Foundation Failure

Moisture
Seasons bring about a change in climate. Moisture or lack there of is a major contributing factor in foundation failure. There is either too much water, causing the soil to swell, or not enough, causing the soil to shrink. If the soil beneath the foundation swells uniformly problems are unlikely. But when only part of the foundation heaves or settles, differential movement causes cracks and other damage.

Transpiration
Landscaping makes the exterior of your home come to life. Unfortunately, tree roots can be a hazard to your foundation. Roots can dehydrate the soil causing soil shrinkage and differential settlement.

Plumbing Problems
A broken pipe can be a major contributing factor in slab damage.

Drainage
Improper drainage can cause moisture build up or pooling encouraging erosion or soil consolidation. Gutter downspouts should be not be permitted to discharge water next to the foundation. Surface drainage next to the foundation should slope away from the house. Excessive moisture may cause expansive soil to swell and heave.

Poor Building Pad
Cut and fill, where soil is removed from part of the lot and stacked on another, must be compacted properly before construction begins. If not packed properly, unexpected movements of the soil beneath the foundation may occur.

Ground Preparation
Improperly graded home sites often lead to future foundation issues. Grading should always divert water away from a structure so as not to allow water to seep under a foundation.

Various Soil Conditions
If a structure is supported by various soil conditions, there is cause for concern. Settlement differential comes into play. If part of the foundation sits on expansive clay and the rest is on fill or rock, the amount of seasonal movement will vary tremendously. Without a proper foundation design, the differential movement may cause damage to the structure or foundation.

Deep Drilled Concrete Piers
Capital Foundations believes in deep drilling of concrete piers. Concrete Piers are an excellent choice for foundation repairs. Most foundation repairs are caused by organic soils, shrinking and swelling clays, poor compaction, improper embedding a footer, and erosion. The function of deep drilled concrete piers is the support and stabilization of your structure’s load bearing walls by transferring the weight of the structure from weaker soils onto the concrete piers and deep load bearing soils.

With over 35 years of experience in the Central Texas area, our experience has shown that no pier delivers the performance, flexibility of installation and wide acceptance from inspectors as do drilled concrete piers. With the ability to customize diameters, reinforcing and depths to suit each individual need, we feel that this is the best product for the job. Concrete piers have been used for decades and continue to provide the homeowner, contractor with the best, most versatile type of support for concrete slab foundations.

General Notes on Slab Foundation Repair

1. Reinforcing steel shall be deformed new billet steel bars in accordance with A.S.T.M. Specification A615 grade 60 or better.
2. Concrete shall have a minimum 28 day compressive strength of 3000 pounds per square inch.
3. Reinforcing steel, pier diameter and depth may vary with individual site conditions.

Capital Foundations installs only drilled concrete piers for the reasons listed above. With the contact area almost 17 times that of pressed piles, and over 40 times that of steel piers, these piers provide the most resistance to settlement arid upheaval over our competitors. When you factor in the ability to drill thru materials that will stop pressed piles, add in the verifiable depth and compare the costs, you will find that these piers are not only the best, but they are also competitively priced.

Typical Specifications of Piers/Piles

* Price based on pier, diameter, depth and reinforcement steel

Comparison of Piers/Piles

To make repairs last, the property owner must change the conditions that caused the problem. Soil swelling can usually be stopped by cutting off the moisture supply. Plumbing leaks are major causes of soil swelling. If water leaks do occur, they must be repaired immediately to prevent damage to the foundation.

In dry periods the soil adjacent to the foundation should be watered to maintain constant moisture. Proper watering is critical as the purpose is to keep the soil water content next to and under the foundation at approximately the same moisture content. July, August, and September cracks in the soil often appear. You want to have initiated a watering program long before this so the cracks do not appear.

Some of the other maintenance issues:

• Drainage
  It is very important that ground surface water drains away from the foundation. Surface water should never be allowed to collect around the foundation. Annually inspect the ground from the foundation out at least five feet immediately following a rainstorm. If there is water pooling against the foundation this situation must me corrected by re grading the area.
  
  Downspouts should be directed away from the house and the water should discharge 3-4′ away from the house at a minimum.
• Vegetation
  Understand the types of trees you have planted near your home. Certain trees have extensive shallow root systems that remove water from the soil. The Department of Housing and Urban Development suggests trees be planted no closer than their ultimate height. Plants with large, shallow root systems can grow under a shallow foundation and, as the roots grow in diameter, produce an upheaval in the foundation beam.
• Observation
  Don’t let early warning signs go unnoticed. Call us and find out if you have a problem that should be corrected. Not all problems are disastrous. They may only be a signal of something that can be corrected with increased watering or root barriers at a tree. Acting early can save you money.