Learn how is foundation repair done. After all foundation repair is a major event in the life of a home. While the process may seem overwhelming, knowing about each step helps ease the stress, sets expectations, and makes everything easier to understand. Follow us as we walk through a real-life example of a full house foundation repair and lift. We explain the process and and what to expect during a foundation repair.
Our job begins with a North Texas 4800 SF home. The home needed an over-lift of six-plus inches. A six-plus over-lift on a large home starts with lifting the entire house to a level (or nearly level) position. Then the “over-lift” follows, which raises the home the rest of the way. The two-step process helps prevent the soil from moving after the foundation repair.
How is Foundation Repair Done – Preparation
Preparing the house for a full lift takes several steps.
- Pilings get up around the outer edge of the foundation (the perimeter beam).
- Perimeter beam: The outer edge of the foundation.
- Pilings are columns we push into the ground under a foundation. Your house is on a firm foundation when the pilings and columns are in place.
- We dig tunnels under the home. Tunnels run under the foundation slab from one end of the home to the other. We use them to get to the interior foundation beams.
- When you look under a foundation, it seems like a waffle with thicker and thinner parts. Foundation beams make up the thicker sections.
- A full-lift foundation repair requires pilings to be placed approximately every 8-10 feet under each foundation beam and the foundation perimeter beam. Pilings may sometimes be up to 14 feet apart under interiors.
How is Foundation Repair Done – A/C Units
The concrete under your A/C units is called a pad. Everything goes up as the foundation gets lifted. The pads get lifted before the foundation to protect the A/C connections to the house. When the foundation lifting starts, the A/C connections move correctly with the foundation. We take an additional and give everything more freedom to move. Works expose in-ground connections in the ground, allowing everything free movement during the lift.
Here is the A/C Pad after the home lift.
Notice how the A/C pad moved up with the lift.
Once we finish the foundation repair, we move everything back in place.
We return the landscaping to its original position and put the soil back on top of the utility connections.
How is Foundation Repair Done – Breakouts
Asphalt or concrete areas like garages or driveways often require a “breakout.”
A “breakout” is where we break through a solid surface.
We then reach the foundation beams.
After the lift, we patch the breakouts.
Notice the breakout.
Full-lift foundation repair often requires a breakthrough in the garage floor.
It is the best way to reach the beam under the garage. In this photo, notice the two exposed post-tension cables.
The cables are very important, reinforcing the foundation.
Once we finish the foundation repair, we move everything back in place.
We return the landscaping to its original position and put the soil back on top of the utility connections.
How is Foundation Repair Done – Utilities
Before lifting, we expose plumbing and electrical services.
Required plumbing repairs go hand in hand with a large foundation repair lift.
Notice the exposed plumbing.
We do this before the foundation repair lift.
Here is the same plumbing after the lift.
Much to our man’s dismay, he gets an uninvited shower.
A leak has sprung, and we get it repaired.
Before we lift the foundation, we expose utilities (gas, electric, and other utilities).
Exposed connections help prevent damage during the lift.
Connections need room and air space, allowing movement during lifting.
Without this flexibility, they break under stress caused by movement.
See where the arrow marks the ground surface.
The arrow marks the ground surface after the house lift.
Exposed connections move when the house lifts.
They went undamaged during and after the foundation repair lift.
How is Foundation Repair Done – Using the Tunnels
Remember all the tunnels that we dug?
We access each beam under the home via the tunnels.
Each under-slab tunnel is about 3 feet wide x 3 feet deep.
There is just enough space for the technicians to maneuver under the house.
We place foundation repair pilings under each beam at 8-10 feet intervals.
Hydraulic jacks go inside the tunnels, under the foundation beams, which lift the home to the correct level.
See how we placed support cylinders under the beams.
Notice how we shimmed them to the proper height.
Can you see the gaps that happen after a lift?
See the clean concrete exposed during the lift.
Only needed repairs to driveways get done.
How is Foundation Repair Done – Finishing Up
We lifted the house 12″.
Notice how the dirt along the back lifted with the house; a full 12″.
That is why we move plants from around the house.
Anything next to the house moves up with the lift.
Now, our crews start the cleanup, and it all comes together.
We lower the dirt back to its original place and put any other objects lifted out of position back in place.
View another side of the house after the completion of the job.
We picked everything up and put the back dirt around the foundation in the initial position.
We close the tunnel entrances.
The tunnels remain intact, which allows for under-slab access for future plumbing repairs or piling adjustments.
Works install a gravity or sump pump which drains water out of the tunnels.
See the foundation drainage pipe.
We replace the landscaping.
Workers finished the house lift.
We finished the cleanup.
See the front of the yard and house after the job.
We replace the landscaping.
Workers finished the house lift.
We finished the cleanup.
See the front of the yard and house after the job.
How is Foundation Repair Done – The Process from Start to Finish
We hope this walk-through helps you feel comfortable with the foundation repair process. Hopefully, you know what to expect. Chaos ensues before and during the job. Remember, though, that restored order happens once we finish. The chaos becomes order, and the home rests on a firm foundation.
Let us help with your foundation repairs. Start now by scheduling a foundation inspection.
What to Expect Before, During, and After Foundation Repair Series
What to Expect Before Foundation Repair
- 20 Signs of Foundation Damage – Easy Checklist
- When to Get a Foundation Inspection – How to Know if Your Foundation Needs Repair
- Preparation for Construction Before Foundation Repairs
What to Expect During Foundation Repair
- What to Expect During Foundation Repair – Detailed Guide
- Can You Live in a House During Foundation Repair?
- How is Foundation Repair Done – The Process from Start to Finish
What to Expect After Foundation Repair
