Expert Foundation Repair Services In Melbourne, FL

Located along the Indian River Lagoon and encompassing part of a barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean, Melbourne is a popular destination during the summer tourist season. The locals love the rich history of Melbourne, and you can see examples in the restored Rossetter House Museum and Gardens that date back to the early 1900s.

If you live in the area, you probably enjoy exploring the Eau Gallie Arts District. Melbourne is home to a little over 83,000 people in 32,000 households. You might own a home in Melbourne and have questions about its foundation. One of the questions that we hear most often is about the movement of the foundation.

In Melbourne, it’s not unusual to hear about foundation movement. Most homes need to settle into their foundation after being built, and this can cause movement. Many of the homes in Melbourne are older, so you wouldn’t expect them to offer much movement unless some other issue occurs.

We’ve put together this guide for foundation issues that we commonly see in Melbourne.

As one of your most valuable assets, your Melbourne home needs care and upkeep. You may notice that there’s a problem with its foundation but not understand what might have happened. We see many causes for foundation problems. Here are a few that we see most often in Melbourne:

Storm Damage

Since Melbourne is located on the Eastern Seaboard, the town sees its fair shares of tropical storms and the occasional hurricane. Tropical storms bring wind gusts that range between 39 and 73 mph while a hurricane, depending on its category, can feature wind speeds between 74 and 154 mph. These wind speeds can potentially shift your home around on its foundation and cause excess settling.

In addition to the high winds, these storms bring sheets of rain and high surf, which can lead to flooding, especially if your Melbourne home is close to the water. If the storm is strong enough, the entire city of Melbourne may see a certain level of flooding. The rushing floodwaters are fast enough to affect your Melbourne home’s foundation, and they can also saturate the ground and leave your foundation prone to water intrusion.

Growing Tree Roots

In the heat of the Florida summer, you probably love all the tall trees that provide shade to your Melbourne home. The area is home to some beautiful and tall trees. The most common trees that we see in Melbourne include:

• Live oak
• Laurel oak
• Red maple
• Sweetgum
• Florida elm
• Carolina ash
• Loblolly pine
• Southern Red Oak
• Swamp tupelo
• Willow oak

As these trees grow big and tall in the yard of your Melbourne home, their roots spread throughout your yard. Trees need water and sunlight to grow. They get water through their roots, and they’re constantly seeking more, especially since the sandy soil in the area holds very little. Tree roots are not picky about where they spread. You may find the growing over the sidewalk in front of your Melbourne home or delving under your driveway, causing it to buckle or crumble.

If you have any cracks or holes in the foundation of your Melbourne home, the tree roots will push their way into it. You might think that when they reach solid concrete that the roots stop growing. No, the roots continue exerting pressure on the foundation of your Melbourne home. This can cause extensive damage.

Water Damage

You already know that water can be one of the most damaging forces found in nature, but did you know that the water in your soil can damage your Melbourne home’s foundation? In Melbourne, you look forward to those afternoon rain showers that offset the heat of a Florida summer. However, Melbourne sees an annual average rainfall of 54 inches, which is well above the national average of 38 inches.

This additional rainfall can saturate your soil and cause it to put additional stress on the foundation of your Melbourne home. This is called hydrostatic pressure. Essentially, water has weight, and enough water creates a high amount of pressure, which is why if you enjoy scuba ping, you know that you can only pe to a certain depth. Any deeper than that, the weight of the water can crush you — hydrostatic pressure.

Another form of water damage that we see often comes from gutters and downspouts that are misplaced or damaged. Gutters and downspouts are tools that builders attach to your home to move water from your roof quickly and efficiently. This helps to minimize the damage that rainwater can do to the roof of your Melbourne home.

If the gutters and downspouts aren’t placed properly or damaged due to age or a storm, you’ll find standing water after a storm close to the foundation of your Melbourne home. This water can cause erosion of your foundation or put additional hydrostatic pressure on the edges of your Melbourne home. This can cause cracks or areas where the material crumbles in your Melbourne home’s foundation.

Now, that you’ve learned a little more about the possible causes of foundation damage in your Melbourne home, you’re probably wondering how you’ll know it’s there. After all, it’s hard to see more than a small percentage of your foundation since your home is sitting on top of it. There are a few signs that we often hear about from homeowners in Melbourne. Here are those that we hear most often:

1. Visual signs of damage along the edges: As a responsible homeowner, you keep an eye open for any possible signs of damage to your Melbourne home. You may notice cracks or holes along the outer edge of your home’s foundation. In some cases, there might be patches where the foundation has begun to crumble. When you see this type of damage, you need to have your home’s foundation evaluated. The damage you see is more likely the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a lot of damage that you can’t see.

2. Standing water close to your home’s foundation: If you have damaged gutters and downspouts or your soil isn’t draining well, you may see puddles of standing water near the foundation of your Melbourne home. This water can increase the hydrostatic pressure on your foundation and be a sign of damage already done. You may also see signs of erosion around the puddles of standing water.

3. Uneven floors: As you’re walking through your home or your kids are playing with rolling cars on the floor, you may notice that areas of your home have a distinct slope. This shouldn’t happen. Melbourne and the state of Florida have strict building codes in place to ensure that your home is built correctly. While uneven floors in your home might indicate a problem with the flooring or subfloor, it can also be an indication of a problem with the foundation. Either way, you need to contact us to have your home evaluated and fix the issue for your family’s safety.

4. Problems with windows and doors sticking: Like the floors in your home, there are very strict building codes in place for your door and window frames. Contractors go to great lengths building the frames and ensuring that they are level so that when you open and close your doors and windows they glide seamlessly. If you notice a door or window sticking, it may be an indication that a problem with the foundation in your Melbourne home and left your doors and windows a little off-kilter. It can also be an indication that high humidity has swollen the wood, or there’s damage to some hardware.

5. Counters and cabinets pulling away from the wall: You might notice that your kitchen or bathroom cabinet shelves and countertops sloping forward. This isn’t normal, and it’s typically an indication of an issue with the foundation of your Melbourne home. If you leave this problem unchecked, it will only become more pronounced. You might also only see this problem in a single room in your home. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t your foundation, but this is probably the area of your Melbourne home’s foundation that has damage.

If you see the signs of foundation damage, you need to contact us for an evaluation. Unchecked foundation issues in your Melbourne home only become worse, making them more expensive to repair.

Yes, if you have a foundation issue in your Melbourne home, you always want our structural engineers leading the project. These professionals determine the repairs and reinforcements necessary to ensure your home’s foundation can bear the weight it needs to.

Structural engineering is a specialized field within civil engineering. The entire specialty is dedicated to understanding and designing structures that last a long time, and you want your Melbourne home to last a long time.

This is the one question that we hear most often. Unfortunately, we can’t provide you with repairing the foundation of your Melbourne home until we evaluate it. All we can do is offer you the average cost of foundation repair in the Melbourne area.

In the Melbourne area, we typically see a range of costs for foundation repairs between $294 and $21,161 with an average cost of $4,062. Your repair may cost somewhere higher or lower than the average cost in Melbourne. If you suspect foundation damage, don’t let the fear of the costs keep you from getting it evaluated.

In Melbourne, there are three types of soil bases that we see most often, including sand, peat, and clay-based. While the sandy soil may help water drain more quickly, the other two types don’t, which leaves the foundation of your home in Melbourne subject to additional hydrostatic pressure.

The loamy and clay-based soils in Melbourne also have a tendency to shrink as they dry out. While there is a higher than average rainfall in Melbourne each year, there are times when it seems like it’ll never rain again, leaving your soil dry. This shrinkage may cause the soil surrounding your home’s foundation to pull away, leaving your home’s foundation less stable.