Has anyone had any experience having their foundation jacked up?

[redstatebluegirl]

We live in Oklahoma, we have begun to see issues with our doors not closing properly and neighbors tell us we need to call a company to jack up our foundation. We have no experience with this, how much should it cost, how do we find a reputable contractor to do this work? Any help will be appreciated.

[WhiteTara]

1. We have to put in a retaining wall since

the people who built this house didn't bother and we're seeing cracks in the ceiling and basement floor. I think we'll push back on the hill and put in a solid retaining wall.

Good luck with the foundation. There should be a bunch of foundation guys since OK did all that fracking and every thing is being shaken apart.

[redstatebluegirl]

3. Thanks, I am asking around to people I trust. I hear there are some really slimy ones out there.

[WhiteTara]

5. Always. Friend recommendations are the way to go.

I just found the guy who's going to do our backhoe and dozer work (we're putting in a metal building for my true love's studio) from a tradesman that I trust who can do both the wall and the foundation for the building. I feel really lucky that the guy lives down the road from us about 2 miles, so there won't be a transportation fee. That will be helpful.

Be sure and get a written estimate since this is so major. Good Luck.

[randr]

2. I have dealt with many different foundation isssues

First you need to determine the exact cause.
Could be structural failure, foundation failure, or soil/sub soil issues.
Each has a specific fix and dependent on whatever condition is determined to be the cause.
You may start with a local home inspector, a contractor you know and trust, or a concrete business that specializes in repair.
Hopefully you can make this determination for free or a nominal cost. You may be presented with differring opinions and fixes.
Usually, once a reasonable cause is determined most will likely concur.
Good luck

[redstatebluegirl]

4. One of my former students is a construction manager for large commercial projects.

I think I may call him and ask him what he thinks. It terrifies me to wait and have a lot of damage.

[Gothmog]

6. I had two houses that had foundation work

The second house was still under contract and so the seller's insurance company paid for the work and did it before we moved in. In my area there are a couple of good companies that check out. If you have any real estate friends, ask them. Get a good inspector to confirm the work.

New construction now use those pump trucks to pour the foundation concrete. There has been been some major advances in engineering foundations and so there are less problems with newer construction.

[redstatebluegirl]

7. Thanks so much.

[randr]

8. Have any neighbors experienced this problem?

If so, how did they fix it?
I live in Western Colorado and the soils here are expansive and many homes experience movement throughout the year. I have one door that only sticks in the winter, go figure.

[Hannahcares]

9. Research foundation issues!

We had similar problems in TN. Lots of vendors came to offer their services - pumping concrete, etc. Really important to find out what is causing the problem. We had gutters and downspouts that were dumping water on the ground near the outside house wall. The drain that was intended to carry the water away was blocked with debris. Water seeped into the foundation wall and into the framing, causing doors to realign, trim to separate and hardwood floors to curl up! Solution for us was to dig new drains around the house: carry the rainwater away from the home, then dig out the front of the foundation wall, repair and waterproof with a membrane called Ultra - made by WRGrace, problem eventually solved. No cement pumping! Good luck! Hannah

[mopinko]

10. have had a couple issues w my 115 yo greystone.

when we bought it, a bay on the side of the house had slipped off it's footing. we dug out around it, and poured a yard and a half of concrete around the base, almost up to the soil line. that stabilized it.
we had to sister several of the floor joists, and repair openings of the floor, too.
there was a lot out of kilter in that area, and later when we replaced windows it was a pita.
still have issues w mice getting in from the small cracks in that section of the house.

later we dropped the floor in the basement. that meant replacing all the posts, and we replaced a section of the main beam to open up the space.
we had a good rec for the contractor. but there was settling that put some doors a little out of kilter, and cracked some plaster. not sure someone else would have done any better.
usually in an old house it is best just to accept the settling, patch what you can. trying to jack it back up to level would have caused more cracking.
everything has stayed stable since then.

i saw the coolest video a while back of a process where they pump a foam under concrete slabs to level out settled concrete. i have a small slab on grade under my back porch that i fantasize about having that done.

[Runningdawg]

11. We recently bought a house

where the foundation had been jacked up. We paid for our own inspectors. They told us the repair was A-1, above and beyond, because the company used a cable system that can be accessed again in the future should the need arise. I don't know anything about the original problem, but I am glad the former owners were thinking ahead. Something to consider.

[redstatebluegirl]

12. The company we called uses the cable system as well.

It is pricey, could cost upwards of $15,000 depending on how many they have to use.

[rusty quoin]

13. Yeah had that.

[rusty quoin]

14. Get it off the ground is good.

[CottonBear]

15. Step 1: Contact a local professional structural engineer for an engineeering observation and report.

Step 2: If repairs are needed, then the engineering firm can prepare construction plans.

Step 3: The firm can also help you to get bids from contractors. This way, the bids are all based on the SAME engineered repair plan, rather than on what each contractor recommends (comparing apples to apples, as it were, rather than apples to oranges).

Step 4: The engineering firm can assist you and the contractor with obtaining all local zoning and building permits.

Step 5: The engineering firm can observe, monitor and approve the contractor's work. In some cases, the local building inspection department requires a professional, licensed structural or civil engineer to sign off on foundation and/or retaining wall construction.