Foundation Repair Services in Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenge
This home was dealing with significant foundation settlement. The homeowners noticed that their doors and windows were sticking and the exterior framing had begun to warp. To make matters worse, all sides of the house were sinking at different rates. This uneven settlement caused the structural warping to worsen quickly and left the home in need of repair.
Solution
Our repair plan called for five helical piers on the left side of the house, eight along the back, six on the right side, and three on the front-right corner. Using precise calculations and experience, we were able to space the piers in a way that avoided digging up the concrete porch and driveway. It also helped that the garage sat on a separate slab foundation, which reduced the number of obstacles we had to work around.
We already knew the depth of the footers on each side of the home. Near the garage, they were only six inches below grade, while everywhere else they were about thirty inches deep. Since piers must be attached directly to the footers, excavation was necessary. During planning, we also discovered an exterior waterproofing system installed along the footers that we wanted to preserve. In addition, we mapped out all the service lines from the home to avoid damaging them.
Excavation began with an excavator where access allowed, and we hand-dug in tighter areas. When working near the waterproofing system, we dug carefully to protect the drainage tiles. Once the footers were exposed, we attached the helical piers and drove them into the ground. Their screw-like design allows them to cut into the most stable soil layers, which prevents the foundation from settling further. We monitored the installation with pressure gauges, which measure soil resistance and confirm when the piers have reached load-bearing strata.
After the piers were in place, we used a handheld hydraulic device to carefully lift sections of the footing. This process helps bring the foundation back to a level plane across the home, and in many cases, it resolves issues with sticking doors, windows, and warped framing. Finally, we backfilled the excavated areas with the same soil, compacting it as tightly as possible to leave the landscape neat and stable.
