Expert Foundation Repair Services In Mobile, AL

Being a coastal town, Mobile, AL experiences seasonal changes that leave the ground a little wetter than most cities. Due to the moisture that’s often retained in local soils, foundation movement is a common issue that many homeowners face. On average, Mobile, AL receives 66+ inches of rain each year on top of the tropical storms that blow through. This can easily be enough to cause damage to your property’s foundation and create cracks or instability.

Foundation movement is a frequent issue that many people don’t realize the severity of until it’s too late. However, if you get ahead of the issue by having repairs done at the first sign of any problem, then fixing foundation damage is less stressful and less expensive than average.

Due to the constant change in how much moisture soil retains in the area, the settling of homes is the most common culprit when it comes to foundation damages. Most often it’s noticeable through cracks and slight sloping or bowing of walls. It can also be found in the way flooring warps or bubbles up and sometimes by looking at the slope of a property’s landscape.

Aside from storms that often cause quick physical damage, wet soil is a local cause for foundation issues. Due to the expansion of the clay soil when wet, the ground retains water more than in other areas and can cause shifting, settling, and other damages to your foundation when it expands and contracts with changes in moisture.

Common foundation problems in the city include wet or damp basements and musty odors. While these are usually easily fixable, the shift in your foundation can be a major issue if not corrected as soon as you notice it. From uneven ground to water simply pooling on the outside of your home, the landscape in Mobile could be the biggest cause of any foundation issue in the city.

In addition to worrying about foundation movement, lingering water from heavy rainfall in the area can seep through your concrete and contribute to increased moisture and humidity in your home. Moisture in an enclosed area for too long can lead to bacteria and molds that are toxic to breathe in while simultaneously rotting away your foundational support.

The abundance of rainfall in Alabama also contributes to rapid tree growth. The massive local tree species can easily send out roots toward your foundation that put excess pressure on the concrete, causing it to crack.

Foundation issues aren’t always easy to spot but can be detrimental to a property if left unattended. The second you notice any signs of damage, it’s best to go ahead and have the issue treated before it becomes unrepairable. Since Mobile, AL is known for having shifty soil, foundation issues are pretty common. A few signs to look for when routinely checking the interior of your home for foundation repair are as follows:

• Cracks in walls and your slab from shifting foundations
• Uneven or warped flooring – this can sometimes be a slight slope that doesn’t seem like an issue but could easily be more dangerous than expected
• Bowing walls
• Sticking windows or doors

When checking the exterior of your home for potential issues that may cause a foundation problem in the future, watch out for:

• A sloped landscape that leads drainage towards your home
• Cracks in your foundation that might allow water to pool and settle
• An uneven roof line
• A tilting or cracked chimney

You should always check your foundation and look for signs of damage when:

Large Storms Blow Through

Tropical storms are common in Mobile, and when they hit, tend to do more damage than anticipated. From blowing trees over to breaking windows, flooding streets, and creating mass destruction, it’s always a safe measure to double-check the walls and any cracks throughout your home before a storm hits as well as afterward.

Walls Starting to Lean

If you notice a wall in your house that seems like it’s not sitting evenly or it could possibly be leaning, you may have a structural issue that stems from your foundation. Aside from settling and shifting, walls don’t always have the support they need to stay upright, and when natural causes occur or there’s too much moisture in an area, this can cause damage to things such as support beams.

Noticeable Cracks Appear

Cracks in your drywall may seem small, but they’re often due to a bigger problem. A shifting foundation also warps your framing, causing drywall to separate.

Stiff or Sticking Doors and Cabinets 

It may be common or seem normal for small nuisances like cabinet doors sticking to occur, but the reality is that this could mean your foundation isn’t level. Not only could dragging a door across a sticking floor scratch your floor, but it may mean that your foundation is in need of repair. Sometimes slopes in a room aren’t something you visibly notice, but when doors begin jamming or feeling tight, you could be looking at an entirely new issue. This is most often caused by the settling of homes and usually an easy fix.

If at any time you notice potential damage to your basement’s foundation, calling in our specialists can help you verify how extensive the problem is as well as how expensive the repairs will be. This can also assist in preventing further damage from occurring.

If you’re questioning an issue when considering repairs to your foundation, it’s important that you hire a licensed professional like Regional Foundation Repair to handle the job. Not only does this save you time and effort when trying to figure out exactly how to make repairs, but it ensures that it’s done properly the first time. Our structural engineers receive years of training before becoming a licensed engineer. The typical time it takes to study, learn, and practice the steps to fixing foundation issues is approximately 4 years.

Our structural engineers deliver more value than your average or local handyman. Their experience and expertise provides you with assurance that you’re receiving a long-term fix on repairs to your foundation rather than a temporary solution. Our structural engineers in Mobile, AL will not only make the necessary repairs but they’ll review your foundation for any issues that may not be as visible.

This can include adding support beams to the crawl space of a property or make necessary changes to the landscape to prevent water damage and bacteria from growing in areas that drain water towards your home. At the end of the day, hiring our structural engineers provides you with accuracy, peace of mind, and it saves you money in the long run.

Untreated foundation repair can be a hefty expense in Mobile, and it’s important to recognize that each job is unique. While small cracks in the foundation won’t cost as much as larger issues, it also depends on the location of the problem. For example, a small crack in the middle of the wall is going to cost completely different than a crack at the base or ceiling of your basement’s wall. This is due to the way repairs are made and how much pressure it gives or takes away from the stability of your basement’s foundation.

Additionally, if the job requires going in and servicing multiple walls or areas then you can expect the cost of repair to rise. The cost relies heavily upon:

• Severity of damage
• Accessibility and location
• Type of foundation

Foundation repair prices in Mobile, AL can vary from $300 for small repairs up to $19,000 or more for complete renovation style repairs. It all depends on how extensive the issue is, the equipment and material needed to make necessary repairs, and how easy it is to do so.

The severity of damage plays a major role in how cost-effective repairs are, but accessibility can play an even bigger role at times. In some cases, repairing the foundation in your basement might require a complete update on support beams, the installation of hydraulic beams, and much more. Depending on the kind of floor you have in your basement, you may even be looking at replacing some flooring and repainting or re-building walls to make the room look fluid again.

Mobile is known as an ecoregion area, meaning, it’s considered ecologically and geographically smaller than its bioregion. However, it covers relatively large areas of land or water with unique, natural characteristics. The soil in the area is derived from the combined effects of climate and living organisms such as rocks and sand. In coastal areas, this can cause a lot of drainage issues.

The land is known for being one of the wettest cities and lives up to it year-round. Older homes, such as the many historical properties in the city, are more vulnerable to foundation troubles caused by wet soil, but no home in the city is 100% invincible to the expanding and contracting clay soils.

A soil survey conducted in Mobile, AL, shows that due to the sloping of land in the area, poor drainage commonly faults how much water soil contains. This is also partially due to the contents that make up the soil in Mobile.

The city is composed of soils that include gray silty clay loam surfaces, allowing water to easily pass through but often having nowhere left to drain. This can commonly cause pooling around homes and foundational structures, which ultimately causes the damages and water intrusion.

Last but not the least, in dry spells throughout Mobile, the root systems of trees may draw moisture out of the ground surrounding the home. This can lead to soil shifting and shrinking which can allow foundation cracks to form as the home settles. This will be noticeable mostly as small gaps or voids between surfaces as the soil shrinks.