The Ultimate Guide To Lifting Your Foundation
You might need to lift your home’s foundation if you have structural problems or want to move or renovate your house.
This process normally involves a foundation repair specialist using helical piers, or push piers to support your home. Below, learn why it could be time to lift your home’s foundation, how much things will cost, and more.
Why Would You Lift Your Home’s Foundation?
There are two main reasons why you might lift your foundation:
- You need to perform work under your home or want to move your property to a new location. For example, lifting your foundation could be necessary when extending your basement or meeting local floodplain regulations.
- You need to correct settlement or other damage under your home. This usually involves a process called underpinning, which reinforces your foundation.
Here’s more information about each of these scenarios:
Lifting Your Foundation To Work Underneath It or Move Your Home
Foundation repair experts might use synchronized hydraulic jacks to lift your home from its foundation. After raising your home, they might add cribbing, which supports the house while you renovate or move it.
This method is slow and controlled, meaning you don’t need to remove furniture or belongings from your home. If cracks appear after lifting, you can always repair them.
Lifting Your Foundation To Correct Differential Settlement
Underpinning lifts and stabilizes your foundation if you experience differential settlement. Push piers and helical piers are used to transfer weight from the failing soil beneath to piers driven deep into stable soil.
You might have differential settlement in your home if you notice any of the following:
Differential settlement can happen for multiple reasons. For example, expansive clay soil might cause your foundation to settle unevenly, or washout caused by poor drainage.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Foundation Settlement
Lifting Your Foundation With Push Piers
Here’s how Groundworks lifts foundations with push piers:
- Marking the areas around the foundation where the push piers will go
- Excavating these areas down to the footing
- Attaching steel brackets to the footing
- Hydrologically pushing the piers into the ground until they reach load-bearing soil
- Using synchronized hydraulic jacks to lift the foundation
- Filling the holes
Lifting a Foundation With Helical Piers
Helical piers resemble giant corkscrews and are often used for new construction projects. They can also help underpin existing foundations. Here’s how we use them:
- Marking the areas around the foundation where the helical piers will go
- Excavating these areas down to the footing
- Notching the footing so it’s level with the foundation wall
- Twisting the helical piers into the ground while monitoring pressure and torque
- Using synchronized hydraulic jacks to lift the foundation
- Filling the holes
How Much Does It Cost To Lift a Foundation?
The price depends on factors like:
- The reason you’re lifting your home.
- Your location. (Costs vary depending on the region.)
- The size of your home. (It costs more to lift a large property than a small one.)
- The type of foundation you have.
To know for sure, get an estimate from a foundation repair expert like Groundworks. We can inspect your home for free before quoting you a price for your project. That way, you know exactly how much things will cost.
You might need to lift your foundation when performing renovations, moving your home, or fixing differential settlement. Groundworks can help you with the latter. Our repair solutions stabilize your foundation, creating a safer environment for your loved ones.
Schedule Free Inspection today.
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