Philadelphia Foundation, Crawl Space & Basement Services

Moisture can get in your Philadelphia basement in a variety of ways. Leaks are probably the most obvious way, though even these can vary in how they form. Water from outside your home might start to press up against your basement walls, leaking through if the pressure becomes dense enough. These leaks can eventually expand wider and cause your basement to flood if you simply ignore them for too long. Leaks can also spring from other sources as well. If your plumbing breaks, for instance, then the water and sewage from those pipes can build up behind your walls and eventually leak into your basement as well. You might even notice a musty smell that only seems to linger around your basement because of this.

Any cracks you see around your basement will also allow moisture to seep through. This does not just include any cracks along your walls but from your floor, too. Groundwater can well up and begin to flood your basement at any given time, too, so you should not underestimate even the smaller cracks found along your basement floor. This constant flooding can also bring about other issues such as mold and mildew growth and pest infestations.

It is easy for moisture to negatively impact your foundation, more so than the average Philadelphia homeowner might think. For instance, all the water from heavy rain and melted snow will all absorb into the surrounding soil. However, the soil is only capable of holding so much water weight before it either washes away or grows extremely heavy. This then can create an immense pressure against your foundation, causing it to shift away from this weight or even crack altogether.

This phenomenon is commonly referred to as hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure can also take another form as well. Water can easily become trapped in the concrete foundation’s pores. When winter comes and that trapped water freezes, the expanding ice then can lead to the foundation cracking apart from within.

You will also need to deal with a common construction mistake known as the clay bowl effect creating settling issues as well. Basically, contractors will dig a large hole where they plan to lay down the foundation (and either a basement or crawl space) when they first build a home. Once these components are installed, there is typically a little space left around the perimeter that the contractors will then backfill in with the soil they dug up. Of course, it is now much looser than it once was, and Philadelphia’s sandy-loam soil is already quite loose. The soil creates a bowl of sorts around the foundation that can be easily washed out during a huge storm or when the snow begins to melt in the spring. Without this crucial support, your foundation will start to shift or settle into the remaining soil and may even crack apart. BQ Basements & Concrete can waterproof your foundation to ensure that this does not happen.

Your concrete may be hard to break apart, but if it does not have strong, compact soil supporting its weight, it is susceptible to settling or cracking issues. You will want to set up an appointment with our concrete experts as soon as you can to repair these cracks and uneven slabs.

The soil that supports your concrete is just as important as the concrete slabs themselves. Philadelphia’s silt soils are quite loose and prone to washing out even during milder rainstorms. Combine this with the fact that Philadelphia already has plenty of snow and rain, and that soil is as good as washed away. Settled, uneven concrete slabs also create dangerous tripping hazards and can spread that damage down to the foundation, so it is not a good idea to ignore any of this damage for very long.

The crawl space is one of the most important spaces in your Philadelphia home. Its main purpose is to store your home’s vital systems, including but not limited to your electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation, HVAC system, floor’s support beams, and the foundation itself. Your home relies on all these systems to run efficiently and smoothly. None of these systems will function very well if they are wet, much less if they are forced to operate within a flood. You need to seal off the crawl space to ensure that this does not happen.

BQ Basements & Concrete can completely encapsulate your crawl space so that no moisture, mold and mildew spores, or pests will infiltrate this space ever again. This process consists of four main components: waterproofing with an interior drainage system and a sump pump, vapor barrier, vent covers, and a dehumidifier. The sump pump itself is the heart of our thorough drainage system, which we will also install around the perimeter of the crawl space. Once enough water has entered its system, the pump will then work to redirect this water away from your home. The vapor barrier covers your entire crawl space and makes it extremely difficult for no mold, mildew, or pests to break through. It also ensures that no groundwater can well up to flood the crawl space from below.

The vent covers will seal up any open vents around your crawl space. This ensures that the crawl space will remain dry no matter how harsh the outside weather is. Before we completely seal this space, however, our experts will then install a dehumidifier inside the crawl space. Should any humidity manage to slip through our other solutions, the dehumidifier will filter it out and circulate clean air around this space.

BQ Basements & Concrete can offer your Philadelphia home different piers systems: helical piers and push piers. These piers systems are used to repair shifted, settled, and cracked foundations, permanently stabilizing them, potentially restoring them to their original position, and bracing your home against any future moisture issues or other damage. These galvanized steel piers are installed directly below your foundation, using the strength of the more compact layers of soil below. These layers are too deep into the earth for any rain or melted snow to wash out, so you will not have to worry about any settling or shifting issues with these piers installed. Of course, you may want to know how these two pier systems differ and why you might need one solution over the other.

The main difference between these two pier systems is how they are installed. Both pier systems perform the same function and will provide the same support to your foundation. Helical piers have spiral-like attachments on the ends of each pier, which make them easier for our experts to hydraulically drill into the tougher layers of soil far below your house.

Push piers, on the other hand, are manually pushed through the dirt and work best with already loose soils. Both piers are attached via a heavy brace to the underside of your foundation. You might worry that these piers will ruin the aesthetic of your home from the outside. Fortunately, these piers will not be visible at all, so you can enjoy a completely reinforced foundation without them interfering with your curb appeal or anything else.

Additionally, slab piers are installed in a similar way and are specific to settling slab foundations.

Any and all concrete cracks can pose a threat to the surrounding concrete as well as to your foundation given enough time. However, not every homeowner will have the time to treat every crack or sign of damage they might come across around their home. This is where knowing which cracks can be ignored for a short period of time and which cracks must be treated as soon as possible. Any cracks that measure less than 1/8 inch wide are known as hairline cracks and will not pose any immediate threat to the surrounding concrete, nor will they spread down to the foundation right away. The same can be said for any cracks that measure anywhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inches wide.

Of course, these cracks can also expand at any time, so it is important that you do not leave these cracks alone for too long. Any cracks that measure wider than 1/4 inch must be repaired as soon as possible. Not only can they spread damage out to the surrounding slabs, but they can easily creep down to the foundation, too. You need a concrete lifting solution that will prevent this damage from spreading as well as protect your concrete from being damaged again in the future.

The SettleStop PolyRenewal™ injection foam repair solution will do just that and more. It can stabilize both the supporting soil below and the concrete slabs themselves, filling in any cracks and other damage along the way. The foam is made up of eco-friendly materials as well. If it mixes with water, then it will not ruin your lawn or landscaping. It is a non-disruptive repair solution that will not require any heavy equipment or loud construction to install and will cure in minutes!