Foundation Repair Lafayette
Lafayette structural foundation repair problems in your house, garage, or commercial building can cause one or more of the following observable symptoms or conditions: (Actual example of a Lafayette foundation repair job is detailed below.)
- floors out of level
- cracks in walls (especially above doors and windows)
- sticking doors
- sticky windows
- cracks in concrete walls
- cracks in brick walls
- crack or cracks in perimeter foundations
- cracks in driveways
Foundation Repair Causes in Lafayette
Structural foundation repair problems typically found in Lafayette by specialists can be caused by one or more of the following conditions for which repairs may be called for by your architect, engineer, or general contractor:
- Poor drainage problem (wet soaked soil, mud, muddy under house)
- Bad smell in basement or crawlspace caused by mold or mildew
- poor grading
- deficient underpinning or underpinning needs replacment
- earthquake or earthquakes
- land movement or landslide
- failed retaining wall problem
- expansive soil like the clay soil found in the bay area (that expands and contracts with soaking and drying)
- rotting beams
- rotted posts
- wet crawl spaces, where soil is soaked under the home
If you find any of the above on your property, you need a qualified foundation repair contractor or structural engineer to inspect, and give you a professional estimate, so you can discover the best way to repair or fix the problem at the lowest cost. For your inspections, be sure and choose a foundation repair construction companies, engineering firms, or specialist expert inspectors that specialize in foundation repair work, and can provide the necessary permit or permits. We are a Bluebook listed foundation repair construction company you can rely on.
Heres an example of a foundation repair job we did in Lafayette :
Facing the front door of the residence, we will construct a drainage system along the front, left, and rear sides of the residence.
The drainage system consists of two pipes in a rock filled trench. One is perforated, to collect sub-surface water and the other is non-perforated, to collect water from the roof downspouts. At the upper end or start of the perforated pipe, a clean-out will be provided so the pipe can be tested or cleaned as necessary.
The minimum depth for the perforated pipe will be below the grade of the soil under the house and both the perforated and non-perforated pipe will fall at least 1/8 inch per foot for the total length of the system to the point of discharge.
The perforated pipe will be installed on top of a bed of gravel, two inches deep, with the perforations pointed down. The trench will then be then backfilled with drain rock. The rock we recommend is Class I, Permeable Type A drain rock per the California State Specifications. The drain rock is clean gravel that varies in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
The trench will be a minimum of 12 inches wide. This permits a four inch blanket of rock on each side of the four inch perforated pipe.
The system will discharge into a sump from where the water will be pumped to the drainage collection area at the rear of the property. We will drain as many downspouts as we can directly to this point through a 4 inch solid pipe, then pump the remaining water into the solid pipe. We will install a catch basin in the low area of the driveway adjacent to the left front corner.
The pump we will use is a high quality 1/3 H.P. 115 volt submersible with a 1 1/4 inch discharge. The performance rating is 42 GPM at a head of 10 feet.
A check valve will be installed in the discharge line to keep water from running back into the sump when the pump turns off. The pump does not pump the sump dry and there will usually be water standing in the bottom.
The installation will be made so that it will be as easy as possible to service or replace the pump when this becomes necessary
We will remove and replace a strip of concrete and asphalt as necessary to install the drain.
Per the floor level survey provided to us by you, we will re-level the residence to within approximately 1 inch overall.
We will record the differential elevations of your home on a rough plan before leveling and after leveling so you have a record of what was done.
Your home will be leveled from its existing foundation and no additional foundation work is included in this recommendation. As the house is raised, a crack will appear between the top of the foundation and the framing. We will grout this crack as necessary, with a high strength non-shrink grout, to support the house but it will be visible and will need additional cosmetic work later which is not included in our estimate.
We will replace the wood underpinning blocks with adjustable steel piers and extend the foundation bolts as necessary to provide anchorage. If the foundation bolts are missing or for some reason cannot be extended, we will secure the frame to the foundation with another method suited to the particular construction of the building
We will install 2 bench piers / jacking pads adjacent to the fireplace to lift the fireplace and footing. This will need to be designed by Robert Rogers.
No permits are included.
Whatever foundation repair or structural problem in Lafayette, call Ward Construction for a professional estimate from the experts.
