What is Underpinning and How Can It Help Your Florida Home?
All buildings and homes need a strong, stable foundation. Cracks in walls, uneven floors, or other structural problems may compromise the integrity of your foundation. If you suspect changes in your home’s structure, you may need to contact the experts at Foundation Pros of FL. Our experts will determine if your home needs underpinning in Florida.
What is underpinning? Underpinning your Florida home is a method that is designed to repair and restore unstable or settling foundations so they can become strong again. It is a process that should be performed by a professional to eliminate the problem for good. Our team will dig under the footing to find the source of the problem, then place new concrete in certain areas under and around the foundation. This helps strengthen the foundation and restore the foundation back to its original state.
It’s important to identify early warning signs of foundation failure. You may need underpinning if you notice the following:
Bulging walls- Structural cracks
- Sagging ceilings
- Misaligned doors and windows
- Sticking doors and windows
- Bowing or leaning walls
- Floor cracks
- Wall cracks
- Slab cracks
- Gaps around windows and doors
- Leaning home
- Unlevel or sloping floors
- Ceiling cracks
- Settling or sinking foundation
If you notice any of these warning signs, your home may need underpinning services. Cracks that are wider than .25 inch indicate foundation problems and need immediate attention. Make sure you look at your home’s exterior for cracks in the brickwork or a leaning chimney. There can also be settlement in the garage such as concrete floor cracks or cracks in the garage column. Don’t ignore these signs! Homes with foundation failure need underpinning to avoid structural damage. It can be applied to existing homes as well as new construction homes. If you’re in the process of constructing a new home, look for the following issues:
- Inconsistent moisture levels in the soil
- Low water tables
- Poor building site or construction methods
- Poor soil conditions
Foundation Professionals of Florida Underpinning Solutions
Your home or building can benefit from underpinning. It is a necessary process to support and stabilize your home’s structure. Underpinning supports foundation issues such as shifting, bowing, or leaning walls. It also creates a new, safe living space in your basement without moisture exposure and water intrusion.
TOur products include steel push piers, helical piers, wall anchors, helical tieback anchors, helical seawall anchors, and crawl space repair.
Steel Push Piers: Steel push piers use steel tubes that are pushed down into the ground until they reach stable soil.- Helical Piers: Helical piers are turned into the soil instead of pushed until they reach the desired depth. Both helical piers and steel push piers are designed to lift and support the foundation back to its original position with minimal disturbance during the installation process. These products are permanent methods to solve any foundation issues.
- Wall Anchors: Wall anchors are used to supporting and stabilizing cracking, bowing, or leaning foundation walls. There are several components that make this a unique design in the anchor industry: an inside wall plate, an outside anchor, and a strong rod.
- Helical Tieback Anchors: These anchors are used to straighten basement walls, sea walls, retaining walls, and aid in the temporary wall support. The anchors can be load tested prior to installation.
- Helical Seawall Anchors: Helical seawall anchors are a cost-effective underpinning product with a quick, flexible installation process. They can be installed in all types of weather conditions, and in constricted areas.
- Crawl Space Repair: Over time, the soil that supports piers below the support beam starts to settle. This causes the floors to sag and squeak. Crawl space repair helps level and support the floors by lifting them back to their original height.
If your home needs underpinning, contact Foundation Professionals of Florida. We’ll stabilize, level, and support your foundation with quality underpinning. Our Florida cities include Brooksville, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Live Oak, Lake City, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Tallahassee, and the surrounding area. We provide free estimates for each project, so call us today! We’ll be happy to serve you.
