Shifting and sinking foundations affect thousands of Houston homes. Due to shrinking and swelling of soil, tree roots, and sewer line breaks, the foundation of the home can begin to sink. This situation can cause hazards in your home, as well as cost the homeowner a tremendous amount of money. Allied Foundation has been in the business for over 27 years. If you believe your foundation is sinking, call a name that you can trust. Call Allied Foundation. So, why does the foundation crack? As the house ages and the soil continues to shift, cracks begin to appear in the foundation. Seasonal drying causes the soil to shrink, the foundation to settle, and the slab to eventually crack. Also, tree roots extract moisture from around the foundation, accelerating the damage caused by soil movement. How can you tell if your foundation is sinking? First, let's start with the lesser symptoms. Separation of bricks on the exterior or interior of the home, cracks in sheetrock, or misalignment of doors. Signs of more severe damage can include rafters pulling in the attic, the bending or twisting of framing, plumbing breaks. If you've witnessed any of these defects in your home, then it's time to call Allied Foundation. Our team will come out and inspect your home absolutely free of charge. If it is determined that there is indeed a foundation problem, know that we provide only the most skilled personnel to complete the job. Our pricing is very competitive, and the turnaround is usually less than a day. Now, let's walk through the process together. Foundation work first begins by excavating a 24 inch by 24 inch square hole under the beam. We center these excavated holes approximately 6 fee apart around the affected area of the foundation. Using a 25 ton hydraulic ram, powered with an electric pump, we drive solid concrete cylinders directly under the foundation. The ram anchors against the bottom of the beam, and the concrete cylinders are driven down, creating a die, and encasing additional cylinders as it penetrates the soil. The point of refusal is reached for each pier when the cylinders cannot penetrate and the house begins to lift. For foundation repair to be successful, point of refusal must be met. When the ramming has been completed, an 8 by 8 by 12 rectangular block is placed on the cylinder's 20 ton hydraulic jacks, which are used to do the controlled lifting of the foundation. Typically, the lift is gradual, coming up less than an eighth of an inch at a time. The lift is secured with concrete cylinders and steel shims. At Allied Foundation, we also offer a pile guard pier. It is exactly like the driven concrete pier, but with a hard plastic coupling that connects the individual piles together. Pile guard piers assure that a positive interlock has been achieved. Installing driven concrete piers, or pile guard piers stabilizes and secures the foundation at a feasible level. The hard part is now over, and the crew will now backfill the excavated holes and perform and thorough clean up. The only sign of Allied Foundation being at your home will be a permanent solution to the very serious problem of a sinking foundation. Our teams work quickly to get the job done. Add that to competitive pricing and world class customer service, and you get Allied Foundation, serving Houston since 1982.
