Foundation Repair Oakland

Oakland structural foundation problems in your house, garage, or commercial building can cause one or more of the following observable symptoms or conditions: (Actual example of a Oakland 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 Oakland

Structural foundation problems typically found in Oakland 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 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 Oakland :


Per the preliminary plans, we will do the following work:

1. Construct a drainage system along the entire right side of your home. 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.

We will waterproof the foundation walls adjacent to living space with sheet membrane waterproofing.

The system will extend across the front side of your home, then discharge through a 4 inch solid pipe the driveway at the front of the garage, then continue along the left side of the driveway to the street.

We will cut the sidewalk, install a drain pipe under the sidewalk and through the curb to discharge into the gutter, and repair the concrete.

We will remove and replace the right side concrete walk and a strip of concrete across the driveway.

2. Remove and replace the left side concrete walk from the driveway back to the archway, widening it to 44 inches.

3. Install temporary shoring as necessary, and remove and replace 37 lineal feet of concrete foundation located along the left side of the residence. The new foundation shall conform to the UBC standards for a 2 story home. We will install a drainage system similar to described above that will connect to the above-mentioned discharge pipe.

4. Install shearwalls at 10 locations, with new anchor bolts, framing, holddowns, and clips. The owner to do all prep work / demolitions necessary for installing the shear panels.

5. Install four angle brackets.

We will remove and replace an additional 6 lineal feet of foundation adjacent to the left front corner.

We will lower the right side concrete walk approximately 1 foot, and construct a concrete curb along the right side. The walk will ramp up to meet the elevation of the rear patio.

We will install additional framing as necessary at the area of the termite damage.

We will leave all earth and concrete spoils on site, for which $XXXX will be deducted from the contract price.

Whatever foundation repair or structural problem in Oakland, call Ward Construction for a professional estimate from the experts.

In Oakland, we specialize in foundation repair.

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