Expert Foundation Repair Services In Tallahassee, FL

The sand, limestone, and clay soil mixture that’s common throughout Florida is very susceptible to shifting and settling. Tallahassee’s no different, and homeowners have to contend with significant foundation movement. These fluctuations can eventually cause damage to the structural integrity of the house, especially if the soil was not adequately compacted before construction began. Whether the issue manifests as a wet basement or cracks in the wall, foundation movement affects Tallahassee homes’ safety and value.

A home’s foundation is highly reactive to the soil surrounding it, especially dramatic changes in the water content. Tallahassee’s limestone-rich soil and subtropical weather can lead to a wide range of foundation challenges. The biggest culprits for damaging your home’s foundation include:

Excessive Rain 

Tallahassee has the distinction of being the 9th “rainiest” city in the continental United States. The town can count upwards of 59 inches every year, which is about 20 inches more than the average throughout the country. Flooding is a fact of life in Tallahassee, even though we have an extensive network of storm drains, pipes, and basins. This water is terrible news for the city’s foundations, especially for homes with poor drainage.

Excessive rain will saturate the soil to where there’s just nowhere left for it to go. The earth begins to expand and push against the walls of your foundation with incredible force. The weight of the water in the soil, which is called hydrostatic pressure, will exert thousands of pounds on the walls of your home’s foundation during a severe flood. Engineers build foundations to be very strong, but they’re not indestructible. This kind of pressure causes a lot of wear and tear and can eventually lead to severe structural damage.

Sinkholes 

A sinkhole is a depression that appears on the surface of the land. You may have seen viral photos of entire backyards sinking into a large crater in the ground caused by a sinkhole. Luckily, most sinkholes are not nearly this dramatic. However, they can still cause extensive damage to your home’s foundation. Like most of Florida, Tallahassee’s terrain has many natural features that will encourage the formation of sinkholes. One of the leading causes of this phenomenon is limestone bedrock, which dissolves very easily in water. As the limestone erodes from heavy rains, it will leave behind more and more empty areas underground. Sinkholes happen when the dirt at the top sinks to fill in these voids, shifting everything around in the process. Even a relatively minor sinkhole can undermine your foundation’s integrity and lead to lasting structural problems.

One of the tell-tale signs of a sinkhole problem on your property will be to begin finding soft, spongy spots around your lawn. You might also notice cracks in paved areas of your property, like the driveway.

Tree Roots

Trees growing too close to your home can become a threat to your foundation, especially tall native palm trees with large and powerful roots. Some species of trees in Tallahassee are known to grow an incredibly robust network of roots underground. Some roots are so extensive that they cause the soil to shift around to accommodate them. In more severe cases, the roots themselves begin pushing against your home’s foundation as they try to branch out, which would become very destabilizing over time. If the roots find their way to any small cracks in your foundation, they can certainly make the issue much worse.

Some examples of trees with very aggressive roots would be Willows, American Elms, and Silver Maples. In general, you should plant all trees at least 20 feet from your home.

Foundation damage can sneak up on you. However, in most cases, if your home is moving and shifting around, you’re bound to notice. Changes in the structural integrity of your foundation tend to have ripple effects around the house. The ripple effect is a good thing since it gives you the chance to figure out the problem. Like so many other things, issues with your foundation are easier to fix if you catch them early and seek professional intervention. Here are some common signs to look out for:

Water Damage in Your Basement

Basements are much more common in Tallahassee than they typically are in the rest of Florida because of our hilly, inland location. If you do have a basement, this is the best place to monitor for signs of foundation problems. The issue will manifest as water damage because moisture begins to seep through the weak points developing in your foundation. The presence of water in your basement is both a sign of the problem and, unfortunately, the cause for that problem worsening. In the case of severe leaks, you might see water stains on the walls or even actual pools of water on the floor after heavy rain.

Having excessive humidity in the atmosphere is another vital sign that water is infiltrating your basement. You might begin noticing a musty and unpleasant smell or even find the presence of mold in some dark corners. Humid basements will also commonly have efflorescence, which is the chalky material that sometimes appears on concrete. That white stuff is actually salt, and it’s being brought to the surface as the humidity in your basement soaks through the concrete and then evaporates.

Wall Cracks 

Water damage will usually go hand in hand with the appearance of cracks on your basement walls, the outside walls of your foundation, and even elsewhere in your home. Hairline-sized wall cracks are common for any concrete structure, and maybe they’ve always been there. But the appearance of bigger cracks is likely to be a symptom of foundation movement, very high hydrostatic pressure, or some other form of damage. Essentially, your foundation is cracking in response to overwhelming stress and pressure.

Any crack that’s wider than 0.2 inches could be a sign of trouble, and the more critical gaps could reach well over half an inch. Horizontal cracks are the most severe, especially if they’re widening. The horizontal cracks signal that your foundation walls are buckling inwards from the pressure of the soil—bad news for the structural integrity of your home.

Vertical cracks and cracks in the shape of stair steps can be evidence of movement damage, but they might also be part of the usual settling process for your foundation. These cracks are more likely to be a problem if you notice that they’re expanding over time or if they’re accompanied by evidence of water damage, especially in your basement.

Doors And Windows That “Stick”

One of the more noticeable ripple effects of foundation damage for Tallahassee homes is that doors and windows become harder to open and close. You might find that they take more force to operate, that they get “stuck” in places, or that they just don’t feel right anymore. These kinds of abnormalities are one of the most common signs that your home may have foundation damage, specifically, that the foundation has shifted enough to create significant gaps around the frames of your doors and windows or between the frame and the wall.

If you’re dealing with foundation problems, these kinds of alignment issues are likely happening in other areas of your home as well, like uneven floors. It just tends to be more noticeable with doors and windows because of how often we interact with them.

The general rule of thumb is that any change to the structure of your home should have the feedback of a structural engineer like ours. Some repairs are relatively superficial, especially if you catch the problems early. Once you’re dealing with serious foundation issues, with many of the damage symptoms we mentioned earlier, the issue tends to be structural. In that case, getting your home on the right track would require the expertise of our structural engineers. These trained technical professionals can assess the strength of your foundation, including the severity of the problem and where they need to fortify your foundation.

Crucially, our structural engineers will bring precision to the project. They have the skills to calculate the forces being exerted on your foundation, both by the surrounding soil and the weight of your home. These figures will help them evaluate the exact measures needed to help your foundation become stable again. You don’t want to take any chances with the structural integrity of your home. Having our structural engineers on board gives you peace of mind that the foundation repair will address the issues adequately and long-term.

No two foundation repair projects will be alike, and the costs for materials and labor in Tallahassee can vary wildly. You won’t be surprised to learn that the most critical factors will be the severity of the problem and the size of your house.

At the earliest stage, our structural engineers can treat foundation problems with what are essentially preventative measures. For example, we would address any issues with hydrostatic pressure by assessing your home to identify the underlying causes of the problem. In many cases, we would install a drainage system and add a system of gutters and downspouts to direct water away from your home’s foundation. We will patch up any small, narrow cracks in the foundation with epoxy to stop them from growing or causing water damage. This type of project would be relatively inexpensive. For example, repairing cracks less than an eighth of an inch wide might cost between $300 to $500 per crack.

A project with advanced foundation damage would require much more of an investment. Hiring our structural engineer to inspect the damage can cost between $400 to $900, and these costs will roughly double if you also need a set of structural engineering drawings. In Tallahassee, you also have to apply for a building permit for any structural repairs, and the fees will cost just under $200.

The most common intervention for a tricky repair job, such as a sinking foundation, would be foundation underpinning. Foundation underpinning is a process for strengthening your foundation from underneath by installing a custom system of piers or pilings. Our structural engineers will anchor piers deep underground where they can provide steady support for your home’s foundation. The cost of underpinning your foundation will depend on how many piers are needed to stabilize your home and which type works best in your situation. Helical piers are the most expensive and can range between $1400 to $2100. If your home’s foundation repair needed seven of these support piers, the cost would go from $9800 to $14700 or more. A project that utilized seven drilled piers instead would cost around half as much.

In some situations, the costs of repairing a foundation can be substantial, over $20,000, but the average cost is around $4,250. However, most people will agree that foundation repairs are downright essential. Not only are you making sure that your home remains safe and comfortable, but you’re also protecting the value of your biggest financial asset.

The answer to this question is a big YES. As we discussed earlier, the soil in Tallahassee will throw some serious challenges at your foundation. The biggest issue is that it tends to absorb water, especially during our extra wet summers, and waterlogged soil puts too much pressure on the walls of your foundation. Sinkholes are also a problem due to a very high content of limestone in the ground. In short, your home’s foundation has a close and personal relationship with the surrounding soil. This relationship with the soil is the primary reason why Tallahassee homeowners need a strong foundation that can hold its own.