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Avatar for Foundation Repairs & Home Improvements Inc
Foundation Repairs & Home Improvements Inc
4.6(
63
)

Serving Eclectic, AL and surrounding areas

In business since 1972

Free estimates

Credit card accepted

"I was upstairs and I heard a lot of noise and the house started shaking. There were cracks inside the house. I asked what happened and they said the jack slipped. After that they said everything was good, looked level. They were supposed to redo my front steps by tearing the whole thing down and reconstructing it, but they talked me into just letting them fill in the area under the stairs with concrete and they did a sloppy job as fast as he could so they could get paid and be done with the projects. Now water gets under those area he filled and goes into the foundation. The hand railing is also not secured well to the concrete and I requested the redo that. I realized after they were done that the house was not level by the garage door. They hired a person to install a new door and he had real trouble getting the old one taken down and then had trouble with the install as well. The crew did not clean up after themselves at all. My niece and I spent 5 hours cleaning up all the bricks and concrete. One day they left my front door open and my house was filled with concrete dust everywhere. I called them several times to ask them to come out and look at the spot above the garage that was still sagging. They would tell me they were going to come out once they get more work in the area, but never came. A few months ago he said I never complained or called him. He still hasn't been out here to look at the house and I don't think he's planning on it. The last time we talked he said he was going to call before he came out but I haven't heard from him. I was responsible for repairing the drywall crack on the interior, but was assured there wouldn't be many, however, there are huge cracks all over the house."
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Structural Engineering questions, answered by experts

The depth of any foundation style depends on your climate and how deep the frost line is, as building code requires that the footers of a foundation—which are built into a monolithic slab—sit at least a foot below the frost line. At the southern tip of Florida, for example, a monolithic slab foundation would only need to sit 12 inches under the soil at the widest parts. On some parts of the Canadian border, the frost line is 100 inches, which would mean a minimum of 112 inches, which is prohibitively deep for a monolithic slab.

It depends on the bank and the extent of the issue. Some banks will lend against homes with minor foundation damage, but most won’t if the issue is structural since the home acts as collateral for the mortgage. Banks that offer renovation loans might still finance a home with structural problems. More minor issues like settling cracks and intermittent problems with humidity are unlikely to stop a bank from financing.

The essential difference between an architect and an engineer is that architects typically focus more on the aesthetic design of buildings, although not without consideration for the structural integrity of the building. Engineers focus more on the structural, technical, and practical aspects of whether and how an architectural design can be built as drawn. You may need to hire both types of professionals if you’re designing and building a new home.

The primary reason homes have crawl spaces is so the foundation can reach down below the frost line to avoid dangerous soil movement and structural damage when the ground freezes. They’re more popular in colder climates where the ground freezes down to a few feet, and slabs are most popular in warmer areas where there is no frost line. Crawl spaces also provide a space for utility lines to run where they’re at less of a risk of freezing.

Yes, water damage can affect your walls' structural integrity. If the water or moisture sits on the walls for an extended period, it can weaken the drywall, plaster, wood framing, and other materials supporting the wall. That's why it's critical to dry out the area as soon as you notice it.

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