Foundation Cracks & Problems Photos

Do you notice doors and windows that won't shut properly? That can be an indication that your foundation is shifting.

These telltale cracks indicate foundation wall movement, which includes bowing and bulging, as well as settling.

Do you have retaining wall problem? Needs to be addressed right away!

Settlement of concrete floor slabs due to poorly compacted fill soils during construction.

Gaps in drywall or plaster are usually telltale signs of structural shifting.

Ignoring a bowing wall in this late stage of deterioration can lead to a catastrophic collapse.

Stair-step shaped cracks in brick or concrete block mortar are a sure sign of structural problems.

New adjustable steel beams and teleposts are sometimes just the thing to take the bounce or sag out of old floors.

Multi-directional cracking in the same wall area, indicating significant foundation movement.

Foundation Problem, Bowed Wall

A specialized, high torque rotary drivehead is used to achieve the tremendous rotational force necessary to turn the helical piers deep into the ground.

The walls are separating from the ceiling.

As the piers lead section begins to rotate against the soil, the helical thread grabs the earth and pulls the pier downward until it reaches bedrock or other dense soils capable of bearing building loads.

Fabricated from heavy industrial steel, helical piers employ one or more screw threads to bite into and hold the earth. This is a concept rendering of helical piers after installation.

When installing a helical pier system to stabilize a foundation, specialized hydraulic equipment and monitoring systems are employed to literally turn the helical into the ground to the proper depth

After an exterior repair to a foundation is completed, thorough, machine compaction is performed to minimize future settling and shifting of the soils.

Specialized, miniature excavating equipment is often used for working in areas where space is tight.

When a large, masonry chimney has become unstable and begins to lean away from the rest of the house, underpinning its foundation with two or more piers provides the ability to lift and, in many cases, permanently straighten it back to it's original position.

A heavy pier bracket, fabricated out of thick steel, is used to mechanically connect each pier to the foundation

After all piers are driven to bedrock depth, hydraulic lifting cylinders are connected to each pier cap assembly

The foundation begins to lift off of the unstable soil that had been the cause of the settling.

The vertical elevation of the foundation increases as the lifting process advances.

The lifting and leveling of the foundation is completed, recovering approximately 4" of elevation that had been lost due to settling.

Soils high in sulfites or other corrosive properties may attack and weaken the concrete bearing system of a foundation to the point where intervention is needed to prevent massive structural failure.

Piering brackets having been installed at the bottom of the settled foundation, the lead section of the piers themselves are inserted and are ready to be driven into the ground.

Cracks like this that are visible to the naked eye on either the interior or exterior of the foundation are indications of foundation settling. If the crack is wide enough to stick a credit card into, then it’s best to have it inspected immediately.

Another indication of foundation movement is shown above. If a telepost has moved off center from its concrete base, there is active soil underneath.

This wall is experiencing bowing due to bentonite soil. If you see bracing that is out of plumb, it may be an indication that soil is expanding rapidly.

If at any point, a crack allows daylight to penetrate into the basement, then the foundation is no longer able to compensate for the stress the soil is placing it under. Cracks like this should always be checked out.