why foundation repair should be at the top of your list -- not the bottom.

1. A bad foundation creates more problems throughout your home. A bad foundation can cause doors to jam in their frames, walls to crack, windows to stick, floor tiles to pop loose, and myriad other problems. Each of these problems cost money to fix and fixing them before you fix the foundation means you'll be fixing these problems again. And again. And again.
2. A bad foundation does not fix itself. A foundation moves up and down and side to side based on the water content of the soil upon which it rests. No matter how long you wait and how hard you wish, your foundation is not going to move back into its original configuration.
3. A bad foundation can be the sign of other problems. Ignoring foundation repairs means you may be missing other problems. For instance, if your foundation has shifted due to a leak in a sewer pipe, you may not even learn of the sewer pipe problem until you've begun to deal with the foundation problem.
4. Spending money on home improvement may be a bust if your foundation has a problem. Just think about installing new floor tiles in your entryway or kitchen, only to have them come loose months later because your foundation is shifting. Your investment in the floor tiles was for nothing!
   
5. The longer you wait, the more expensive the repairs may become. You want to stabilize your foundation as soon as possible. Waiting will not lessen the amount of repairs necessary.
   

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Foundation Repair Glossary, Part 4

Here's the last post in our four-part series, Foundation Repair Glossary. This post catches us up on terms that didn't make it into the prior three posts. Don't worry — we'll post the entire glossary from start to finish so you have the whole thing at your fingertips!

Bell Bottom Pier

A concrete pier that has a bell-shaped bearing surface.

Crawl Space

The space between the bottom of the structure and the ground. This is common or necessary with pier and beam foundations. A properly engineered crawlspace allows enough room to vent moisture and allow for work on plumbing, electrical, and other utilities under the building.

Deviation

Deviation is the amount by which the structure is not level. That is, the structure has deviated from its specifications and true level. Naturally, a home with a great deal of deviation requires more work (piers) to bring it back to level.

Differential Settlement

The difference in movement vertically between different parts of the foundation; Non-trivial differential settlement can cause foundation failure.

Drilled Piers

A pier formed by drill a hole at an angle to a predetermined depth, forming rebar within the hole, and then filling the hole with concrete (mixed with a curing agent). A drilled pier can be expected to fail if the conditions which caused the foundation to fail in the first place are not corrected.

Epoxy Injection

Epoxy injection is used for concrete in manner similar to how welding is used for steel. That is, epoxy is used to fill cracks in concrete; often times, though, the cracks remain as weak point in the foundation.

Galvanizing

Galvanized metal is made via an electromechanical process by which steel (or iron, or other metal) is coated with a non-rusting metal, such as zinc. The zinc simply isn't painted on the steel but rather is deposited and bonded to the steel via electrode position. The long and short of it all is that the steel is protected by the zinc and not subject to rust.

Helical Pier

A helical pier is a steel shaft to which circular steel plates have been welded at an angle (thing of a large screw). Helical piers offer more resistance and support than traditional steel piers, which do not have steel plates.

Initial Site Inspection

An initial site inspection determines the most likely cause of damage and if it's caused by the foundation. The initial site inspection requires the inspector to gather lots of information including but not limited to structural and architectural drawings, grading plans, and plat of survey.

Root Barrier

Root barriers are physical barriers that redirect tree root growth downward, thus eliminating surface rooting that can damage foundations, sidewalks, driveways, and other hardscapes

Pier and Beam

A foundation construction method where the structure is supported several feet off the ground by pillars and posts or pilings (a.k.a. the piers).

Pier Depth

The depth to which piers are sunk. Piers must reach a depth that provides adequate support. This means to bedrock or to a particular soil density. The deeper the piers must be sunk, the more expensive the foundation repair job will be.

Post-Tensioning Cable Foundations

A foundation construction technique where high-strength steel strands or cables, typically referred to as tendons, create a grid of steel cables that actively support the slab.

Pressed Pier

A pressed pier is made up of individual pilings that are pre-pressed and pre-formed. These pilings, in turn, are pressed into the ground using a hydraulic press. The individual pilings are locked to each other with steel shims or a piece of cable.

Rebar

Rebar, also known as reinforcing steel or reinforcement steel, is a common steel bar used to reinforced concrete.

Retaining Wall

A retaining wall supports eroding soil in areas where the ground is likely to shift. Retaining walls can also provide additional support to foundations built up with fill dirt.

Soaker Hose

A gardening hose capped on one end and containing hundreds of tiny perforations. A soaker hose set next to a structure's foundation can help maintain a consistent moisture level within the soil and help prevent foundation movement and, consequently, foundation failure.

Soil Stability

Soil material (clay, sand, etc.) and drainage play a big part in how much water the soil can contain and how often that soil is asked to contain that water. If the soil's moisture content changes often and/or a great deal, your foundation will move as the soil contracts and expands with moisture.

Structural Engineer

An independent registered professional engineer that specializes in civil or structural engineering.

Waffle Slab Foundation

Waffle slab foundations are formed when beams are poured throughout the interior until the pattern resembles a waffle.>

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Structural Engineers and Foundation Work

You should contact an independent registered professional engineer if you think your slab foundation needs work and you want an impartial opinion. Look for an engineer who specializes in civil or structural engineering. The average electrical or aeronautics engineer probably isn't experienced in soil mechanics or the load bearing capacity of concrete. Ideally, your chosen contractor should have experience in residential or light commercial slab on grade foundations.

Finally, ask the engineer if they have any ties to foundation repair contractors, builders or insurers. You want an engineer whose recommendations are based on professional opinion and not on existing agreements or commissions.

You’ll find engineers listed in your local phone book and on web search engines. Most inspections will run several hundred dollars, but note that fees can vary depending on where you live and the inspector's experience, etc.

Do you have an any comments or an interesting story concerning your foundation inspection? Then tell us about it. Send email to alanardoin@gmail.com.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.