How to Fix a Home Foundation
The main purpose of the foundation in most homes is to transfer the home's weight to the ground, soil and rock on which it rests. Your home's foundation is something that can be easily overlooked. Cracks and other damage can look unattractive, reduce the overall value of your home and lead to more serious structural problems. Steps can be taken to fix foundations to maintain the quality and value of most homes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 9 to 90 feet of cable
- Concrete for about seven concrete pilings and two concrete cylinders
- Two hydraulic jacks
Instructions
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1
Hire a professional to determine the reason or cause for your foundation problem. This person will be able to provide one or more repair solutions. Many consultations are free of charge.
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2
Dig a hole into the ground under the damage site, which is usually marked by a sinking section of the foundation.
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Run a cable down to the bottom of the hole. A cable that has a strength of around 200,000 p.s.i. is best.
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Thread concrete blocks or pilings down the cable. Most jobs use about seven concrete pilings.
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Place a concrete cap at the top of the pilings. This cap should be level so it supports the hydraulic jacks used in subsequent steps.
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Insert the hydraulic jacks on top of the concrete cap, and operate the jacks to lift the section of foundation to its proper level.
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Insert concrete cylinders, which will replace the hydraulic jacks by holding up the foundation.
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8
Fill in the open spaces with soil to seal up the site.
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Tips & Warnings
It may take up to a month to fix a home's foundation. It is best to time your repair to accommodate the weather, seasons or any other plans you may have.
To keep from having to fix the foundation again or endure additional damage, identify and solve the problem that led to foundation damage in the first place. Many homes may have water leakage or inadequate water supply to the soil near the damage site.
Check with your homeowner's insurance policy to see if your foundation repair can be covered. A professional may be able to give you advice on how to make a claim to your insurance company.
These steps are meant to address general foundation repairs. You may need to take additional steps for repair depending on the cause of the damage, such as tree roots.
The steps to repairing a home's foundation require knowledge of using a hydraulic jack and of leveling a home.
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Comments
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crackrepairguy
Apr 13, 2010
Many foundation repair experts will provide you with a free quote. That quote, more times than not, will explain the extent and cause of the damage. This is the first place every homeowner should start! -
projectmgr
Aug 11, 2008
How deep does the hole have to be? How wide does the hole have to be? Do you need to reinforce the concrete with steel rebar. What strength of concrete needs to be used? Does the concrete need air entrainment or have to be sulphate resistant? How far apart are these holes. What is a 200,000 psi cable supposed to hold up in the hole and what is at the top of the cable holding it up? Not enough information to help anyone.
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projectmgr
Aug 11, 2008
How deep does the hole have to be? How wide does the hole have to be? Do you need to reinforce the concrete with steel rebar. What strength of concrete needs to be used? Does the concrete need air entrainment or have to be sulphate resistant? How far apart are these holes. What is a 200,000 psi cable supposed to hold up in the hole and what is at the top of the cable holding it up? Not enough information to help anyone.
