Some Jobs Require Exceptional Technicians in the Foundation Repair Industry
If you’re a contractor who is working in a home that needs a foundation solution, or if you’re a homeowner who is recognizing the signs that repair may be necessary, it’s important to understand that a foundation job can’t just be passed along to anybody.
The foundation is literally the base on which the rest of a house stands, so it’s important that an expert-level, highly-trained technician is involved in any foundation-related services.
Foundation failure, which can do major damage to a home, is a real possibility when repairs aren’t taken care of, and while some of the foundation repair services you might have heard of seem like relatively simple fixes, this is not true.
Therefore, be cautious about the foundation repair company you choose for your job, especially when you get into some of the more challenging repairs. Below, find a list of the kinds of jobs you shouldn’t leave to just any company. These should be reserved for an excellent foundation repair company.
Foundation Piering and Polyjacking: Two of the Most Challenging Jobs
Two foundation repairs that require expert precision are piering and polyjacking. Keep in mind that they are highly technical procedures using state-of-the-art equipment, and – if done well – can save thousands of dollars and a great deal of difficulty for a homeowner. In fact, they can even add significant value to a home.
To truly understand the intricacies of these procedures, it’s beneficial to get info on foundation jacks, which play a pivotal role in the process of piercing and polyjacking. This knowledge will not only enlighten homeowners but also enable them to make informed decisions when consulting with repair companies.
Common Foundation Problems
When a foundation is in need of repair, it is likely that the sediment underneath and on the sides of the home need to be corrected. If soil was not backfilled correctly when the home was built, or if soil conditions change in the region when there are wet and dry seasons, a home’s foundation loses a key support.
Additionally, a foundation may not have been built properly, so – when the home settles – the foundation begins to fail on one or more sides, instead of bearing the weight of the home evenly. The settling of a home, even under normal circumstances, can eventually add pressure to the foundation, requiring foundation repair, even if it is difficult to detect particular adverse circumstances that are affecting the condition of the foundation.
What Piering Can Do
What foundation piering does is hold up the foundation with steel “piers,” which are strong metal poles. These are driven into the ground with a powerful hydraulic tool, so that they stick securely in the ground beneath and on the sides of the home. Then, soil is filled back in properly, creating a secure, tight foundation on all sides.
The house’s foundation is now secure: walls are no longer bulging or bowing, and the floor of the basement is level. The homeowner notices that doors and windows no longer stick in the upper parts of the home due to the leveling and supporting of the original foundation that could only be done by an expert.
Why Piering Requires an Expert
Proper tools, experience, and a high-level of knowledge about this state-of-the-art technique are required to make piering successful. Additionally, a foundation repair team needs to have the right materials on hand, including excellent materials at their disposal for the piers. A collapsing foundation can easily be made worse with an inexperienced team. Making additional repairs to fix a contractor’s faulty repair could cost a homeowner a significant amount of time, disruption of their daily lives, and – of course – their hard-earned money.
Polyjacking: Why This Technique is Used
Polyjacking is another foundation repair technique that requires an experienced hand. You may have heard of mudjacking, which is similar, but the polyjacking technique uses better materials and equipment to get the job done well.
If there are areas of your home – such as a basement or garage – that have concrete slabs as their base, settling or soil conditions could make these slabs uneven. In the case of a foundation, uneven flooring can eventually cause major foundation issues if it is not remedied.
How Polyjacking Works
Although many companies inject cement beneath a concrete slab to level it out by raising it, there is a select group of foundation repair professionals that have training in a far more effective material that is made from foam resins. This is the material used for polyjacking.
This mixture needs to be blended properly, and then it is injected using tools that require more training than the average mudjacking pumps, especially if you want your foundation to bear the weight of your home – or your vehicles, in the case of a garage. When polyjacking is used, your concrete slabs are then secure for many, many years of use.
Why Polyjacking Requires an Expert Hand
But what’s so difficult about polyjacking? The reason we include it here is because most foundation repair companies revert to mudjacking, whereas better-trained technicians use the tools and techniques of polyjacking. These skilled foundation repair experts have mastered mudjacking, and have now moved on to accomplishing this new technique.
Not only should you opt for polyjacking over mudjacking because it’s a stronger solution, but knowing that your foundation repair technician is trained in this repair process bodes well for their level of experience and knowledge in this industry.
Leave Foundation Repair to Companies with the Right Techniques and the Right Tools
Suppose you’re looking for foundation repair assistance, but you need a service we haven’t mentioned yet, such as a drainage solution, basement waterproofing, or wall anchoring.
While these can be difficult tasks in and of themselves, if you notice that the foundation company also has experience with polyjacking and foundation piering, it is likely – because of their adoption of these advanced techniques – that they are a group of precise, forward-thinking, and dedicated professionals.
You can bet that this company is engaged with the most recent advancements in foundation repair. If they can confidently claim that they can perform polyjacking and piering well, it’s likely that they will also do an excellent job with the service you need
It can be hard to tell one foundation repair company from another, so perhaps knowing that a company is adept with more difficult techniques – as opposed to lingering in the early, liminal phases of practicing foundation repair – can help you decide which company to choose.