Foundation Repair Before & After Photos

A separating chimney can be extremely dangerous to a homeowner and anyone around the home. Chimneys are often at a higher risk from settlement damage because they are often poured on a separate slab of concrete than the home. While this chimney had separated quite a bit from the home, it definitely was not beyond repair.

The "before" picture shows just how much the chimney was separating from the home. While it does not look like much, the farther up the chimney that you look, the larger the gap is. The gap at the top of the home is more than likely an inch or two wide.

The "after" photo shows off the great work by our crew. You can see that the gap is now non-existent. Our crew installed two push piers on the back of the chimney in order to push it back towards the home. These push piers are a permanent solution to this homeowner's problem because these push piers are driven deep down to more stable soil, so that settlement will not be an issue ever again.

Nexus Pro is a newer product that we have been using more recently. It is an excellent solution to sealing cracks in outdoor, concrete foundations like driveways. On this particular project, the driveway began cracking because the earth under it was shifting, which was causing cracks in both the driveway and the retaining wall. Our crew used wall anchors in order to prevent any further shifting.

However, there is no good way to get rid of the cracks other than to replace the entire driveway, or do some concrete patchwork. These are both bad ideas because to replace the entire driveway would be expensive, and to do patchwork, you would still run the risk of it cracking. Therefore, the best option for this homeowner was to use Nexus Pro. While it doesn't make the cracks disappear, but rather seals them.

 As you can see in the after photo, the Nexus Pro makes quite a difference and helps to protect the driveway. It is unlike other sealants in that it resists drying out, bubbling, and cracking. It is a much longer lasting product than other sealants. Once the Nexus Pro completely dries, it is duller and isn't as noticeable as it is in the second photo.

The SmartJacks were placed under the floor joist of the home and then used to push the floors back into place. To install it, we excavate a two-foot cube at each SmartJack location. The hole is then filled with concrete or engineered to create a stable, loadbearing footing. The SmartJack sits on top of it with a custom-engineered base to prevent the support system from sinking when the moister starts to affect the soil. SmartJacks are then adjusted to the perfect position to support the floor joist of the home. This SmartJack technology, is made of steel which will not rust when exposed to moister and it can also hold over 60,000 pounds! This product was able to save this homes sagging floor problem.

This before and after is a little different because the work has already been completed and the crack has already been brought back towards its original position. This before and after is more to show the process after the push piers are installed, rather than the difference that they made in closing the crack (which was a huge difference). 

The "before" photo shows off the two installed push piers that had to be installed under this patio. The crack can also be seen at the top of the picture, and as you can see it is essentially completely closed up. Our crew had carefully removed a portion of the concrete that was just big enough for them to dig out the area and install the push piers. The great thing about push piers are that they are almost always completely in the ground once installed.

The "after" photo shows the same area but after the area had been filled back in. The crew filled the holes back up with the dirt they had removed and then began mixing concrete to cover the area. The concrete was poured and smoothed out, making it as good as new! Of course the old and new concrete will look a little different, but the most important part is that this homeowner doesn't have to worry about any further damage to their wall. 

Foundation issues are a problem that should never be put on hold. As much as we want it to be able to stop, the problem will grow and become worse as time passes. This Lake Lure, NC homeowner had thought to hold off on getting his foundation issues fixed. However, after watching the floors continue to sag, he decided that he could put it off no longer..

When our team came to rectify the problem they brought along SmartJacks. The SmartJacks were placed under the floor joist of the home and then used to push the floors back into place. To install it, we excavate a two-foot cube at each SmartJack location. The hole is then filled with concrete or engineered to create a stable, loadbearing footing. The SmartJack sits on top of it with a custom-engineered base.