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
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Alexandria, Virginia is a vibrant city that offers residents a booming nightlife, rich history and architecture, and proximity to the beautiful Potomac River. Living in the Alexandria area isn’t without its problems, though. The geology and climate in the city contribute to a high risk of foundation damage, an issue that plagues homeowners in eastern Virginia. 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 Alexandria. Our pros have years of experience and are familiar with the nuances of Alexandria 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 will discuss the specific factors that make Alexandria a hotspot for foundation problems, as well as the symptoms they cause in your foundation. We’ll also offer some tips on how to help protect your house from severe damage and average pricing for typical foundation repairs in the 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: Alexandria, VA
Description: Hi, I have a large project in King George, Va, which requires jacking up a floor deck by 2'. We would then need to add 3 courses of block and reset the floor deck on a new sill. I am a home improvement contractor, but I have not had a project like this before, and I would like to work with a specialist. Thank you!
Date of Request: 05/27/2023
Location: Alexandria, VA
Description: I have an area under my patio that has eroded away all the way to the foundation. Need to inject concrete/slurry to fill the gap to support patio and prevent water from reaching the foundation.
Date of Request: 05/27/2023
Location: Alexandria, VA
Description: We need to have our basement evaluated for foundation issues. We had a home inspection that suspected a bulging wall.
Date of Request: 05/24/2023
Location: Alexandria, VA
Description: Repair some existing piers in the crawlspace.
Date of Request: 05/21/2023
Location: Alexandria, VA
Description: We have exterior soil voids between exterior foundation wall and dirt. The sump pump continually pumps water during rain.
Date of Request: 05/19/2023
Location: Alexandria, VA
Description: Cracking with some displacement on addition
Does Foundation Movement Affect Alexandria, Virginia?
Ground movement and the resulting impact on home foundations are significant problems for the District of Columbia area. Homeowners in Alexandria, Fairfax, Arlington, Annandale, and many cities across the Potomac in Maryland experience foundation problems on a more regular basis than much of the United States.
What Causes Foundation Problems In Alexandria, Virginia?
Several underlying causes of foundation problems are at play in Alexandria. We’ll go into these below and describe how each of them can compromise your foundation’s integrity.
Expansive soil is typically dirt that has a high concentration of clay, and it’s a severe problem for foundations in many areas. Alexandria’s soil is referred to as marine clay, which is believed to have been deposited by brackish water hundreds of thousands of years ago. It’s known to have an abnormal prevalence of smectite, which presents several problems for foundations in the city. Smectite, also referred to as bentonite, expands in volume when it gets wet. Runoff, floodwater, and shallow groundwater can all soak into the soil and cause it to grow. The swelling ground can place intense pressure on your slab or concrete walls, eventually causing them to crack under the stress. The swelling can quickly cause structural damage if your property has improper drainage. The clay in Alexandria’s soil also loses volume when it dries, meaning it can shrink away from your foundation and leave it without the support it needs to hold up your house. When this shrinking happens at different rates across your home, a process called differential settling can leave pieces of your foundation separating from the rest of your structure and sinking into the ground more rapidly. Differential settling commonly requires significant structural repair. Lastly, smectite is highly absorbent, so it retains water for a longer period than a soil with a lower ratio of clay in it. Any clay soil that is in contact with your concrete will readily hold moisture against the porous building material, commonly leaving your home prone to water intrusion and moisture build-up.
To make the already problematic effects of expansive soil worse, Alexandria is prone to flooding. Approximately a fifth of the city is designated as a floodplain because of its proximity to the Potomac River. Changes in sea level, rising tides, and heavy rains can all contribute to flooding throughout the city. Floodwaters contribute to the swelling and shrinking of the clay soil in Alexandria, putting foundations at an even higher risk of hydrostatic pressure and differential settling.
The issues with expansive soil and flooding combine to create an additional problem for home foundations: landslides. Alexandria is prone to landslides primarily because the deeper, more compacted clay soil makes drainage inadequate, which leaves the looser soil above to be swept away by rainwater or floodwater. This process can cause landslides which can move heavy dirt away from your foundation, leaving it without the support it needs to hold up your house. Topical ground movement can also carry large quantities of land into your foundation, creating immense hydrostatic pressure that can cripple crawlspace or basement walls and even damage slab foundations. 
Eastern Virginia is well known for its hurricane season, extending from June to November. Although Alexandria is situated somewhat inland, homeowners experience the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms regularly during these summer and fall months. Heavy, frequent rainfall in the city contributes to problems with swelling soil, landslides, and flooding, all of which can cause severe structural damage to your foundation.
Lastly, Alexandria is at moderate risk of earthquakes. Most seismic activity in the city is limited and not enough to cause isolated, sudden damages. However, even seemingly minor ground movement can cause shifting of the soil that can put added stress on your foundation or leave it without the support it needs.
What Are The Signs of Basement Foundation Damage In Alexandria, Virginia?
The underlying causes of foundation damage above can produce a wide variety of symptoms in your concrete and throughout your home. We’ll discuss the most common signs of Alexandria foundation issues below.
Foundation cracks are typically clear indications that your home has suffered damage, but they can also be completely harmless depending on where they appear.
Thin cracks in your crawlspace or basement floor aren’t usually a severe problem. They form most often because of normal concrete settling after new construction, and they appear in most foundations. As long as they remain under ⅛” wide and neither side rises above the other, you can usually just have them sealed to keep moisture out. Wider cracks or those that are unlevel from side to side indicate more serious damage. These cracks form in response to differential settling, and they often require structural repair to provide the support that your foundation needs from underneath.
Thin cracks running vertically on your foundation walls also result from typical settling during the first few years after construction. Sealing is the best option to keep your house protected from damage. Vertical wall gaps that grow beyond ⅛” might necessitate strengthening caulking to keep water out and prevent further expansion.
Horizontally-oriented cracks on your crawlspace or basement wall are much more severe. They form in response to mounting hydrostatic pressure from the soil outside your home, and they typically mean your foundation wall has lost its structural integrity.
Cracks that form in the shape of steps on your concrete block wall also typically indicate structural problems. They result from differential settling, and they signify that a portion of your foundation has separated from your house and settled further into the ground than the rest of your foundation.
Although the expansive clay soil in Alexandria can swell and shrink quite rapidly, the mounting hydrostatic pressure on your concrete typically takes years to become too much for the walls to resist. As such, horizontal cracks are often preceded by the inward bulging of your crawlspace or basement walls. Bowing walls can signify structural damage, and they very often predict horizontal cracking and foundation failure.
Lastly, water damage and moisture build-up under or in your home are both very common symptoms of foundation issues in Alexandria because of the expansive soil and risk of flooding. If your foundation is suffering from liquid water entering through cracks in the concrete, you may notice wet spots on the floor or walls under your home, standing water, water damage to building materials, musty odors, and damp air. Additionally, the presence of moisture from intruding water evaporating under your home can promote mold growth and pest infestation, making these two additional warning signs of water problems. 
Issues with water vapor entering your under-home area through the pores in the concrete can create many of the above symptoms in your crawlspace or basement as well. However, there are some additional signs of moisture build-up, including uncomfortably hot or cold temperatures in your upper floors, allergy symptoms in you or your family members, and unusually high utility bills if you use your heating and cooling systems to combat humidity in your house. Additionally, water vapor wicking through the concrete evaporates into the air under your house and leaves minerals and salts behind. This white, fluffy deposit on your concrete walls is called efflorescence, and it’s a clear indication that you have moisture issues.
How to Find Signs of Foundation Damage In Alexandria, Virginia?
There are many ways to diagnose foundation problems, but many homeowners do so too late when symptoms become abundantly evident throughout your house. We’ll share some tips below for identifying issues before they become severe so that you can keep property damage and repair costs as minimal as possible.
The best way to find the beginning signs of foundation damage is to inspect the concrete under your home once every three or four months. If you have a slab foundation, conduct your foundation check outside. Look for cracks in the concrete, signs of sinking or uneven settling, and crumbling. These symptoms usually present themselves around the corners of your home, where the settling is most severe. If you have a crawlspace or basement foundation, continue checking for damages beneath your house. Look for cracks in the concrete, puddles or wet spots on the floors, water damage to construction materials, mold growth or efflorescence on the walls, signs of insects or rodents taking up residence down there, damp air, and musty smells. Report any significant physical damage or changes to a concrete repair specialist immediately.
Next, head upstairs into your living space to continue looking for symptoms of foundation damage. Check the drywall throughout your house first, as this is the most typical place you’ll notice changes. Look for sheetrock cracks around wall openings and joints, nails bulging out of the drywall, and walls bowing inward or outward, which may cause cabinets or countertops to separate from the walls behind them. The floor joists in your house rely on the concrete below for a level foundation, so sloping or buckling floors in your living space can signify that your foundation has suffered dangerous movement. Lastly, pay attention to moldy or musty odors in your house, high utility bills, and uncomfortable temperatures. These symptoms can all result from humid air or mold spores accumulating on your slab or moving up into your house from your crawlspace or basement.
Finally, check your home’s exterior and landscaping for signs of damage. Look for signs that your chimney is separating from your house, cracks developing in your siding, and sagging roofing. You may be able to identify problems with expansive soil and drainage on your property by looking for leaning retaining walls, gaps between your foundation and the earth around it, and puddles forming on your lawn during rainfall or flooding.
Cost of Basement Foundation Repair In Alexandria, Virginia?
Homeowners in Alexandria typically pay around $5,000 for foundation repair services, but the price can be as low as $300 or as high as $30,000, depending on the type and extent of the damage. We’ll break down the cost for common repairs in the city below.
Thin foundation cracks that aren’t structural in nature can usually be sealed with epoxy or polyurethane to prevent water from seeping through them. This isn’t always necessary, but it can provide some peace of mind that is well worth the cost. Most foundation repair experts in the Washington DC area charge between $300 and $800 for this service, depending on the size of the gap.
Most foundation repair contractors combat the adverse effects of hydrostatic pressure with wall anchors, also called tiebacks. These anchors connect your inner foundation wall to an anchor in the earth outside with a tension rod. They can help pull your wall back to its original position and resist additional stress placed on it in the future. The average cost for earth anchors is between $3,000 and $5,000.
Differential settling issues, including step-shaped cracks and wide or uneven floor cracks, are usually treated with underpinning. Foundation contractors place push piers under your house to make up for the lost support from settling soil. Steel piers are the cheapest option and cost around $1,000 each, while helical piers are the most expensive and run around $3,000 each. Most homes require between three and ten piers, making the total average cost of this basement or crawlspace repair between $3,000 and $30,000.
Ongoing problems with water intrusion and moisture build-up are prevalent in Alexandria due to the expansive soil, proximity to the Potomac River, and frequency of heavy rainfall during hurricane season. The best solution to combat incoming water and moisture is a basement waterproofing system, which can include any combination of exterior drainage systems, sump pumps, vapor barriers, dehumidifiers, crawlspace encapsulation, and several other waterproofing methods. 
Most homeowners pay around $5,000 for basement or crawlspace waterproofing, but your cost can vary between $2,000 and $10,000, depending on what your specific property requires. Cheaper systems can be appealing, but your best option for reliability is to choose a contractor with years of experience that offers a warranty.
