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Hydraulic Push Piers

Unlike the common helical pier or push pier which is bolted to an exterior wall of your building, we install concentric-style hydraulic push piers to the bottom of your foundation walls. We drive the pipe straight down into the bedrock below while lifting up and anchoring your home or business into a stable position. This allows us to load 220,000 pounds onto each pier, compared to a max load of 120,000 pounds for a helical pier, as well as space piers up to six feet apart, compared to four for helical piers. Translation? You have to pay for fewer piers, potentially saving thousands of dollars.

Core Filling (Steel and Concrete Wall Reinforcement)

Compared to carbon fiber straps, which offer a temporary solution, we prefer to bolster sagging basement walls with core filling. This is a process where we snake lengths of rebar into a hollow cinder block wall from the top and bottom through a hole we create in the center. Then, we tie these lengths together with a wire mesh in the center where they overlap, fasten a plate of wood over the access hole, and drill a hole in the top of the wall. We then fill the wall with 3,000 PSI concrete. This provides a permanent solution and is warranted for the life of the structure.

The culprit of leaning basement walls is often water: hydrostatic pressure in the soil pushing on the back, or exterior, of the wall. As a result, we frequently recommend replacing soil around the foundation with rock.

Steel Beam Wall Reinforcement

We also offer basement wall reinforcement using steel beams. This involves digging out the base of the wall and placing braces to push against the wall. We then weld half-inch plate steel to the base of each steel beam and bolt that to the concrete floor, running the beams up along the wall and attaching them to the framing of the first floor. Finally, where there are gaps where each beam meets the wall or top of the beam, we install steel shims.

Drainage Swales and Other Exterior Drainage Solutions

We grade the land around your home to make the water flow around (rather than through) the house, cutting and contouring as necessary. For example, homes with front yards that slope toward the house may need a drainage swale.

Dimple Boards and Footing Drains

One of our most popular services. We excavate around the house, clean the walls, then install waterproofing dimple boards around the foundation wall of your structure with an aluminum strip that terminates just above the grade. This prevents water from getting behind the dimple board. We run the board down the wall and across the top of the foundation footing, turning down the edge of the footing itself, where we install two runs of footing drain wrapped with filter fabric. Finally, we backfill the area with gravel to ensure a positive flow into the footing drain, eliminating pressure from the previously water-logged soil pushing against the foundation wall.

Structural Framing

Long-term exposure of your framing to mold leads it to lose its structural integrity, becoming easy to crush, even with your hand. When framing is less compromised, we offer steel beam reinforcement.

When the damage is so great that it would crumble under the weight of the reinforcements, however, we provide joist, full girder, and framing replacements. If the interior floors of your house are significantly damaged, we also offer demo services, removing damaged carpeting, padding, and subflooring.

Mold Treatments

When necessary, if you have fungal growth on your framing in your crawl space, we'll treat it to kill the mold on contact and then suggest long-term solutions to keep it from coming back.

Crawlspace Encapsulation

Another way to protect your framing is by installing a vapor barrier or “full encapsulation.” This involves covering the floor and walls of your space with heavy-duty plastic sheeting, sealing it off.

Dehumidifiers

We provide preventative solutions that dry out your crawl space, hindering mold growth and protecting your framing. One option is installing a dehumidifier. Similar to the appliance you might have in your basement, it filters water out of the air, lowering the overall humidity in your space.