Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing in Omaha, NE
Omaha's Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing Experts
Your Local Groundworks Office
We get it right the first time around.
We are experts at what we do, and you deserve the best customer service and repair solutions installed the right way. That’s why we go the extra mile.
Solutions to Protect Your Omaha Home
Foundation Repair
Cracked bricks, sinking, and bowing walls are red flags of a foundation problem. Groundworks Omaha is the repair expert for long-term warrantied solutions.
Basement Waterproofing
If you have a leaking basement, Groundworks Omaha has a variety of tailored solutions to keep your basement dry permanently.
Crawl Space Repair
Crawl space flooding and musty odors are signs of crawl space issues. Groundworks Omaha seals out moisture for a clean, dry environment.
Concrete Lifting
If you’ve noticed sinking driveway, patio, or sidewalk slabs you have a serious tripping hazard. Polyurethane foam can lift sunken concrete to its original location.
Groundworks Provides Professional Omaha Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing
Regardless of your home’s age, foundation problems are all too common in the Omaha area. Groundworks understands the eastern Nebraska area and its mix of older and newer homes. Homeowners may expect repairs as homes mature, but even new houses can easily crack, settle, leak or flood. There are many reasons this can happen, but the cause usually lies in environmental factors, like soil and climate conditions.
Whether you live above a basement or a crawl space, Omaha’s homes deal with a range of issues because of the humid climate, drastic temperature changes, and the area’s silt loam soil. If you’re struggling with a musty crawl space in the summer and cold, drafty floors in the winter, or you have a leaking, wet basement— you are not alone. Groundworks offers the best crawl space repair, basement waterproofing, foundation repair, and concrete lifting services in the area. Given Omaha’s unique conditions it is imperative you look for a company that lives and works in the area and can offer custom solutions to solve your foundation problems permanently.
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Recent Reviews for our Omaha Community
*CLS Foundations became part of Groundworks January 2022
How the Omaha Soil & Climate Impact Homeowners’ Foundations
Omaha’s hot, humid summers and freezing winters put a lot of stress on your home’s foundation. The swing from one extreme condition to the other spells trouble for basements, crawl spaces, and foundations. Luckily, Groundworks has been repairing foundations in the Omaha area for years and understands the right products and installation tools for a permanent solution.
Omaha has a humid continental climate. This means summers are hot and humid, with an average July humidity level around 70%, and thunderstorms are quite common.
Excessive humidity, coupled with large amounts of rain, means trouble for your crawl space if it is vented or open. These issues do not stay outside. They travel under your home and can lead to mold growth and wood rot. Both have serious structural and health implications. Winters in Omaha are generally pretty cold, with Omaha being named among the top 10 coldest major U.S. cities. Frigid winter temperatures with an untreated crawl space mean cold floors, high heating bills, and an all-around drafty living space.
The region’s soil type is another factor to consider. Wet and humid summers can wreak havoc on the soil around your home. If there’s too much water, the soil may not be able to drain properly and can pool around your home’s foundation. Nebraska’s state soil is Holdrege, a mix of clay and silt that is good for farming. However, this soil is mostly found in the south-central region of the state. Omaha has a silt-loam soil, that holds water moderately well, but is prone to erosion.
This means both cracking and bowing foundation walls, from hydrostatic pressure, and sagging and sinking foundations from erosion, are common problems for Omaha homeowners. Keep an eye out for floor and wall cracks, sticking windows and doors, drywall nail pops, sagging and uneven floors, and cracking and sinking exterior concrete slabs.
Omaha sees many snow days in the winter and a lot of rainy days as well during the warmer months. All this moisture gets soaked up by the soil surrounding your home and can lead to leaks in your basement or crawl space. If they aren’t addressed by a waterproofing expert, the problem is likely to cause mold, mildew and can even lead to structural damage.
Omaha is located in the Missouri River Valley, with East Omaha sitting on a flood plain west of the Missouri River. If you add this to what we learned about the climate and soil conditions, it is no wonder so many Omaha homeowners deal with foundation and water management problems.
These are serious issues that need to be taken care of right away, otherwise, your home and family’s health will be greatly compromised. You aren’t alone in your effort to mend your home. The expert team at Groundworks can help you create a safer and healthier living environment with our permanent foundation, crawl space, basement, and concrete repair solutions. These solutions are fully customizable, so you are sure to get the right fix the first time around.
Frequently Asked Questions in Nebraska
Although waterproofing your basement doesn’t provide the same thrill as a kitchen renovation or new siding, it is one of the best investments you can make in your home. A wet, leaking basement is something that needs to be disclosed when selling your home and can be a major red flag for buyers to walk away.
Since a wet basement is such a common problem in the Omaha area, it’s often something potential home buyers look for straight away. So having a waterproofed basement, that is clean and dry, can make your home very appealing.
When the waterproofing system is completed, you can list your home at a price you feel it deserves and be confident no one will attempt to negotiate down the price based on the condition of the basement. Especially in today’s market, buyers are looking for turn-key homes that are trouble-free and move-in ready.
Buying a home is stressful, you never know how the home has been taken care of in the past. When potential buyers see a dry, healthy basement, they not only don’t have to worry about leaking, but it’s also a good indication the home was repaired properly and with care.
Most of our waterproofing methods come with a transferable warranty, providing new owners additional peace of mind.
Encapsulating, or sealing, your crawl space both improves the health of the crawl space itself but also the living area above.
- Locks out moisture
The current way crawl spaces are built means they are impossible to control moisture without some kind of additional work. Sealing the crawl space with a high-quality liner means moisture heavy air coming from the ground and walls is locked out and can no longer increase humidity and cause condensation inside the crawl space. Keeping the area dry and mold and mildew-free.
- Reduces Bugs and Pests
Sealing the space means eliminating an ideal breeding ground for insects and pests like raccoons and mice. Not only is it unsettling having pests and rodents under your home, but some can cause major damage, like ripping down insulation and spreading diseases. By encapsulating, you are eliminating moisture and reducing the amount of interest insects and pests will have to enter your home.
- Cleaner Air
A wet, humid environment leads to mold growth, and breathing mold can be very dangerous for you and your family. When sealed, mold can no longer grow because it doesn’t have the needed moisture to do so. Sealing also eliminates outside air that carries allergens and other harmful particles from entering and circulating through your home.
- Reduces Energy
An open crawl space allows humid air inside, trapping it and allowing it to flow upward through the home because of the stack effect. Humid air throughout your living area makes the space feel warmer. Homeowners instinctively increase the use of the air conditioning to solve this problem. The longer and harder the AC works, the more energy it uses. Sending costs up and up. So, it’s easy to see why crawl space encapsulation will save you money in the long run.
Homeowners often notice a foundation problem very late into the damage and wonder if the foundation is worth fixing, or is better to be replaced altogether. The truth is, for all the disruption foundation replacement causes, and it’s a lot, it often doesn’t even address the underlying root problem.
The reason for your foundation problem is most likely because of the earth surrounding and under your home. As the soil contracts, swells, and loosens, your home settles into the created gaps. Little is to be done about the soil around your home (other than ensuring all water is drained away), so if your foundation is replaced it’s likely the same problem will occur over time.
Our foundation repair solutions, however, do not rely on the soil immediately underneath your house to support your home. Rather your home’s weight is transferred to heavy-duty steel piers (link) anchored into stable soil, deep below your home. Once this is complete, your home can potentially be lifted to its original level position.
This type of solution ensures a permanent repair and can be achieved without the disruptive, time-consuming, and destructive process of foundation replacement.
A sidewalk or driveway slab that is uneven may not seem like a major problem right away. But uneven concrete can turn away potential home buyers and be a major tripping hazard, especially for those struggling with walking like the elderly and young children.
Unlike the old methods of concrete lifting, our SettleStop PolyRenewal™ system is able to lift sunken concrete slabs back to their original position with little to no cure time or disruption to your life or landscaping.
SettleStop PolyRenewal™ is a two-part polymer that is injected through small, penny-sized holes under the slab. The liquid expands, slowly and gently raising the sunken slab back to its original level position.
The waterproof formula won’t wash out and the slabs can be used as normal in about 15 minutes. With a lifting power that far exceeds the older mudjacking repair option, SettleStop PolyRenewal™ can be used to lift anything from patios to pool decks, porches to sidewalks, and about any other concrete structure at your home.
Out of sight, out of mind may seem like a reasonable solution to an area of your home you very rarely frequent. However, avoiding the mold in your crawl space won’t make it go away.
The problem with mold in your crawl space is it will keep getting worse and worse until the root problem is addressed. And when you ignore the problem, you’re most likely to have issues in other areas of your home. You and your family may even begin having respiratory issues, allergic reactions, and asthma flare-ups. This is because up to 50% of the air you breathe comes from your crawl space. So even if you aren’t a frequent crawl space visitor, the air is.
Instead, address the problem causing the mold by calling a crawl space expert. A trained inspector will do a full inspection, educate you about where the mold is coming from, and how to fix the underlying problem.
There are several solutions available, anything from crawl space encapsulation to a sump pump or dehumidifier. All these solutions address the moisture levels in your crawl space that will eliminate mold.
After talking to a professional, the idea of crawl space repair will become a lot easier to tackle.
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