This Houston homeowner is requesting a foundation inspection after seeing a few cracks in the floor. He is contacting us because two of his neighbors are foundation repair referrals. The good news is that it appears from the email that these cracks are not large. The bad news is that his neighbors have had foundation problems in the past and his house is resting on the same clay soils and was probably built by the same home builder. So it is likely that this homeowner will have similar foundation issues as his neighbors.
Of course we will need to inspect the house and its slab foundation. The elevation readings we collect from different parts of the house will greatly influence our recommendation. The best outcome for the home owner is that the foundation movement was minor and that he only needs to replace a few kitchen tiles. Another outcome, which is common, is that the foundation movement has been significant and that there has been uplift and / or settlement in one or more parts of the slab foundation. In these cases, our recommendation would be to install permanent Bell Bottom piers under those areas of the slab foundation that have settled and need support. We would also analyze the cause for any uplift, which is a less frequent problem. Uplift often occurs when there is an excess of water or moisture in one area of the soil that supports the foundation. This can occur with under slab plumbing leaks and poor drainage after rains.
Whatever the problem or problems, we will offer a comprehensive solution that will attempt to level the house as close as possible to the original elevation. The installed Bell Bottom piers will provide permanent stability and they have the ability to support 5 or 10 times the weight requirements. Therefore the home owner need not worry about placing heavy furniture or a home gym in the house. And garage areas with Bell Bottom Pier support will handle any weight of vehicle without difficulty.