So there’s something going on with your home’s foundation… Maybe you’re just starting to learn about foundation repair, or maybe you’ve already had a foundation inspection performed and you’re waiting for the repairs to start. The big question is, will you be able to continue living in your home during foundation repairs?
In the vast majority of cases the answer to that question is going to be YES.
But what are the repairs going to look like? Will it be safe? Will it be loud? Will we be working inside your home? Let’s dive into these questions, and more, in the rest of the article!
Our team here at Dalinghaus Construction Inc. has assisted tens of thousands of homeowners with foundation repair projects across Southern California and Arizona. We’re here to help homeowners just like you better understand foundation repair which includes whether or not you’ll be able to continue living in your home during foundation repair.
Can You Live In A Home During Foundation Repair?
The biggest concern for us and for homeowners is always SAFETY. We want to ensure the foundation repair project is safe for our team members as well as you and your family members. We will never jeopardize safety and neither should you!
We’ve mentioned that in the vast majority of projects homeowners can stay in there home, but what about that small minority of homeowners that CAN’T live in their home’s during foundation repairs?
When Can’t You Live In A Home During Foundation Repair?
Over the years we’ve found that the only time homeowners need to move out for a foundation repair project would be when we’re replacing an entire slab foundation.
This type of project will involve breaking out and demolishing the whole slab, which is not only messy but will also remove any semblance of a floor from the home. Not only do we not want homeowners walking around in dirt, but it wouldn’t be safe to do anyways.
A full foundation replacement is pretty uncommon, though. More specifically, our team will complete close to 500 foundation repair projects this year and only 1 or 2 of them will be full foundation replacements. That means less than 0.5% of our projects require homeowners to leave their home!
Now that we’ve talked about when homeowners CAN’T stay in their home during a project let’s talk about what the experience looks and feels like for homeowners that can stay in their home during a foundation repair project.
Living In Your Home During a Foundation Repair Project
Now that we’ve talked about when homeowners CAN’T stay in their home during a project let’s talk about what the experience looks and feels like for homeowners that can stay in their home during a foundation repair project.
Most of our foundation repairs will utilize piers to stabilize and sometime lift a home’s foundation. These piers will either be push piers or helical piers, both of which are made up of galvanized steel and hydraulically driven down to competent, load-bearing strata (aka soils that can adequately support the structure.)
These push piers or helical piers will be installed adjacent to the home’s footing around the perimeter of the area affected. This means the crews will be digging and excavating holes to the bottom of the footing on the exterior of the home.
Every once in a while our team will be forced to install a pier on the footing from the inside of the home. Although this isn’t a fan favorite, our crews do their best Dexter Morgan impersonation and tarp off the entire area to ensure no dirt or dust makes its way into the rest of the home.
Check out our post Will my homeowners policy cover any of these foundation repairs?
To excavate the soils and prepare the footing the crew will utilize power tools like impact drills, jack hammers, and concrete saws. All of these tools make noise, but they aren’t going to be vibrating the house or making things fall off the walls.
Noise is the biggest culprit to homeowner disruptions caused by foundation repair projects.
Can Homeowners Leave During Foundation Repair Projects?
Now that you know you DON’T need to leave your home, it’s time to decide if you want to leave during the project. Homeowners absolutely do not have to be home during repairs.
If there’s a lifting aspect to the project, we’d highly recommend the homeowner being there on lifting day though!
Most homeowners decide to stick it out and stay home during their project, but we leave that totally up to you!
Book a Free Foundation Inspection
In this article, you learned about projects that homeowners have to leave their home for and projects that homeowners can stay home during. You also learned about what to expect during a foundation repair project.
Dalinghaus Construction Inc. has been in the foundation repair industry since 2015 and holds over 100 years of combined foundation repair experience.
If you live in Southern California, Arizona, or Nevada and would like to book a free underpinning inspection, click on the link below –
One Response
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