Foundation Repair.
Your home is the most costly investment you are likely to make in your lifetime. To ensure your home serves as a safe haven for you and your family, and your investment is secure, maintaining its structural integrity is crucial.
Understanding the Causes of Foundation Damage
Foundation Movement
Most homes undergo some degree of movement in their foundation within the first few years after construction due to foundation settlement and shifting. It is the downward movement of the building to a point below its original position resulting from the shift and shrinking of the underlying soil which may be due to change in moisture content.
In most cases, this movement is not structurally damaging. It may be indicated through signs like small and hairline cracks. As long as these cracks are small and the only signs of foundation movement that you ever see, it may not be a big worry. However, others causes of foundation movement do indicate serious structural damage and should be repaired immediately without any delay.
The effects of foundation settlement are noticeable and of great concern in a home with a full concrete foundation. Serious foundation issues result due to:
Water Damage and Erosion
Due to heavy precipitation and flooding, the water enters your home and carries moisture deep inside the structural components. The expansive clay minerals in the soil absorb and hold water. Water absorption causes the soil to expand, but the foundation walls stop the soil from expanding freely. Thus, as the force behind the soil expansion continues, that is; the water continues to enter the soil; it creates pressure against the walls of the foundation resulting in noticeable damage in concrete walls and mortar joints.
Trees and Tree Roots
Large trees can drink up to 150 gallons of water/day through their roots. If these roots are near or under your foundation, the drying process can cause the soil to shrink. This may then lead to difference in the content of moisture below the home, causing one part of the foundation to move more than the other. This kind of movement causes serious damage to the foundation.
Old Earthquake Damages
Even minor earthquakes over time can lead to foundation damage as they shake building structures in different patterns.
12 Warning Signs of Serious Foundation Damage
Interior Warning Signs:
- Operational problems with doors and windows
- Gaps between the jamb and the door
- Windows stick shut and are hard to open and close
- Trim pieces and moldings pop off walls
- Cracked floor
Exterior Warning Signs
- Cracks in exterior brick/stone work
- Cracks move in a stair like pattern in the mortar joints
- Cracked and tilted chimney
- Wall rotation
- Broken plumbing
Basement Warning Signs
- Cracks in poured concrete walls
- Water seepage
- Misalignment between framing and foundation walls
Foundation Repair-How to Fix?
Noticed a sign of trouble in your home foundation? Get in touch with MJB Restoration. We are a licensed, insured, family-owned and a local owner-operated small business. We are experienced in a number of other construction and restoration jobs; including foundation repair in Portland, Oregon.
At MJB Restoration, we handle every job personally and with integrity. We work in your best interest. We are in the business to make long-term and trust-based customer relationships, not just increase our financial bottom line. Firstly, we examine your foundation and then look for appropriate methods to repair it. We focus on repair because it gets the job done cost effectively and quickly. We consider replacement only when repair is not an option. In addition to this, we also specialize in painting services. We can paint your foundation if and when needed.
Attributes like our work ethics and personal attention to each project has earned us the respect, appreciation and trust of our clients in Portland.