As a foundation repair company, we often see the consequences of homeowners digging around their house without proper knowledge or expertise. While it may seem like a simple task, digging around your house can have serious and costly consequences for the stability of your home’s foundation.

The first thing to understand is that the ground around your house is not always stable. The soil may be loose or saturated with water, which can cause it to shift and settle. When you dig around your house, you run the risk of destabilizing the soil and causing your foundation to sink or shift. This can lead to cracks in the walls, floors, and foundation, as well as uneven floors and doors that won’t close properly.

Another problem with digging around your house is that you may accidentally damage underground utilities. Water lines, gas lines, and electrical lines are often buried just a few feet below the surface, and if you’re not careful, you can easily damage them while digging. This can lead to costly repairs and even dangerous situations if a gas line is ruptured.

Even if you’re not planning to dig a large hole, small excavations can also be problematic. For example, if you’re planning to plant a tree or install a fence, it’s important to be aware of the location of your foundation and any underground utilities. You should always consult with a professional before digging to ensure that you won’t cause any damage.

If you’re planning any kind of excavation or construction around your house, it’s important to contact a foundation repair company to assess the situation. We have the expertise and equipment needed to safely dig around your house without causing any damage. We can also advise you on the best course of action and provide solutions to any problems that may arise.

In conclusion, digging around your house can be dangerous and costly. It’s important to be aware of the risks and to consult with a professional before starting any kind of excavation. We can help you safely and properly dig around your house without causing any damage to your foundation or underground utilities.

Sinkholes can be a serious problem for homeowners, as they can damage the foundation of a house and potentially cause it to collapse. If you live in an area where sinkholes are common, it’s important to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect your home.

The first step in dealing with sinkholes near your home is to identify them. Sinkholes can appear as small depressions in the ground or as large, gaping holes. They can also cause cracking in the foundation of your home or in the walls and floors.

If you suspect that you have a sinkhole near your home, it’s important to contact us as soon as possible. We have the expertise and equipment needed to assess the situation and determine the best course of action.

In some cases, a sinkhole can be stabilized by filling it with a material such as grout. This can prevent it from growing larger and causing more damage to your home. However, if the sinkhole is large or if the damage to your home is extensive, it may be necessary to completely rebuild the foundation.

It’s also important to be aware of the potential hazards associated with sinkholes. If you have a sinkhole on your property, it’s important to keep children and pets away from it to prevent them from falling in. Additionally, you should avoid parking vehicles or storing heavy equipment near the sinkhole, as it can collapse under the weight.

Preventative measure can also be taken, such as regular inspections of your property, and make sure that the drainage around your home is adequate, and if you notice any signs of sinkhole activity, such as cracks in the walls or floors, contact a foundation repair company right away.

In conclusion, sinkholes can be a serious threat to the stability of your home. By being aware of the risks and taking steps to protect your property, you can help prevent damage and ensure the safety of your family. If you suspect that you have a sinkhole near your home, don’t hesitate to contact a foundation repair company for a professional assessment and solution.

The winter season has arrived and with it comes both joy and worry for homeowners. While a winter weather can provide a picturesque landscape for family gatherings, winter can be incredibly dangerous for a home’s foundation.

When the temperature outside reaches lower levels, the soil around the foundation of a home can become vulnerable to damage. Water that has made its way into the soil around the foundation during the summer can now freeze, creating a thick block of soil-ice. This soil-ice expands, pushing against a home’s foundation and causing it to crack and shift in certain areas. This can be especially dangerous if the foundation is already weak and made of materials that are not able to withstand the harsh winter temperatures.

Ice dams are another problem during winter months. They form on the roof due to snow and ice that build up on the roof and prevent runoff water from properly draining away. This water will then freeze in the gutters and on the edge of the roof, collecting more and more snow and ice in the process. Improvements need to be made, such as adding insulation in the attic that will prevent melting snow from collecting and running to areas where dams form.

The cold weather that accompanies winter can also cause water pipes to burst due to the freezing temperatures. If pipes freeze and burst enough, it can lead to significant flooding in the home. All pipes, both inside and outside the home, should be well insulated during the winter months to ensure that the pipes will not freeze and burst.

Another danger of winter for a home’s foundation is wet soil. Heavy snowfall can lead to an oversaturation of the soil around the foundation, causing the soil to swell and shift. This can cause cracks in the foundation of the house and can lead to serious issues if left unchecked. Sealing any cracks before winter begins can help keep water out of the home, reducing the risk of damage from the wet soil.

Finally, high winds during winter can have a serious impact on a home’s foundation. Strong gusts can cause stress on the foundation, creating cracks and even forcing the entire foundation to shift. Sealing any cracks and ensuring that the house is well-insulated and sealed can help protect against damage caused by wind.

Winter can be a beautiful season, but it can also be dangerous for a home’s foundation. Homeowners should take the necessary steps to protect the foundation by insulating pipes, sealing cracks, and adding insulation in the attic to help prevent ice dams. With the right measures in place, homes can be protected and ready for the cold winter months.

Your home’s foundation is crucial. It is the most important component of the home. When foundation problems are ignored, especially for an extended period of time, difficulties might result. You could believe that performing foundation repair on your own is the finest option.

How your house responds to the weather over time is dependent on its foundation. It also affects how sturdy or long-lasting your house is. Sadly, a lot of homeowners frequently ignore this important aspect of their house. The foundation frequently spends years without maintenance, neglect, or attention while all other parts of the house get both. Your house is already in trouble when you notice large drywall cracks or the chimney pulling away.

You now want to make it right. So, can you complete the repair yourself? Or should you consult a specialist?

You could counter that there are a ton of useful YouTube tutorials. Of course, there are a ton of helpful tutorials and videos on the internet today. But are they sufficient? No, not for precise and knowledgeable foundation repair.

You won’t gain much from watching DIY foundation repair tutorials, no matter how skilled you are with tools, building, or other home improvements.

You should be aware of what house settling is, what is regarded as normal settling, and what potential damage could occur if this problem is left untouched, whether you recently purchased a brand-new fixer-upper that needs work or you’ve started to notice some changes after years of living in your home.

Watch for indicators of your drywall crumbling, glass sticking, or stiff or challenging to close doors. These are all indicators of foundation problems and house settling, and they all have the ability to ruin your building permanently.

What is House Settling?

A house settles over time as it progressively sinks into the ground. Any house will eventually sink, and when this happens, the soil around the foundation starts to move.

The independent settling of a house is not always reason for concern. Every building project is vulnerable to settling. As long as the settlement is distributed equally throughout the structure, a few inches of settlement are normally not regarded as an issue. Depending on the climate and surroundings, house settling will be more noticeable.

The settling of a house takes time. Structural problems typically start out slowly and get worse over time. If you live in a favorable environment and have a strong foundation, the amount of settlement and movement will be restricted.

Typically, it could take the building two years to internally settle. A house should typically finish settling after a year. It will eventually stabilize as it moves through the various seasons and ranges of humidity.

Contact us if you are dealing with severe cases of house settling, and learn more about our process.

Your foundation may become infected by tree and shrub roots, eroding its integrity and leading to failure. The earth itself may shift your foundation because of roots that deplete the soil of moisture. These issues may manifest as uneven floors, stuck doors or windows, or a musty odor that permeates your entire home.

There are numerous strategies to assist safeguard your foundation from issues caused by roots. But occasionally the damage has already been done. If this is your situation, we strongly advise you to contact Align Foundation Repair so we can arrange for one of our skilled and qualified contractors to do a free examination. Since foundation damage may develop over time and may become more costly to repair if ignored, it is crucial to take action as soon as possible.

Steps You Can Take To Prevent Root Damage

There are several tried-and-true methods to stop tree and shrub roots from harming your foundation. These consist of:

• Carefully select your trees and shrubs; generally, it’s preferable to go with low-water-demanding, slow-growing plants. Your neighborhood landscaper may have some helpful information.
• giving your trees and bushes enough room to grow; for instance, hardwood trees should be planted at least 20 feet away from your home. Again, for information on particular plants, consult your neighborhood landscaper or garden center.
• Installing a root barrier involves encircling a tree or shrub with a flexible polyethylene (HDPE) shield known as a root barrier. It directs roots downward and away from your home when buried or driven into the ground.

How Roots Can Cause This Issue

• Trees and bushes require a lot of water because they utilize it to dry up the soil surrounding your home. A mature oak tree, for instance, may need up to 50 gallons of water each day to be healthy. They can cause the foundation to grow and eventually break by sucking this moisture from the earth surrounding your home.
• Tree and shrub roots can also modify how much dirt is distributed around your home by shifting the soil, which can cause your foundation to either heave upward or sink farther into the ground.
• You might imagine tree and shrub roots as underground spear tips that are continually probing your foundation for flaws by burrowing into the foundation itself. They will eventually work their way into cracks in the structure or even make new ones, causing the entire thing to become weak.

How often do you clean the gutters on your house? Do they always fill up with leaves and trash in the fall? Do you examine them following storms and other bad weather? Did you realize that clogged gutters can destroy the foundation of your house?

It might sound unbelievable, but something as minor as a blocked gutter system can seriously harm your house and require foundation repair. When the next downpour comes, you can encounter flooding and property damage in addition to foundation issues caused by clogged gutters.

What May Happen if You Don’t Clean Your Gutters

Erosion Around Your House

The stability of your foundation depends on packed earth. The soil around your home could erode away and undermine the foundation of your property if your gutters are overflowing and water from the roof falls onto the ground immediately next to the house.

Your home’s foundation would gradually deteriorate and crack, posing risks such as leaks, flooding, and, in the worst circumstances, the eventual collapse of your entire structure. Clean gutters help reduce the risk of erosion caused by water damage, which is a sneaky sort of harm.

Humid and Moldy Home

You’ll begin to notice an increase in indoor humidity when rain seeps into the earth around your home, weakening the foundation. There may be wet walls and mold growth throughout the basement in areas where homes have basements.

Mold can develop on the outside of the house, in the crawlspace underneath it, and anywhere else in the house if there is inadequate ventilation in locations where basements are uncommon. Mold has the potential to become harmful to your family and seriously harm their health.

Your Foundation Warranty May Become Void

Take a look at the foundation’s warranty. There may be passages in the warranty that talk about the gutters on your home. Your guarantee can be voided if you don’t maintain them clean and the foundation is damaged as a result.

Although it varies from policy to insurance, a foundation guarantee may cover significant damage, but damage from the gutters may not be. Because it is simple for a claims assessor to link damage to overflowing gutters, you cannot clean the gutters after damage has already been done and expect the warranty to still be in effect.

Even the most meticulous homeowners might not be aware of the unique requirements of the pier and beam foundation for their property. Unfortunately, many people don’t become aware of—let alone consider—the need for foundation repair until it is too late. At Advanced Systems, we think it’s important to inform homeowners about potential problems so they don’t grow into bigger, more expensive ones. In light of this, the purpose of this blog post is to educate you about the benefits and drawbacks of pier and beam foundations, as well as to contrast them with other choices like concrete slab foundations.

In a pier and beam foundation, a steel beam is used to reinforce a concrete pier. A pier and beam foundation (sometimes referred to as a post and beam foundation) is a kind of elevated substructure that frequently includes a crawlspace that supports the foundation for a standard Kansas home. Plumbing and electrical components used to support the house may be located in the crawlspace. Repairmen can more readily access these devices to do the required repairs because of their accessibility.

A pier and beam foundation also offers some stability for a Kansas house built on shifting soil, which is another benefit. However, if they are not maintained, these types of foundations—or more specifically, the wood beams they rely on—will gradually degrade. Only a few of the potential drawbacks of a pier and beam foundation include mold, mildew, and roach or rodent infestations. The wood beams may eventually cause the home’s foundation to sink, move, or settle, which may necessitate expensive home repairs.

Increased durability is a benefit of foundations, which are best suited to clay soils. They can also be swiftly and affordably constructed. Concrete foundations are almost as susceptible to fluctuating soil conditions as their pier and beam counterparts, though. When the earth is too wet, it spreads out and rises underneath the home. Additionally, their slab foundations leave no room for a basement (which, admittedly, is not much of an issue for Houston homeowners, since our city is at sea level).

Our opinion is that a pier and beam foundation is superior to a concrete slab foundation since it is simpler to maintain and easier to repair if your plumbing and electrical systems “dwell” under the crawlspace. Additionally, compared to a concrete slab, the steel beam construction assures that the foundation is less likely to slide under the house.

foundation. A qualified foundation repair firm like Advanced Systems can work miracles to produce work that will have you and your property standing tall for many years to come, even though a pier and beam foundation can be more expensive.

Is it safe to reside in a home with a weak foundation? Probably. But that doesn’t make it a smart move. If you put off that inspection, you are allowing the issues to continue and inevitably worsen, because foundation damage does not get better with time. The longer you put it off, your home could experience major issues such as sinking or upheaval, and with major foundation issues like this, temporarily evacuating your home may become necessary.

The point is that it is not always clear the extent of damage to your foundation; therefore, you should schedule an inspection at the first sign of damage for an accurate diagnosis. Proactive action can save you hassle and money in the long term.

Take our Faulty Foundation Test to see if you need to get your foundation checked out by a professional.

Contact us for an inspection!

Owning a home comes with a hefty price tag: taxes, electricity, insurance, and the list goes on. Repair fees are a significant outlay that nobody wants to incur. Although foundation repair can be pricey, it may be the best choice for your house. Unfortunately, many foundation-related repairs won’t be covered by your home insurance, so the actual question you’re probably wondering is: Is it really worth it?

What Plans Do You Have for Your Home?

Practically speaking, your future plans will determine if you should repair the problems with your foundation. Although there may be one or two circumstances where you can forego the pricey repairs, foundation repairs are usually worthwhile. Consider your future plans for your house.

• Do you intend to stay there for the foreseeable future? Then certainly, foundation repairs are worth the money.
• Does the thought of not having foundation problems make you feel at ease? The price is then unquestionably justified.
• Do you intend to refinance? Repairs would be worthwhile if you want to refinance for a higher amount of money.
• Try to sell your house, do you? The answer depends, then. Foundation repairs might not be worthwhile if you must leave as soon as possible and don’t care how the house looks when you sell it. But keep in mind that a house with sound foundation will sell more quickly.

It’s Usually A Necessary Expense

You see what we mean. Depending on the amount of work required, foundation repairs could cost up to thousands of dollars, but your house is something you should be willing to invest in. It can be simple to put off repairs until you have the money when you notice cracks in the walls or that the house is settling a little too much. However, foundation problems don’t wait for you to arrive. As they worsen, more expensive and complex repairs are required.