Photo Album: Foundation Repair Services in Montgomery, OH

This home in Montgomery, OH, had a settling garage foundation that had sunk by about two inches on the front left corner side. We underpinned the footing of the garage - on the front wall and the left side wall - with a total of 11 helical piers. After stabilizing the garage slab, the homeowner was happy to know they no longer have to worry about further cracking in their brick or sticky doors and windows. If you want to follow along, please read through each photos description, as we have curated the photos in a way that tells the story.

Vertical Cracking in Outside Brick in Montgomery, OH

Vertical cracking like this near a window corner often points to foundation settlement - especially since it runs through both brick and mortar, not just along the joints. Windows and doors are also the weakest structural points in a wall, so they often crack from the corners.

Sinking Corner of Garage Foundation in Montgomery, OH

This corner was where the foundation sunk by two inches. Garages are on a completely separate foundation from the rest of the home, and are known to settle. Garage footings are often poured shallower than the main house foundation, and because they sit closer to the surface, they're more vulnerable to seasonal soil movement from freezing, thawing, or drying out.

Vertical Crack Garage Wall in Montgomery, OH

This vertical crack widening toward the top between the brick and garage frame is a classic sign of settlement - the garage foundation is dropping away from the home's structure to the right of this picture.

Sinking Garage in Montgomery, OH

We'll be able to prove to you that this garage foundation was sloping down near the right side of this picture in the next photo slide. Take a peek at the fridge, and then scroll to the next photo.

Sloping Garage Slab in Montgomery, OH

See the space between the wall and the top of the garage slab to the left of the fridge? This gap actually grows larger as you move along to the right, revealing that the front left corner of the garage foundation was in fact sinking and pulling away from the rest of the homes structure.

Structural Repair in Montgomery, OH

Our piers are drilled down into load-bearing strata, where the soil is guaranteed to not move. We then latch the piers to the footing with "L" shape brackets, and then lift the piers up with hydraulics to secure the connection. We can even try to lift the whole footing of the structure with the hydraulics in some cases. This picture was taken on the front side of the garage with the windows.

Foundation Repairs in Montgomery, OH

We then backfilled the trenches that were dug to access the footing of the garage with dirt. We leave a little extra dirt over the piers because the dirt will eventually settle and compact together with a bit of rain, evening out the yard.

Piers Installation in Montgomery, OH

This was the left side of the garage that was wrapped with piers as well. We did have to cut through the concrete driveway to access the footing, but the customer prefered this instead of cutting through the garage slab on the inside to reach the footing. You may also notice that we placed plywood over the driveway to hold the excavated soil and make cleanup much easier.