Keeping the foundation of a home in level condition is very important to the safety of your home, and is something any homeowner should have looked into on a regular basis. At the very least, you should have your home foundation checked annually for levelness, and if there are certain areas that are beginning to sag. Fortunately for homeowners, there are foundation services offered for any type of foundation you can imagine a home sitting on, including from pier supports to the traditional concrete slab.

Residential Foundation Services in Falls Church

The best way to support the edges and corners of a traditional foundation found in residential homes is by using helical anchor supports. These supports are situated around the foundation and then have an anchor that drives deep into the ground in order to provide extra support and to stop a foundation from becoming un-level. The best part about this type of support system is that it is affordable, installed quickly, and it does not ruin the landscaping around your home. If you live in an older home and have fears of your foundation being suspect to failure in the future, you should immediately call for a consultation from your trusted foundation support company.
Another common practice in homes with basements is to support the exterior walls of the basement that are constantly having pressure put on them from the surrounding land. The best support system to utilize for this is to have helical anchors installed that take some of the pressure off of the wall. The next step would be installing carbon fiber reinforcements to the wall itself, which will give the wall that extra needed strength so that it never becomes compromised.
If you live in a home that is on blocking or uses pier supports, you can have a special type of anchoring system installed that will keep your supports completely level, and at full strength. Many beach homes use a pier support system as their foundation of their home. This type of foundation often gets damaged from rising tides and from sitting on weak sands, which is why you can have them completely reinforced by putting anchors deeper into the ground so that they are sitting on hard soil instead of weak sand.

Concrete Repair & Restoration – Basic Things You Need to Know in VA

Bowing and cracking are obvious signs of a structural problem and it may worsen overtime when it goes unfixed. Basically, the longer you fix them, the more expensive the repair will be. When a concrete foundation gets damaged, it will cause problems in all the building. The windows and doors become hard to operate as they will be dealing with additional pressure from the damaged concrete. The building walls can crack, the floor may bow when you don’t fix the problem right away. Fixing the foundation problem as soon as they arise will save you money down the line. It will also minimize the extent of the damage from the concrete problem.
What you can do is find the right concrete foundation company. By hiring the right concrete restoration company, you can ensure quality work and can limit the amount of unnecessary work. It is obviously hard to do the repair yourself as you have limited knowledge regarding this field of work. The best course of action is to hire a company that has worked on this field for a long time. Furthermore, an expert in restoration can see tiny problems that average Joes like you would not even think about. They have all the right tools, materials and skills to make foundation and concrete repairs.
Another thing that you might be thinking right now is you can save money by providing a quick fix for your weakening foundation. Doing things like filling cement or patching cracks on your foundation are both considered cosmetic repairs but they don’t necessarily fix the entire problem. Doing these kinds of repair only provide temporary fix. Sooner or later, you will have to do a more permanent restoration. As I’ve said before, it is better to get the foundation fixed immediately instead of waiting for the damage to worsen overtime.
In summary, here’s what you need to do:
1. Identify the problem
2. Ask professional advice (quote or estimate)
3. Find the right company based on several factors
4. Read about this company’s reputation by checking out reviews and feedback score
5. Do a quick research on their methods and repair techniques

Foundation Repair in Falls Church VA

General symptoms of a structure needing foundation repairs are bulging or cracked walls and doors that don’t close properly. Building on expansive soils is the main culprit for foundation settlement. When only one part of the foundation either settles or heaves, cracks are formed in the foundation. The exterior warning signs of improper floor settling are rotation of walls, displaced moldings, cracked bricks and foundation and separation around doors and windows from the walls. Interior warning signs of improper floor settling are cracks on the floor, sheet rock and misalignment in doors and windows.
There are many ways of doing foundation repair. Cement, stone, steel or wood were used extensively in past techniques. They would be forced into the ground in a bid to salvage the strength of these foundations. However, this type of repair work has been known to be futile. Two of the most successful ways of foundation repairs are slab jacking and the Piering method. Piering is also known as hydraulic jacking.
Slab jacking is the process of adding grout beneath a slab or beam. This produces a lifting force and restores the said beam or slab to almost its original elevation and adds to its strength. Care should be taken that the amount of sand should be perfect while adding grout.

4 Ways to Protect Your Foundation in Fairfax County

1. Foundation liners
Any home with a window well has a veritable pool just waiting to be filled flush against the foundation. Those tiny pinholes and hairline cracks can let water seep in and quietly warp the wood beyond repair. It’s also a cesspool for fungi and bacterial growth. Not only will a foundation liner help protect your foundation, but it will also make the entire window well look gorgeous-choose from a variety of materials that mimic natural materials.
2. Proper soil grading
Basements are hotspots for flooding, but you can’t blame an overactive washing machine every time. Yes, it’s where a lot of pipes are close to the walls, but more often it’s a quick spring thaw or heavy rain that’s to blame. Particularly if your basement has windows, you need to make sure the soil against the foundation is graded away from the home. A reputable landscaper can help with this.
3. Clear away snow quickly
If you live in a snowy region, as tedious as it may be, you need to remove snow regularly from your foundation and roof. Both of these areas are vulnerable to water damage, and snow is a lot heavier than you think. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to hire a professional snow crew, this is it. Whether you use your own elbow grease or prefer to hire help, it’s much easier and more affordable than risking a damaged foundation or roof from snowfall.
4. Get your downspouts in order
Are your downspouts directing water far enough away from your home? There’s only one way to find out. Ask your contractor when you’re having your roof inspected. You could probably do better with downspouts and maybe even utilize some of that rainfall for gray water in the home (ultimately conserving resources and cash flow).

A Simple Guide to Waterproofing House Foundations in 22041

Between fifteen and twenty years ago, most builders thought that spreading asphalt onto a house’s foundation was a good enough method of providing waterproofing to the foundation and the home. Then, between ten and fifteen years ago, a person named Owens Corning added a rubber compound to the asphalt to give it more flexibility. Since then, other people have developed other rubber based compounds that hold a greater amount of elasticity than the original rubber and asphalt compounds.
Bentonite is a must when it comes to waterproofing house foundation. Bentonite is a special product made of natural clay that swells when it comes into contact with moisture. When water passes through bentonite on its way to foundation cracks, it breaks off bits of the bentonite clay as it flows which, when it reaches the foundation crack, causes the clay to “fall” into the crack and expand — plugging up the crack and keeping the rest of the moisture out!
When deciding which foundation building company to employ, you will want to make sure that they are properly educated on the use and installation of drain tile. Drain tile is essential to waterproofing house foundations and while there are plenty of contractors and builders who know what it is, few of them know how to properly install it with your foundation. Do your research and make sure that your company knows how to work with drain tile.