Search
Close this search box.

What is Foundation Repair?

Table of Contents

More than likely if you haven’t experienced dealing with some of the signs and symptoms of a home that is experiencing foundation settlement or foundation heaving, you more than likely don’t even know about Foundation Repair being a thing.  And to be 100% honest, I didn’t know Foundation Repair was a thing or even an industry until I ventured into it in 2005.

Foundation Repair

Foundation Repair is a very specialized niche in the construction industry.  It is so specialized that almost all of the foundation repair companies, in Southern California and Arizona, focus entirely on repairing homes and structure’s foundations.  

The reason that Dalinghaus Construction, and other foundation repair companies, only focus on repairing foundations is that there are special skills, equipment, training, and experience that is focused on being able to diagnose and repair foundations.  It is the same reason that other construction trades, such as carpenters, painters, electricians, and plumbers only focus on their trade within the construction industry.

It’s like the saying goes “Jack of all trades, Master of none!”  When it comes to providing a solid solution and fix to a home’s foundation you definitely do not want a Jack!

Foundation repair in it’s simplistic form means to repair a home or structure’s foundation.  The difficult part is coming up with the correct solution for each situation that a home or structure’s foundation is experiencing at a given time.

It is like when you think about painting a wall in your home.  You know approximately what color you want, GREAT!  Now, what sheen do you want?  Eggshell, Flat, Satin, Gloss?  Then there are a ton of variety of costs.  Most of the costs are dependent on the effectiveness of the paint and longevity of it. 

The same type of varying scenarios occur in diagnosing and coming up with an effective foundation repair solution.  Do you want to have a repair that has no warranty or one that has a 25 year transferrable warranty?  Do you want to lift the home or do you want to stabilize the home in place?  Does your project need push piers?  Does your project need caissons?  All these questions go into play when finding the solution that works best for your home’s foundation. 

To properly diagnose if a home is in need of having foundation repair work done, you have to have an onsite inspection completed.  Pictures and discussions about what you are experiencing or seeing are great, but to truly find the best fix you want to have a professional that sees and inspects home’s foundations on a daily basis.  

Once the site inspection is performed the foundation repair specialist is able to take the data from the floor elevation report, measurements of the effected area, and all of the notes and pictures that they recorded during the visit.  They are then able to come up with a solution to what your home is experiencing.  

The solutions for foundation repair have a wide range when it comes to cost.  Those costs can range from a $2,500 repair to a $150,000 repair.  Like I said, a very wide range.

The biggest reason for the wide range is dependent on the amount of your home’s foundation that is experiencing movement.  The smaller the area the lower the cost.  The larger the area, the larger the costs.

Another thing that impacts the cost is the type of solution.  Doing soil stabilization on a settling foundation is a much cheaper fix, but it is typically only recommended if the soil conditions are good and the home has experienced only a small amount of settlement.  

A more expensive repair would be utilizing caissons for repairing the settling foundation.  Caissons require larger equipment and they are a lot more labor intensive and take more time to install.  All of these factors result in a higher cost.

Foundation Repair

Push Piers and Helical Piers are in the middle of the soil stabilization solution and the caisson solution.  They are highly effective on repairing residential homes and smaller commercial buildings, such as tilt-ups that you see in a lot of in Southern California and Arizona.  

Foundation Repair

Bottomline when it comes to foundation repair is to get a reliable professional to perform an inspection on your home.  Most companies offer FREE inspections to homeowners and they will supply you and your family with answers to your questions.  Foundation repair is one of the construction trades that you do not want to take on yourself.

If you want to learn more about Foundation Repair we recommend that you get your FREE copy of our Foundation Repair Guide.  This guide will go even further in depth on the signs and symptoms as well as the process of repairing a home’s settling foundation.

WRITTEN BY

Brian Dalinghaus

Brian is one of the Co-Founders of Dalinghaus Construction. He has been in the foundation repair industry since 2005. During his career, he has been associated with helping over 4,000 homes and structures throughout California and Arizona.

Related Posts

hillside repair
Learn some of the best techniques for hillside repair and slope stabilization to keep your hillsides in place and prevent erosion.
how to fill void under concrete slab
Learn how to fill a void under concrete slabs to ensure stability and longevity. Explore expert steps and methods in this concise guide.
retaining wall tie backs
Explore retaining wall tiebacks with our guide. Ideal for homeowners seeking insight into their property's structural support.
Retaining wall anchors
Discover the importance of anchors for retaining walls' stability and safety. A must-read for homeowners looking to protect their property.
Foundation Problems
Is it safe to live in a house with foundation problems? Find out if you should stay or leave immediately in this article.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *