Foundation Repair Methods at a Glance
- Mudjacking and foam leveling
- Material pumped under a sunken slab lifts it back to level. For driveways, walks, patios, steps and garage floors.
- Crack injection
- Epoxy or polyurethane injected into a poured-wall crack from inside, to seal a leak or bond the concrete.
- Carbon fiber straps
- Bonded to a basement wall that has bowed a little, to stop further movement.
- Steel wall braces and wall anchors
- Steel beams or anchored rods that hold a bowing wall in place, for walls that moved more.
- Push piers and helical piers
- Steel piers under the footing that carry a settling part of the house down to firmer ground.
- Interior supports and shims
- Adjustable posts or shims that level a sagging floor or beam inside the house.
- Drainage
- Grading, downspouts, drain tile and sump pumps that reduce the water behind most foundation problems.
- Wall rebuilding
- Digging out and rebuilding a wall that has moved too far to brace.
How a Job Runs
- Visit and estimate. The contractor measures cracks, walls, floors and slabs, then proposes a scope in writing. Serious or disputed damage may call for an engineer first.
- Permit and locates. Any permit is pulled, and buried utility lines are marked before digging.
- Prep. The work area is cleared: plants, a deck board, part of a finished wall.
- The repair. Hours for a slab lift or a crack, one to a few days for piers or braces.
- Lift, if planned. The house or slab is raised slowly while the crew watches for new cracks.
- Restore and clean up. Holes are backfilled, concrete patched, debris hauled away, as the contract says.
Can You Live in Your House During Foundation Repair?
Almost always. Slab lifting happens outside, piers go in from outside or from the basement, and wall work stays in the basement. Plan for noise, digging in the yard and a driveway or room you cannot use for a while. Water or gas may be shut off briefly if a line passes through the work area.
During a lift, doors may stick or swing differently and some drywall cracks may close while new hairline ones appear. Things usually settle down when the work is done.
Afterward
- Keep the contract, warranty, permit and photos together for when you sell.
- Mark any remaining cracks and check them over the following year.
- Keep gutters clean and downspouts long, so the soil around the house stays steady.
More on mudjacking, piers and house leveling, crack and wall repair and basement waterproofing.