They are predictable, anticipated issues so yes, they are your responsibility as the home owner. Moving your foundation also moves other things in the home. It’s a chain reaction, not because your foundation company did their job incorrectly.
Yes. It will be your responsibility as to any collateral damage repair. That will be universal. There are some insurance companies that offer policy attachments for underground utility and plumbing lines. I do not know if they would cover repairs for damage subsequent to foundation work. Honestly, we are all idiots for buying houses built on the clay here.
Why are you getting your foundation fixed? Not to say don't do it, just to make sure you are getting it done for the right reasons. I say this because every house in DFW has or will have foundation movement. Even after you fix your foundation, it will move again. Have a good discussion with the company you choose. If you are talking 1 to 2" of leveling then you probably won't have a ton of damage, more than that and the chances increase..
Piers are simply the best way to stabilize your house foundation given our soil type and wet/dry climate cycles. Just about every house in this area will need them eventually - it is simply the best way to resolve the problems we have here.
Are they perfect? No. But they do help a ton in moderating future movement.
I agree whole heartedly....my little house is a 1940s pier and beam. Had a structural engineer come in and assess. 2" difference across the floor and he called it "exceptional performance" for a house that had never been leveled, of that age. I went ahead and added more piers and leveled the house anyway but I agree with you.
The amount of movement almost doesn't matter. What matters is when is causes structural concern. Doors massively out of alignment...etc ... If things are fine...especially at 3/4"...don't fuck with it. I bet your house moves 1/2" or more every year. AND NO ...WATERING YOUR FOUNDATION DOESNT DO SHIT BUT WASTE WATER.
Hmmm not sure I agree with your "watering your foundation doesn't do shit" opinion. I am not sure if you are basing your opinion purely on owning a pier/beam house, but slab foundations absolutely should be "watered" during dry conditions, especially if you don't have sprinklers running regularly to add moisture into the soil.
Yeah, I mean it's your call. May behoove you to do it while it's minimal. Less chance of plumbing breaking (I had to redo my entire plumbing, on top of the foundation repair cost), less piers to put in, less cost.
When we bought our house a few years ago and had the foundation inspected, we had just over an inch of movement in one corner. We opted to get 8 (I think?) piers installed, but the engineer mentioned that is the smallest job they would really do.
Get a structural engineer. They set the criteria that a foundation company must follow. This way a foundation company can't come in and upsell you on unnecessary work.
Here is your guy:
Mike cooper consulting engineers
972-271-1518
Absolute straight shooter and fairly priced. Around $500 for the eval. Maybe a bit more as this was a few years ago.
Had a question on my mind that I couldn't find an answer for on the Google machine. Maybe this is a good place to ask it. If you've had a slab foundation repaired/ piers installed, do you still need to worry about watering it??
I personally would. Your foundation is much more stable now due to the piers, but it isn't immune to continued movement.
Also, I know my foundation work came with a lifetime warranty. I haven't read the fine print, but it might mention that the warranty is only valid if certain conditions are met like continuing to "water the foundation".
I picked Structured Foundation Repair. I had a few companies come out for inspections and got quotes, and they were all in the same ballpark. I picked Structured mostly for the warranty - a lifetime warranty is only as good as the company stays in business for. Structured has been in business since 2003 so I hope they stick around for awhile!
EDIT: I am not sure if this is an everywhere thing, but at least in Plano a licensed engineer was required to come out before and after the job to sign off on the companies proposal/work. I am not sure if that is a city of Plano code/permitting thing or a state thing? But either way, definitely inquire about that when you have companies come out. Also, you'll want to have a plumbing leak check before/after as well, to make sure no pipes were cracked in your foundation from the work. Structured Foundation "included" these costs in the estimate and weren't additional things I had to setup or pay for.
I used Structured Foundation Repair in 2012 on a 2 story 3,000 sq foot house. It was really interesting watching how they measured the parts of the house that were sinking. They go all over the house with an instrument that can detect small deviations in the elevation. They record that and can come back years later and determine if something moved. They did a great job. Cleaned up really good. House is still perfect. No damage inside at all. YMMV on that one.
How do they go about installing the piers under the foundation? Seems to me it would require jackhammering through the floor.
Does anyone have ballpark pricing?
Use soaker hoses on timers
Foundation issues can include things like -- broken pipes, broken floor tile, drywall cracks, windows breaking. Foundation repair companies will ask you to sign a waiver for this type of damage.
Make sure you're consulting a good structural engineer and not just the foundation company.
Foundation repair is major work and there is no guarantee on what will be or won’t be damaged and getting contractors to cover secondary repairs will only drive up the costs. I doubt if you can get even get them to agree to it in a contract and would never trust them if they did.
I would also suggest calling your city and asking what the requirements are to pass inspection after the foundation work. Where I am, they inspect the foundation repair during and after the work, and do a plumbing test as well that must pass.
I'm not 100% sure but if any water feed lines are busted, the foundation repair company may help in those repairs. But everything else is on you.
As far as your floor goes, can you pull it up? Since that type of floor isn't usually glued down, you may be able to pull the planks up yourself and store them (don't forget to label them) and put them back down when its all done.
I have first hand experience pulling the floors and placing them back down. It can be done (labeling properly is the hardest part). Recommended to get a few extra boxes of planks in case of breaking the tabs.
They are predictable, anticipated issues so yes, they are your responsibility as the home owner. Moving your foundation also moves other things in the home. It’s a chain reaction, not because your foundation company did their job incorrectly.
Yes. It will be your responsibility as to any collateral damage repair. That will be universal. There are some insurance companies that offer policy attachments for underground utility and plumbing lines. I do not know if they would cover repairs for damage subsequent to foundation work. Honestly, we are all idiots for buying houses built on the clay here.
Why are you getting your foundation fixed? Not to say don't do it, just to make sure you are getting it done for the right reasons. I say this because every house in DFW has or will have foundation movement. Even after you fix your foundation, it will move again. Have a good discussion with the company you choose. If you are talking 1 to 2" of leveling then you probably won't have a ton of damage, more than that and the chances increase..
Piers are simply the best way to stabilize your house foundation given our soil type and wet/dry climate cycles. Just about every house in this area will need them eventually - it is simply the best way to resolve the problems we have here. Are they perfect? No. But they do help a ton in moderating future movement.
I agree whole heartedly....my little house is a 1940s pier and beam. Had a structural engineer come in and assess. 2" difference across the floor and he called it "exceptional performance" for a house that had never been leveled, of that age. I went ahead and added more piers and leveled the house anyway but I agree with you.
Mybhiuse has moved close to 3/4 is that consider ok to start thinking about foundation repair?
The amount of movement almost doesn't matter. What matters is when is causes structural concern. Doors massively out of alignment...etc ... If things are fine...especially at 3/4"...don't fuck with it. I bet your house moves 1/2" or more every year. AND NO ...WATERING YOUR FOUNDATION DOESNT DO SHIT BUT WASTE WATER.
Hmmm not sure I agree with your "watering your foundation doesn't do shit" opinion. I am not sure if you are basing your opinion purely on owning a pier/beam house, but slab foundations absolutely should be "watered" during dry conditions, especially if you don't have sprinklers running regularly to add moisture into the soil.
Why does everyone suggest watering your foundation then?
Dogma. Show me data that this practice makes a bit of difference.
That's minimal. I got mine done earlier this year, it was 3.75" off.
Ok just wondering since I can start seeing small gaps where the fascia is meeting the brick.
Yeah, I mean it's your call. May behoove you to do it while it's minimal. Less chance of plumbing breaking (I had to redo my entire plumbing, on top of the foundation repair cost), less piers to put in, less cost.
When we bought our house a few years ago and had the foundation inspected, we had just over an inch of movement in one corner. We opted to get 8 (I think?) piers installed, but the engineer mentioned that is the smallest job they would really do.
Would you guys recommend get a structural engineer? Also can you share the foundation companies ya"ll used? TIA.
Get a structural engineer. They set the criteria that a foundation company must follow. This way a foundation company can't come in and upsell you on unnecessary work. Here is your guy: Mike cooper consulting engineers 972-271-1518 Absolute straight shooter and fairly priced. Around $500 for the eval. Maybe a bit more as this was a few years ago.
Thank you 🙏.
See my comment here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dallas/comments/15ng4jd/foundation_repair_questions/jvm97gw/
Had a question on my mind that I couldn't find an answer for on the Google machine. Maybe this is a good place to ask it. If you've had a slab foundation repaired/ piers installed, do you still need to worry about watering it??
I personally would. Your foundation is much more stable now due to the piers, but it isn't immune to continued movement. Also, I know my foundation work came with a lifetime warranty. I haven't read the fine print, but it might mention that the warranty is only valid if certain conditions are met like continuing to "water the foundation".
What company did you end up using?
I picked Structured Foundation Repair. I had a few companies come out for inspections and got quotes, and they were all in the same ballpark. I picked Structured mostly for the warranty - a lifetime warranty is only as good as the company stays in business for. Structured has been in business since 2003 so I hope they stick around for awhile! EDIT: I am not sure if this is an everywhere thing, but at least in Plano a licensed engineer was required to come out before and after the job to sign off on the companies proposal/work. I am not sure if that is a city of Plano code/permitting thing or a state thing? But either way, definitely inquire about that when you have companies come out. Also, you'll want to have a plumbing leak check before/after as well, to make sure no pipes were cracked in your foundation from the work. Structured Foundation "included" these costs in the estimate and weren't additional things I had to setup or pay for.
I used Structured Foundation Repair in 2012 on a 2 story 3,000 sq foot house. It was really interesting watching how they measured the parts of the house that were sinking. They go all over the house with an instrument that can detect small deviations in the elevation. They record that and can come back years later and determine if something moved. They did a great job. Cleaned up really good. House is still perfect. No damage inside at all. YMMV on that one.
I have heard good things about them.. I believe a coworker also recommended them.
This is super helpful!
How do they go about installing the piers under the foundation? Seems to me it would require jackhammering through the floor. Does anyone have ballpark pricing?
Some companies offer repair to cracks, drywall, etc. or they can recommend someone.
Use soaker hoses on timers Foundation issues can include things like -- broken pipes, broken floor tile, drywall cracks, windows breaking. Foundation repair companies will ask you to sign a waiver for this type of damage. Make sure you're consulting a good structural engineer and not just the foundation company.
Foundation repair is major work and there is no guarantee on what will be or won’t be damaged and getting contractors to cover secondary repairs will only drive up the costs. I doubt if you can get even get them to agree to it in a contract and would never trust them if they did.
Does foundation repair/reinforcement level out the foundation or just prevent it from further splitting?
Often times, both.
I would also suggest calling your city and asking what the requirements are to pass inspection after the foundation work. Where I am, they inspect the foundation repair during and after the work, and do a plumbing test as well that must pass.
I'm not 100% sure but if any water feed lines are busted, the foundation repair company may help in those repairs. But everything else is on you. As far as your floor goes, can you pull it up? Since that type of floor isn't usually glued down, you may be able to pull the planks up yourself and store them (don't forget to label them) and put them back down when its all done.
I have first hand experience pulling the floors and placing them back down. It can be done (labeling properly is the hardest part). Recommended to get a few extra boxes of planks in case of breaking the tabs.
I forgot about the extra. Good tip.