When It Comes To Quality Foundation Repair,
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Serving Texas Since 1984.
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The Highest Quality Foundation Repair Company in Fort Bend
Homeowners in Fort Bend County wish to preserve and maintain the values of their homes. When home repairs are needed the vast majority of Fort Bend residents prefer high quality repair work rather than low quality repair work. Bell Bottom Piers are the Highest Quality Foundation Repair Method available in Texas. So the obvious question is, “What makes Bell Bottom Piers better than other repair methods?”
- Strength – the Bell Bottom Pier is constructed as a single unit (monolithic) and therefore is far stronger than a stack of concrete cylinders
- Installation Confirmation – before the wet concrete is poured the excavated hole is inspected by an engineering company for proper size, depth, and alignment of the Bell Bottom Pier; other foundation repair methods are based on HOPE, that is, the contractor hopes the concrete cylinders are being pushed into the ground in a vertical alignment; unfortunately, many times the cylinders “skew” off at an angle and are unable to support the weight of the house
- Load Bearing Capacity – Bell Bottom Piers can support 5 to 10 times the necessary weight that is required; this is called a “Factor of Safety” by structural engineers; the “Factor of Safety” for other repair methods is 1 or less
- Permanent – Bell Bottom Piers are permanent; the structural engineers at A-1 Engineering have stated that pushed concrete piles (the most common foundation repair method in Texas) “. . . will almost always be temporary”
The problem with other foundation repair methods in Texas
The problem begins with the clay soils that cover most of the eastern half of Texas, including the southeast portion. These clay soils have a very unique property – they swell and contract in volume with changes in moisture content. When clay soils are wet they will expand in volume as they absorb the water. When clay soils experience dry, hot weather they will lose moisture to evaporation and plant withdrawal. Losing moisture will cause the clay soils to shrink or contract in volume. That is why it is common to see the soil around a home’s perimeter “pulling away” and shrinking during summer months.
This soil movement, expansion and contraction, is a seasonal and annual event and it places tremendous stress on rigid, concrete slabs. Since most concrete slab foundations built for homes in the Texas are built to “minimally functional” standards, the stage is set for foundation problems and damage to both the foundation and the house. If residential foundations were built to higher standards, that is, with thicker concrete and more steel rebar, there would be far fewer home foundation problems in Texas.
Most foundation problems appear during the second decade of a home, that is, between years 10 and 20. However, foundation repair contractors are seeing a significant increase in the number of homes with foundation problems that are between 1 and 10 years of age. This may be due in part to the brutal droughts of 2011 and 2013 that created settlement problems for thousands of homes in Fort Bend county and throughout Texas.
The solution for cracked slab foundations in Texas is to provide a support system under the parts of the foundation that are experiencing movement. This support system should prevent portions of the foundation from collapsing (settlement) during hot dry weather and it should resist upward soil movement (upheaval) when the clay soils become saturated with water.
In addition, the support system should be able to support many times the weight that is actually placed upon it. This is called the “factor of safety.” And finally, it should be a permanent support system, not a temporary “quick fix.” The most important characteristics of a high quality foundation repair method are:
- Prevent settlement
- Resist upheaval
- Factor of Safety (can support 5-10 times the necessary weight)
- Permanent
The four characteristics above are what separates low quality and high quality foundation repair. High Quality foundation repair does cost more but you only have to pay for it ONCE !
When to request a foundation inspection?
You should request a foundation inspection if you see any of the following warning signs of foundation problems:
- Cracks in the interior walls
- Cracks in the exterior brick walls
- Cracks in tile floors
- Doors or windows that do not open and close properly
- Bowed brick walls
- A bowed roofridge
- A collapse or settlement of any portion of the foundation slab
- A hump or bump in any portion of the foundation slab
- Poor water drainage away from the foundation
- Any water seepage coming from below the foundation
The service area in Fort Bend County and the surrounding areas includes the following zip codes: 77494, 77450, 77407, 77083, 77498, 77441, 77406, 77471, 77498, 77478, 77477, 77489, 77479, 77459, 77469, 77053, 77545, 77481, 77461, 77444, 77430, 77420, 77417, 77485, 77435, 77474, 77423, 77583.
Should you have any Questions or desire a Foundation Inspection then Call (281) 912-0508 Today!
