Sponsored Content
Fixing your home’s foundation isn’t as exciting as projects like renovating your bathroom to create a luxurious spa experience — we get that. But that doesn’t mean your foundation is any less important. In fact, it’s THE most important part of your home.
Your foundation has a big responsibility: supporting your entire structure as well as everything and everyone in it. It must be structurally sound, otherwise your family’s safety is in jeopardy.
Home foundation repair can be stressful and overwhelming, but you don’t have to go through it on your own. Thousands of homeowners throughout Calgary, Edmonton, and the Greater Toronto area have trusted Groundworks — a leader in home repair services — to repair and protect their homes for more than 30 years. Contact Groundworks today to schedule a free, no obligation foundation inspection and repair estimate.
What is a foundation?
We’ve all heard the phrasing “a strong foundation” applied to many things, like relationships. In construction and home repair services, here are the basics:
- Foundation: The foundation is the portion of a home that is in direct contact with the ground and transfers the load from the above structure to the earth.
- Footing: A footing is a concrete structure poured into an excavated trench. Footings support the weight of the foundation by evenly dispersing the load to prevent settlement.
- Foundation wall: The foundation wall is a vertical concrete structure built upon the footing. It supports the weight of the building by distributing the load evenly across the footing and into the ground.
3 popular types of foundations
Every home is different, but most are built with one of the following foundation types:
- Basement: A basement foundation is one that is fully or largely situated below the ground level. Some basements also can be above ground. This foundation can be constructed using cement blocks or poured concrete.
- Crawl space: A crawl space foundation elevates the home above the ground, safeguarding it from rainwater and keeping it off the soil underneath. Typically standing 16 to 30 inches tall, a crawl space often houses HVAC systems and plumbing.
- Slab: A slab foundation is made of a solid, continuous concrete slab, usually 4 to 6 inches thick, that is poured directly on the ground in a single pour.
Why Canadian homes need foundation repair
Problems with foundations are caused by a number of circumstances. Here are the six most common sources of foundation damage:
1. Soil types
While Canada features a variety of soil types, expansive clay is the most problematic. Clay-based soil expands and contracts depending on moisture levels, exerting significant hydrostatic pressure on basement walls. This immense force can lead to structural issues and water infiltration into the basement.
2. Soil washout
Periods of heavy rainfall or flooding can erode and wash away soil underneath and around the foundation. This lack of support can result in shifting, settlement, and other movements of the foundation.
3. Shrinkage
During droughts, the soil dries out and shrinks. This can create voids that the foundation can easily settle into. Once the rains return, the overly dry soil cannot accommodate the excess water, leading to hydrostatic pressure and flooding.
4. Poor exterior drainage
Damaged or inadequate exterior drainage systems, such as gutters and downspouts, contribute to these issues. If these systems cannot effectively collect and redirect water away from the foundation, the runoff will accumulate near the home, causing leaks, cracks, and other damage.
5. Tree roots
A common misconception is that tree roots directly damage the foundation. In reality, the problem stems from the soil. As tree roots grow, they displace the soil, making it looser and more susceptible to erosion. Properties with loose soil tend to experience more foundation settlement problems.
6. Porous concrete
The basement floor and walls are porous in nature. The concrete mix contains a significant amount of water, and as the concrete cures, this water evaporates, leaving behind a network of capillary pores larger than water molecules, allowing water vapour to pass through.
8 common symptoms of foundation damage
Now that you know what impacts your home’s foundation, we’ve compiled a list of common signs of foundation damage you may notice around your house:
- Various cracking patterns basement walls (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and stair-step cracks)
- Bowing basement walls that appear to be moving inward
- Thin, deep, or spreading floor cracks
- Diagonal or vertical drywall cracks or nail pops coming out of the walls
- Floors that feel uneven
- A gap between the floor and the walls
- Doors or windows that stick or are difficult to open
- Cracking bricks in a chimney or a chimney separating from the house
Don’t hesitate to contact local home repair services professionals like Groundworks as soon as you notice any of these issues. If left unrepaired, they worsen, create safety hazards, impact your home’s value, and become more expensive to fix.
How Groundworks repairs and protects foundations
Groundworks understands the complex causes of foundation damage, as well as the uniqueness of each house. That’s why they craft customizable home foundation repair solutions tailored to fit exactly what your home needs. They might recommend:
- Wall repair systems: Durable carbon fibre supports, wall beams, and wall anchors offer permanent protection against hydrostatic pressure, and the beams and anchors can potentially restore bowing walls.
- Foundation piers: Depending on soil conditions, house weight, and the extent of damage, they’ll install either helical piers, push piers, or slab piers deep in the ground to reinforce and help lift settling foundations.
- Crawl space supports: Sagging, uneven floors require support you can count on. Groundworks’ adjustable crawl space support jacks permanently stabilize damaged floors and crawl space floor joists.
Groundworks also provides other whole-home solutions to manage water and humidity and create a safer, healthier living environment for you and your family. Other services include basement waterproofing, crawl space encapsulation and repair, radon mitigation, and concrete lifting.
Trust your home to the best. Trust Groundworks.
Foundation damage is no joke. It can result in serious problems for your entire home and family. Protect what matters most to you by investing in lasting home foundation repair by the trusted industry leaders at Groundworks.
Groundworks has more than 30 years of experience with diagnosing foundation problems and installing permanent solutions. Their expert teams treat your home as their own, and will be with you every step of the way until your home is a safer and healthier place to live. Contact Groundworks today to get started by scheduling a free foundation inspection