Foundation Repair

One widespread myth regarding trees on West Virginia properties is that their roots can cause foundation problems. The truth is that it is the soil, not the tree roots, that is the source of the problem. When tree roots develop to a certain size in order to get moisture, they displace the soil by pushing it around. On your land, displaced soil will be much looser, allowing for simpler soil erosion. Foundation and concrete settling problems are more common in properties with loose soil.

If you have a tree close to your house, you should consider installing a root barrier to prevent root growth. If you can’t find one, you may have to take the tree down and replant it further away from your foundation. The distance between the house and the trees should be 15 to 20 feet. You can also look for smaller trees with roots that aren’t as extensive as larger ones. If you want a tree but are concerned about foundation damage, these are the trees to choose.

If you’re concerned about how your property will appear, keep in mind that the health of your foundation is just as vital as the appearance of your home. Beautiful trees can always be replaced but paying for maintenance on a regular basis isn’t ideal. Give us a call for a free foundation inspection if you’re not sure if your tree is causing foundation damage.

Foundation settling has an impact on the entire home. There are numerous indicators that this is the case, and they are easy to identify, especially if the settling has been ongoing for some time. The problem with recognizing foundation settling is that the symptoms are frequently treated as isolated instances. Homeowners strive to solve the myriad structural difficulties created by settling but often are unable to address the root of the problem. You’ll be able to detect the problem and get the necessary repairs if you know what to look for and how it all relates to foundation failure.

Damage to the walls and ceiling should be your primary priority. Because one side of the home is sinking, the other half bears a great weight, forcing the walls and ceilings to crack. Because the settling is bending and fracturing the frames, doors and windows become regularly stuck. The joists and supports in your basement or crawl space begin to sink with the rest of the foundation, resulting in uneven floors. If you have any internal columns, they will crack and tilt as well, which you can measure with a level.

If your West Virginia home has a basement, damage to the actual foundation is often visible. The strain of a settling home can cause the basement walls to bow inwards and crack. Because foundation shifting makes it simpler for groundwater to enter through breaches in the basement walls and floor, if your basement floods frequently and you see structural damage, it’s most likely due to foundation settlement. Outside the house, structural damage can be evident, mainly in the lower half. Stair-step fractures along masonry walls are a strong sign of foundation settling.

There are two equally valid responses to this question. The most common source of damage to the foundation and larger structure of properties in Wheeling is hydrostatic pressure. Second, hydrostatic pressure is a natural force that is formed and amplified by the soil and climate of the location. Because the soil around Wheeling is mostly silt loam and the environment can be highly wet at any time of year, hydrostatic pressure can be extremely high, causing a variety of problems. 

Hydrostatic pressure is something that all buildings, to some extent, are built to withstand. The problems that frequently arise as a result of hydrostatic pressure occur when the pressure has reached an uncomfortable level that is well over the typical, planned level. Poor drainage, unusually high rainfall, localized or widespread flooding, and even flooding from a property’s plumbing system can all contribute to this. 

There are a variety of concerns that can occur after hydrostatic pressure exceeds the capacity of your home. The lateral pressure that is produced can cause sinking, lateral movement. In buildings with a basement, bowing walls are the typical result, in addition to potential damage to your property’s foundation. Each of these problems can lead to secondary and tertiary problems such as moisture, increased humidity, mold growth, wood rot, pest infestation, floods, and rust and corrosion of your home’s plumbing and appliances. 

A variety of factors can lead to foundation deterioration, but they always fall into one of three categories: pressure, lack of support, or defects. Although each of these problems is distinct, they all present themselves in similar ways. Spreading cracks, unevenness, moisture, sinking, and heaving are the most common indications of foundation problems. If the damage to your West Virginia foundation has been there for some time, you may notice secondary issues such as wood rot or mold. Because the symptoms are pretty consistent regardless of the source, it is critical to get expert help to discover the cause and the appropriate treatment.

The least likely but most significant underlying cause is a fundamental error or deficiency in the construction or structure of your West Virginia property’s foundation. Defects can occur as a result of faulty design like architectural miscalculations, or the use of poor materials including poorly mixed concrete. In either case, the damage will be difficult to repair, and foundation replacement will most likely be required in part or in full. Damage produced by pressure or a lack of support, on the other hand, can usually be remedied and avoided.

Only the earth itself can apply enough pressure to cause harm to a property (and incidentally, issues with support tend to be soil-based as well). Monongahela soil is the most common in West Virginia, but it isn’t necessarily hospitable to foundations. Unfortunately, this type of soil settles with time, causing a gradual shift in the foundation as well as the formation of fractures and structural weaknesses that allow water to reach the foundation and inflict significant damage. If exposed to continuous flooding or high rains, this type of soil may begin to migrate. When this happens, the hydrostatic pressure around a house can rise dramatically, making soil runoff far more likely. Both of these concerns can result in foundation deterioration such as fragmentation, sinking, cracking, and lateral movement, among other things.

Foundation damage can show itself in many ways. There are various problem signs you’ll notice in and around your West Virginia home, including the following:

• Wall Cracks (Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal, Stair-Step)
• Floor Cracks
• Bowing Walls
• Sticking Windows and Doors
• Uneven Floors
• Sagging Crawl Space
• Foundation Settlement
• Tilting Chimney

If you spot any of these signs on your property, it’s important to contact a local foundation repair specialist, like the expert team at Basement Authority of West Virginia, as soon as possible. These symptoms indicate deeper issues with your foundation that need to be addressed before serious damage or injury results.

Only the best foundation repair options are used by our team. The products we install are made in the United States and have been tested and proven to restore and protect your home permanently. To give you an idea, our trustworthy wall reinforcement and piering systems are built with galvanized steel to avoid rust, corrosion, and damage, providing you with a sturdy and long-lasting solution.

Every house and foundation is distinct, and each one needs a separate set of repairs. Our solutions aren’t “one-size-fits-all,” and they can be tailored to meet your unique repair requirements. These solutions include wall anchors and/or specialized wall repair beams to help stabilize and straighten bowing walls, carbon fiber supports to reinforce cracking and slightly bowing walls, pier systems to put your settling foundation back on solid ground, and crawl space supports to shore up sagging floors and floor joists.