Expert Foundation Repair Services In San Francisco, CA

You can expect at least some foundation movement to affect your San Francisco home. After all, San Francisco is located in one of the busiest geological places in the country. The amount of movement will vary, depending upon the type of soil your home was built on and the type of fill dirt used during the construction of your foundation. In addition, seismic activity in the Bay Area can impact your foundation, especially if it’s already cracked or otherwise compromised.

Home foundations in San Francisco are subject to a variety of things that can cause them to move. It can be disconcerting to think that your home’s foundation has that ability. After all, it’s supposed to support the structure of your home so that it remains stable and standing over the years. But, rest assured that it’s completely normal to have some foundation problems in San Francisco. The most common foundation issues we get calls for in San Francisco and the Bay Area include:

Settling Foundation Issues

When your home was built, the ground underneath the foundation was disturbed, and the amount of compaction of the soil changed. This can lead to inadequate support for the weight of the home, and the house may settle over time. Some of the most common reasons your foundation will settle include:

• Drying and Shrinking Soil — San Francisco’s soil has a clay component that can be problematic, especially during prolonged dry spells. Without adequate moisture, heavy clay soils dry out, crack, and shrink. This can leave a void under the foundation of your home and compromise its stability. Over time, the foundation will crack, and your home will settle into the void.
• Wet and Soft Soil — Heavy rainfalls saturate the soil on your property and create the perfect storm for foundation problems. The softened soil allows your home to shift and sink, causing cracks to form along the foundation walls. These cracks let water and moisture into your foundation where it can cause structural issues.
• Poorly Compacted Fill Dirt — To prepare the land for construction and ensure the home is level, the builder of your home likely brought in fill dirt from elsewhere. The virgin soil the fill dirt replaces is much more compact than the fill. If that dirt isn’t compacted properly, it can’t support your home’s foundation, and problems are inevitable.
• Maturing Trees — Did you know that the root system of a large, mature tree can be twice the size of its canopy? If the tree is close to your house, the root system is likely under your foundation. Some tree roots can cause your foundation to heave, buckle, and crack. The roots also draw moisture from the soil, causing it to dry out and shrink.

Earthquake Damages

In 1906, a massive earthquake struck the San Francisco area. It was so large that it could be felt from south of Los Angeles up to Southern Oregon and as far inland as the center of Nevada. The quake destroyed much of the city of San Francisco. Thankfully, earthquakes of that magnitude aren’t the norm. San Francisco has only had six quakes in the years since. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t seismic activity present.

Tremors and aftershocks are common in California, and the Bay Area experiences its fair share as well. All that shaking can cause structural deficiencies in your home’s foundation. Older homes are especially vulnerable because the home may not be adequately anchored to the foundation, allowing the house to move. An unbraced “cripple wall” in the crawl space can also put a home at risk.

It’s understandable that you’d be worried about foundation problems. After all, your home is a big investment, and you want to protect it. The good news is that foundation damage can be easy to spot. The bad news is that if you see any of the following signs, your foundation is compromised, and you need professional foundation repair:

• Settling of Your House and Garage
• Uneven, Tilted Floors
• Sticky Doors and Windows
• Cracks in the Drywall
• Sagging and Cracking Floors
• Wet or Damp Crawl Space
• Water in the Basement
• Stair-Step Cracks in Foundation Walls
• Leaning or Bowed walls
• Cracks in the Stoop and Porch
• Ceiling Cracks
• A Leaning Chimney
• Gaps Around Doors and Windows

The answer to that question is that it depends. Structural engineers like ours are generally called in when the foundation damage is extensive, and the home’s structural integrity is severely compromised. A structural engineer can not only diagnose a foundation issue. They also have the training to identify the source of the problem and make recommendations on its resolution.

If your home is damaged by an earthquake but hasn’t sustained any structural damage, you won’t need a structural engineer. However, we may consult with our engineers before attempting to do any foundation repairs as a precaution. If you’re not sure whether your home’s foundation needs the attention of our engineers or not, you can connect with us and let us know what kind of issue you’re experiencing.

Like most home repair and improvement projects, basement foundation repair in San Francisco varies in price. On average, you can expect to pay between $3,700 and $6,300 for foundation repairs. However, your costs may be higher (up to around $20,000) or lower (as low as $150) depending on your unique circumstances. Some of the factors that will come into play when determining your foundation repair costs include:

Professional Services

Before you can make foundation repairs, you need to know exactly what the problem is, and you need to determine the best way to fix it. For that, you need a professional with experience repairing foundations in the San Francisco area, like Regional Foundation Repair. If your foundation problems require the services of our structural engineers or geotechnical engineers, you may pay upwards of $1,500. In addition, you may need to have the soil tested, which can cost up to $3,000, and you may need to pay for a building permit.

Piers and Slab Jacking

If your home is sinking due to poor soil conditions under the foundation, installing piers to support the structure may be necessary. If this is the case, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $3,000 per pier. A typical home requires 8 to 10 piers. In some cases, slab jacking or drilling holes in the foundation and filling them with concrete will rectify a sinking foundation. If this process is used, you can expect to pay around $150 per hole.

The type of soil under and around your home’s foundation certainly affects it. The Bay Area’s soil primarily consists of clay, loam, and gravelly loam. The volume of each of the soil’s components determines the quality of the soil. Some of the soil issues you may run into include:

Expansive Soils

Expansive soils absorb moisture, and, as the name implies, they expand. When this happens, the soil puts an immense amount of pressure on your home’s foundation walls. Eventually, the wall will crack, and the foundation will be compromised. Suspended water in the soil also pushes its way through the porous concrete, threatening your home’s wooden structure.

Heavy Clay Soils

If your home was built on soil with a high volume of clay, lack of moisture could cause the clay to dry out and crack. This creates voids in the ground surrounding and underneath the foundation. The lack of support this causes can make your foundation sink and crack. On the other hand, excess moisture in the clay can have the opposite effect, expanding the soil, putting pressure on the foundation.

Soil Liquefaction

When an earthquake hits the Bay Area, copious amounts of rain saturate the soil, and unique phenomena can occur. Because the wet soil loses strength and stiffness, the shaking of an earthquake can make it act like a liquid. Homes, buildings, roads, and other manmade structures can be damaged by liquefaction as the structure sinks into it as though it were on top of quicksand.