Expert Foundation Repair Services In Gilbert, AZ

Over time any structure can experience some foundation movement, and unfortunately, this movement can occur for a number of reasons. For instance, contracting and expanding soil, inclement weather, invasive tree roots, hydrostatic pressure, poor exterior drainage management, and structural instability are some of the most common issues that result in significant foundation damage.

For areas like Gilbert, which have a lot of clay soil, foundation movement frequently occurs when the soil under the home shrinks or shifts, and all the parts of the foundation experience a vertical movement such as sloping, settling, and sinking. Consequently, this shifting can lead to Gilbert residents experiencing notable cracks in their foundation and the interior of their home.

There are a variety of circumstances that can cause a house to experience serious foundation failures and issues. However, in Gilbert and surrounding areas, some of the more common foundation problems tend to arise from the following:

Inadequate Drainage Systems

When drainage systems are not properly installed, they can become one of the leading causes of foundation failure. This is often because the excess moisture that results from this inadequate drainage will often erode or consolidate the soils around the foundation and cause the foundation to settle.

In Gilbert, this can be a significant problem during the state’s rainy and wet seasons, which occur from June through September. During this time, downpours can cause flash flooding, which in turn can cause ordinarily dry washes to swell with rapidly moving water and result in area flooding.

Adverse Soil Conditions

When soil conditions are lacking, it often causes the soil to shrink and expand frequently. This constant expansion and compression often results in substantial foundation issues and requires expensive repair measures such as installing costly piers to correct these problems.

Since Gilbert is made up of mostly clay soil, this shrinking and expansion issue happens quite frequently. That is why it is imperative that homeowners are aware of this issue and check on their foundation regularly to make sure that nothing is wrong with it.

Evaporation

Typically, dry winds and intense heat can cause the soil to shrink beneath the foundation and cause the house to settle. As a result, this settlement can lead to cracks appearing throughout the foundation surface. This can mean bad news for residents in Gilbert, who experience summers that are often sweltering and extremely dry.

Plumbing Issues

It only takes a small hole in your plumbing to cause severe and expensive problems. When your pipes are broken or have a steady leak, this dripping water can cause devastating shifting foundation issues over time.

Take, for example, when you have a leak beneath your foundation. This leak will not only affect the soil where the foundation slab rests, but it can also cause significant foundation damage when the soil that supports the slab is washed away. As this foundation shifts, the slab foundation begins to crack, and this damage soon becomes visible.

Improper Foundation Construction

When construction workers use inferior concrete or insufficient steel, it can contribute to movement in the slab or result in a foundation that is incredibly weak and more likely to suffer from soil movement.

Transpiration

Transpiration is the process of tree roots extracting water from the soil. However, in Gilbert, where the climate is dry and hot, for trees to survive, they need to leech onto any moisture they can find, including the moisture underneath the home’s foundation. Once the tree extracts this water, the soil beneath the house can shrink away and cause the home to settle, leading to numerous foundation problems.

Improper Ground Preparation

Generally, low-density and soft soils or improperly compacted soil beneath a home can cause various issues to the foundation. That is why it is vital that cut and fill situations should be prepared correctly to ensure that the ground is ready to support a structure.

The best way to prevent foundation problems is to stop them from happening in the first place by spotting these issues early. When you are able to catch these problems before they escalate into sizable damages, you can save yourself a lot of stress, time, and money in the long run.

For these reasons, if you are a homeowner or building manager, you need to be on the look-out for the following signs that typically indicate your foundation is in trouble:

• Sloped interior floors
• Uneven interior floors
• Significant gaps around doors, including external, internal, and garage doors
• Large cracks in the drywall, especially from door frames to the ceiling
• Large cracks in the concrete foundation
• Large cracks in the basement cement floors
• Crackling in the exterior walls
• Crackling in the interior walls
• A separation between the outer walls
• A basement that is wet and soggy because rainwater is getting in
• Windows or doors being unable to close
• Windows or entries that are sticking
• Cracks in the brick mortar or brick walls
• Significant gaps between the wall and the floor or the wall and the ceiling
• Crawl spaces that are soggy and wet from extra moisture
• Basements that are musty, moldy, or damp

A structural engineer is a professional that is hired when a homeowner is performing a renovation to their home, a construction project, or adding an addition. These engineers are not only there to ensure that these projects are built to last, but they are also brought in to evaluate any problems with the home such as foundation cracks, uneven floors, termite issues, water damage, wall damage, and ceiling cracks.

As a homeowner, you know that foundation repair can be a costly and nerve-wracking process. Primarily because the foundation is the most critical structural element of your home, and failing to repair this foundation properly can disrupt everything inside the house. As a result, structural engineers are incredibly important to foundation projects as they can help you understand what problems need to be fixed while also walking you through the whole repair process, regardless of what type of property you have or what your foundation issues may include.

In Gilbert, because weather and soil conditions can have a giant impact on a home’s foundation, most residents often hire structural engineers because of the extensive services they provide, including:

• Helical piering
• Resistance piering
• Specialty construction
• Tieback installation
• Foundation underpinning
• Basement waterproofing
• Inspection of structures both during and after the construction is complete

Plus, when you work with these professionals, they can ensure that the job is done right and that you are not overlooking any vital aspects of the project that need to be completed. However, if you decide to go without one of these trained experts, just be aware that you may be looking at major problems down the road, including costly rebuilds, homes not built to code, and dangerous foundation problems that can haunt you for years to come.

In Gilbert, where foundation issues can occur for several reasons, foundation repair costs can range anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000. However, these prices can also be lower or higher than what is indicated depending on the complexity of the problem. That is why before starting any foundation work, homeowners must consider the following cost factors that can impact the overall price of the job:

The Severity of the Foundation Damage

If the foundation issues only require some patching work because of small cracks in the foundation, the job can generally cost between $300 to $500 to repair. However, if the damage to your foundation is more extensive, then more costly repairs need to be made, such as installing hydraulic piers underneath the home. These projects can cost homeowners upwards of $10,000 or more and are often done to provide homes with added support, stabilize the foundation, eliminate cracks, and restore uneven floors.

The Type of Foundation You Have

Another significant factor that can influence the cost of your foundation repair is the type of foundation you have. For instance, pier and beam foundations are expensive to fix because it can take a substantial amount of hours to make the required repairs, and it is also challenging to work in cramped and dark crawl spaces. Plus, these types of structures often have rotten wood members that will need to be replaced. Consequently, the cost of these replacement parts, joists, and hours of work can add up quickly.

Almost every type of soil can be found in Arizona, with the expectation of tropical soils. However, the majority of Arizona soil has a lot of clay in it, making it very alkaline. Another common soil type in Arizona is the Casa Grande covering several million acres of southwestern and central Arizona. These two soils are often very deficient in nutrients and extremely challenging to work with, requiring the addition of organic matter to assist the soil in holding nutrients and water.

In Gilbert, because the soil contains a high content of clay minerals, which can act like sponges and absorb large quantities of water. The clay minerals substantially increase in volume when it rains. Subsequently, when these clay minerals expand, it causes the walls and foundations in homes to crack and heave and the roads and sidewalks to warp. However, when this clay mineral dries out, it shrinks, forming a popcorn texture in surface exposures and large and deep cracks around the house where the water from the next major storm can penetrate the soil and repeat this expansion cycle.

Accordingly, soil rich in clay often has the highest potential to damage a home’s foundation. And in Gilbert, where this expansion and shrinkage is a continuous process due to the high heat and summer wet season, homes can suffer extensive foundation damage as a result.