Foundation Repair Case Studies: Push Piers Lift Home Back into Place

Challenge

This home in Hendersonville, NC had moisture building up in the crawl space. Although the homeowners had installed a plastic vapor barrio, they were unable to tackle the moisture issue without damage happening to their home. The excess moisture that was in the crawl space was causing the ground to soften, resulting in the home’s foundation sinking. As the foundation of the home began to skin there was obvious signs of the issue. Cracks had started to form in the outside walls that show obvious proof of the issue. Floors and walls inside the home started to budge, and would creak when the owners would walk through.

Solution

To solve these issues, All-Dry of the Carolinas was called and asked to give an estimate as to what could be done to help their home. Our design specialist, David Listovitch, went out to the home to see that in fact, the foundation had started to skin. David recommended a combination of waterproofing and foundation technology.

For the issue of moisture and water that was getting into the crawlspace, interior drainage was installed along with a SuperSump Pump that would flush excess water from the crawlspace. The SuperSump pump is one of the finest sump systems that are on the market. It is capable of pumping up to 2,650 gallons of water an hour and is equipped with a WaterWatch Alarm System, SuperLiner, and Airtight Lid.

Once the crawl space was waterproofed, the issue of the sinking foundation needed to be solved. Our team at All-Dry installed a Push Pier System. The Push Pier System is used to stabilize home’s foundation and to lift it back into place. Rugged steel tube sections are hydraulically driven through the steel foundation brackets to reach the depths of competent load-bearing strata. The homes weight is then placed from the soil through the piers to the competent soil or bedrock.

To install the system, the footing of the home is exposed and prepared for the pier brackets. The bracket is then secured to the footing and the piers are driven into the soil. The weight of the home is transferred through the piers to the soil and the home is then lifted back into the level position.

The advantages of this system are that the piers reach a greater depth than other home leveling systems. The system is made from galvanized that will not rust. The piers can also reserve the effect of a sinking home versus where other systems just stop the process.

Twelve piers were added to the home and it was able to rise back up into place repairing the damage that was caused when it sunk. The water proofing method will keep the crawl space dry so that the soil will continue to say dry to prevent further damage.