In need of foundation repair? Our foundation repair specialists are ready to help.
Another company said that our foundation was too far gone and needed to be replaced. That’s when we found Regional Foundation Repair. They helped save us thousands! Great service, will recommend!
Andrew Y. | May 26, 2023
We’ve had water in our basement countless times since we moved in. This service sent a contractor who spent a few days installing a waterproofing system and bam - no issues since! Thank you so much!
Eddie W. | May 23, 2023
Finally a foundation company that responds, helps gets the job done, and offers a warranty for the work! Will use again, and recommending to friends and family.
Jessica B. | May 20, 2023
Another company said that our foundation was too far gone and needed to be replaced. That’s when we found Regional Foundation Repair. They helped save us thousands! Great service, will recommend!
Andrew Y. | May 26, 2023
We’ve had water in our basement countless times since we moved in. This service sent a contractor who spent a few days installing a waterproofing system and bam - no issues since! Thank you so much!
Eddie W. | May 23, 2023
Finally a foundation company that responds, helps gets the job done, and offers a warranty for the work! Will use again, and recommending to friends and family.
Jessica B. | May 20, 2023
Best Pricing On Labor and Materials
Professional, Efficient, and Friendly Service
Licensed Structural Engineers On Call 24/7
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Worry Free Warranties On All Services
Chicago, Illinois offers residents a dense urban lifestyle, an abundance of entertainment, four distinct seasons, and proximity to beautiful views and beaches on Lake Michigan. However, the climate and location that attract so many people to the area also leave home foundations at severe risk of damage.
Regional Foundation Repair is one of the nation’s largest provider of foundation repair service. We have 1,000s of expert technicians ready right now in Chicago. Our pros have years of experience and are familiar with the nuances of Chicago soil conditions so you can be sure your foundation gets fixed the right way the first time. Gone are the days of worrying about shoddy craftsmanship, overpriced service, and unqualified pros.
During the job, our technicians are trained to explain their progress throughout the day and clean up properly before leaving the jobsite.
Depending on the availability of our technicians, we can generally get your job scheduled within 2 days. To start the process just submit your information in our form and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours with a pricing quote! In some cases we may need more detail to properly quote your project, so we will reach out via phone to schedule a free onsite inspection. Depending on your location we also offer virtual quotes!
For your benefit, we’ll discuss the specific underlying causes of foundation problems in the Chicago area and the typical symptoms you’ll see throughout your home as a result.
We’ll also include some tips on minimizing property damage and repair costs if your home is affected and average pricing for the foundation repair services commonly needed in the city and the surrounding area.
Pier Foundations
Concrete Slab
Basement Foundations
Crawl Space Foundation
Wood Foundation
- Erica J.
- Suja K.
- Dan T.
What Causes Bowing Foundation Walls & How It Can Be Corrected?
Foundation Crack Repair: Costs & Repair Options
Foundation Cracks
Foundation Installation Costs
Foundation Leak Repair
What Are The Common Signs Of Foundation Problems And When Should You Be Concerned?
Foundation Repair Methods
What Is Foundation Spalling & When Should You Be Concerned?
How Does Foundation Waterproofing Protect Your Home?
Date of Request: 05/28/2023
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: I need an estimate of a foundational crack found in a property I am currently contingent to purchase.
Date of Request: 05/27/2023
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: I am selling this property to a Veteran and per the lender we need a foundation inspection due to the appraiser mentioning dampness in the basement. It is unfinished and has low ceilings.
Date of Request: 05/27/2023
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: Hello, i need a structural inspection for a house. If you are interested please give me a call. Thank you.
Date of Request: 05/24/2023
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: I have some sloping floors on my first and second stories of my house. It gets much worse on the second floor than on the first. I have looked in the basement, but have not found anything that would account for the slope that i am seeing.
Date of Request: 05/21/2023
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: I have a coach house that is leaning and the floor on the inside is un leveled. The coach house does have a crawl space.
Date of Request: 05/19/2023
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: I need an foundation expert to look at a house im trying to buy
Does Foundation Movement Affect Chicago, Illinois?
Ground movement and the foundation damage that commonly occurs as a result are both widespread problems throughout much of Illinois.
Property owners in Chicago, Addison, Arlington Heights, Naperville, and many other nearby cities experience foundation issues at an alarming rate.
What Causes Foundation Problems In Chicago, Illinois?
Multiple factors contribute to the dangers of structural problems in Chicago. We’ll discuss the most significant issues below and provide an explanation of the impact they have on your home’s foundation.
The soil in Chicago belongs to the Alfic Udarents subgroup of soil classification. This effectively means that the dirt in the area has an abnormally high ratio of clay to other particles and drains very slowly.
Expansive clay soil puts concrete foundations at risk for three primary reasons.
The first problem is that the ground readily absorbs water, which soaks into the gaps between the tiny clay particles. The more runoff that comes in contact with the soil, the heavier and more voluminous it becomes.
The ground swells and puts added stress on your concrete block walls and slab. The hydrostatic pressure is often intense enough to crack the concrete, creating weaknesses that require structural repair.
The second issue is the opposite of the first: the soil becomes less voluminous when it dries. Following rainfall and ground swelling, the runoff gradually drains into the earth, decreasing the soil’s moisture content.
The dirt will shrink away from your concrete, relieving the hydrostatic pressure on the walls and causing the slab to settle deeper into the ground.
This downward movement of the slab is hazardous because it doesn’t always occur uniformly. The soil around your home often dries unevenly, leading to differential settling that can cause significant structural damage.
The last major problem with Chicago’s expansive soil is that it retains water more successfully than typical dirt. As such, runoff and floodwater are held against the concrete for extended periods, giving it ample opportunity to soak through cracks or pores in the foundation.
It’s not uncommon for Chicago homeowners to experience a moist or wet basement or crawlspace.
Chicago gets hit with just under 43 inches of rain annually, almost one and a half times the national average. Above-average rainfall leaves the clay soil saturated for much of the year, so hydrostatic pressure is continuously a problem for the concrete under your home.
The rain is somewhat steady from month to month year-round, but most of the precipitation in the summer and fall occurs in large storms that bring most of the month’s rainfall.
The concentrated rain not only contributes to the issues with expansive soil but also means there is plenty of time for the soil to dry between incidences. The frequent wet-dry cycle in Chicago lends itself to differential settling and undue stress on your foundation.
Flash flooding is a significant problem for homeowners in Chicago for two main reasons. First, the clay soil drains very slowly, so the concentrated and heavy rainfall quickly accumulates on the surface and slowly dissipates.
To make matters worse, Chicago has a combined storm drain and sanitary sewer system, meaning there is a constant and heavy load on the drains throughout the city. They are often unable to keep up with the demand during heavy rain.
Most Chicago homes have a basement because the frost line is very deep, around four to five feet below the surface, on average. Plumbing lines need to be run below this depth anyway, so most builders continue to dig out for a full basement for the added convenience and living space.
The resulting problem is that basements need to be set deep in the ground, but the frequency of flooding puts all underground rooms at severe risk of water intrusion and moisture accumulation.
Finally, many areas throughout Illinois are underlain by limestone bedrock. Limestone is supportive, but it dissolves in the presence of water.
When groundwater or draining runoff interacts with the bedrock in Chicago, it gradually wears it away, creating underground voids.
The result is referred to as a karst landscape, which eventually causes sinkholes to form on the earth’s surface when the caverns and channels eventually collapse.
Sinkholes are more common in other parts of Illinois, but they still occur in Chicago and other urban areas throughout the state.
The karst landscape creates ground instability and contributes to differential settling under your house, often resulting in costly structural damage.
What Are The Signs of Basement Foundation Damage In Chicago, Illinois?
The various underlying causes of foundation damage in Chicago can elicit differing responses under and inside your home. We’ll discuss the most common signs of an under-home problem below and which of the issues discussed above is the likely culprit.
Foundation cracks are generally unavoidable, but not all fissures represent structural damage. The location and width of the gap will often be the biggest clues as to the severity of the problem.
Most homeowners notice thin, meandering cracks in their crawlspace or basement floor. As long as they are level from side to side, these generally just indicate normal concrete settling and don’t suggest structural damage.
It’s best to have a foundation repair contractor seal them to help maintain a dry basement.
If the cracks in your basement floor widen to ⅛” or more or have one side rising above the other, the problem is likely differential settling.
They suggest that a section of your slab has lost support from the soil underneath and is sinking deeper into the earth than the rest of your home. These gaps need immediate stabilization.
Cracks that travel vertically up and down your concrete block wall are most often a result of normal settling as well, and they rarely indicate a larger problem.
Some minor stabilizing may be necessary for gaps that are broader than ⅛”, but most simply require a polyurethane or epoxy sealant.
Horizontally-oriented wall cracks signify that the hydrostatic pressure from the clay-rich soil outside has forced your wall to bow inward to the point of cracking.
These fissures indicate that your foundation’s structural integrity has been compromised, so extensive foundation crack repair and stabilization are needed.
The last type of basement wall crack you may see appears in a step pattern along the contours of the concrete blocks.
These gaps indicate differential settlement, either from shrinking clay soil or from the area’s karst topography. These cracks typically require the most costly wall repairs.
The abundance of basement foundations, expansive clay soil, above-average rainfall, and risk of flooding all contribute to under-home water and moisture problems.
There are varying related symptoms you may notice, depending on whether liquid water or water vapor is entering the area.
Liquid water usually leaks through cracks in the concrete, so you may see water, water stains, or wet spots on or around fissures in the wall or floor during rainfall. Water damage, standing water, and puddles on the floor are also reasonable indications that foundation cracks are leaking.
Water vapor isn’t visible, so you’ll have to rely on some other signs if moisture is entering through pores in the concrete. Mold growth and musty odors under your home are good signs of moisture problems.
Efflorescence is a white, powdery staining left on the walls after incoming water evaporates. Moist air can also suggest a water vapor issue, as can the insects and rodents it attracts to the space.
Finally, the air inside your living area can suggest a problem with water or moisture underneath. Humidity seeping upstairs can lead to uncomfortable temperatures or unusually high utility bills.
Additionally, airborne mold spores entering your living space from your crawlspace or basement can elicit allergy symptoms in you or your family.
How to Find Signs of Foundation Damage In Chicago, Illinois?
Severe foundation problems seldom appear in response to a single event. Instead, they start small and slowly develop over time. As such, identifying and addressing the signs of damage to the concrete under your house quickly can keep your repair costs low and the damage to your property to a minimum.
The best way to monitor your home for gradual changes is to inspect it regularly. We’ll detail a full home inspection below that you can complete every three months to keep tabs on your foundation’s health.
Begin your inspection outside and look for cracks and visible sinking of the concrete under your house. Pay special attention to the corners, which is where most problems with differential settling will be evident.
Next, move into your basement and continue looking for foundation cracks. Report any horizontal or stair-step wall cracks and wide or uneven floor cracks to a foundation repair specialist immediately.
If you have problems with moisture or water in the space, consider having a foundation contractor seal hairline floor cracks or vertical wall cracks as well.
You should also look for the symptoms of water intrusion, including standing or pooling water, wet concrete, musty or dank smells, visible mold growth, water damage, and efflorescence or water stains on the walls.
Once you’ve checked your foundation thoroughly, move to the interior of your house, where symptoms of foundation movement regularly appear. The floor joists and framing in your home rely directly on your foundation for a stable and level base, so abnormalities in your flooring and walls can suggest that basement or crawlspace repair is required.
Look for leaning or bowing walls, nail heads bulging through the sheetrock, drywall cracks around door and window frames, doors and windows that are difficult to open or close, and buckling or sloping floors.
This is an excellent time to compare your recent utility bills to those from previous years to check for changes and assess any allergy symptoms indoors that may have gone unreported.
Finally, check your home’s exterior and your yard for symptoms of poor drainage and expansive soil that could be detrimental to your foundation if left untreated.
Leaning retaining walls, an uneven yard, puddles developing on your lawn during rainstorms, a leaning or cracked chimney, irregular roofing, and cracks in your siding can all suggest that you have a problem with your foundation.
Cost of Basement Foundation Repair In Chicago, Illinois?
On average, foundation solutions cost Chicago homeowners approximately $5,500 to repair. Your total might be as low as $300 or above $20,000, so it can be challenging to estimate what your home improvement will cost. We’ll include some more specific prices below to give you a better idea of where your price will fall.
Hairline cracks in the basement floor and vertical gaps in the foundation walls are usually the most straightforward repair. Most foundation repair contractors in Chicago charge between $300 and $800 for this wall repair.
Horizontal cracks generally require stabilization, and hydrostatic pressure in Chicago is best treated with an added exterior drainage system.
Earth anchors are the best solution for wall stabilization, as they use tensioning rods to help your foundation resist added pressure from the soil. These usually cost between $3,000 and $5,000, depending on how long the crack and your wall are.
Most foundation repair companies can add a drainage system to this setup for an additional $2,500 or so.
Most foundation repair specialists will use underpinning to correct differential settling. This repair involves installing additional foundation piers under your concrete to support it from underneath and take the burden off of the expansive clay soil.
Steel piers and helical piers cost around $1,000 and $3,000, respectively, so the type of piling used can have a significant impact on your total price. Most homeowners pay between $5,000 and $20,000 for underpinning.
Basement waterproofing systems are the best remedy for frequent or recurring water and water vapor issues beneath your house.
Your basement system can include various pieces of equipment and strategies, including French drains, sump pumps, dehumidifiers, vapor barriers, crawlspace encapsulation, drain tile systems, and more.
The average cost for a waterproofing setup is $5,500, depending on how comprehensive your system needs to be and warranty included with the equipment and workmanship.
