Noticing Foundation Settlement Cracks at Home?
Foundation settlement cracks appear on the cinderblocks and brick of a house when the footing is settling. Diagonal cracks, aka stair-step cracks, indicate that the foundation could be sinking. But maybe not! Properly diagnosing a foundation settlement issue is critical to preventing further damage without breaking the bank.
Cracked bricks either mean the foundation is shifting or could be caused by a swollen lintel. If foundation repairs were installed in an area where the cracks were caused by the metal of a lintel swelling, the problem would not be fixed, and the whole expense would have been a waste.
For help with foundation settlement cracks in the greater Hampton Roads, VA / NC region, learn more about BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair at our Home Page,About Us Page, orRequest A Free Quote Page.
Main Causes of Foundation Settlement Cracks
- The soil cannot support the weight of the home
- The footing has broken
- The soil is not fully compacted
- Groundwater has washed out the soil from under the footing
- Tree’s roots under the footing have decomposed, leaving a void
- The shrink-swell soil has dried up and shrunken
- The shrink-swell soil is saturated and has expanded
- Additional weight was added to the original structure
- An act of God, such as an earthquake, has caused sudden damage
- The concrete making up the footing is decomposed and weakened
It’s almost impossible to diagnose the exact cause of foundation settlement cracks unfortunately. Most of the causes occur underneath the top layer of soil, and without warning, so if you are noticing cracks in your brick, it’s safe to assume you should take steps to repair the settled foundation.
The Best Repair Option for Foundation Settlement Cracks
Because most causes of foundation settlement cracks take place sub-surface, the best repairs involve bypassing the problem soils and supporting the weight of the home on strong soil layers found at various unknown depths underground. The best repair option for lifetime stabilization is called ‘Foundation Push Piers.’
Foundation push pier repairs involve a heavy steel bracket supporting the bottom of the broken footing and galvanized steel pipe sections, driven into the ground until the steel pier reaches stable, strong soils. Pipe sections are driven sequentially, one at a time, with an industrial hydraulic pump and drive ram while pressure readings are monitored. The resistance and PSI of the hydraulics relate to the strength of each soil layer as the pipe is driven slowly into the ground. Once the pier has reached the soil layer, strong enough to support the weight of the home, then the weight of the home can be transferred off the soil under the footing and onto the strong, stable soil layer.
The key to repairing foundation settlement cracks is permanently stabilizing the footing that has settled. Correction is also a key benefit of foundation push piers. Once installed, the installation crew has the opportunity to attempt lift on the home to achieve maximum correction.
Inspecting Your Home for Foundation Settlement Cracks
Our Expert Advisors are trained to identify the causes and best repair options for your home. If you’re concerned about the integrity of your home, we offer free, no-obligation inspections and estimates. When we inspect your home, we explain the problems and solutions and explore multiple options to find the best solution for you.
Why Choose BAY to Fix Your Foundation Settlement Cracks?
BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair is your one-stop solution for foundation settlement cracks in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Suffolk, and the surrounding region. Our expert teams have over 400 collective years of experience fixing homes in the Hampton Roads, VA & NC region.
Our staff includes engineering experts, repair specialists, and a full support team ready to deliver exceptional customer service and a fast turnaround for your project. This is why BAY Crawl Space can offer great long-term warranties on the installation and materials for your repair.
You can learn more about BAY’s foundation crack solutions by taking advantage of our free crawl space and foundation inspection. Your inspection will give you a much better understanding of the issues at hand, along with your best options for repair.
ContactBAYCrawl Space&Foundation Repairtoday by filling outour online form or call 757-460-0444 for a free inspection.
About BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair
BAY is an award-winning crawl space and foundation repair contractor. We’re proud to service an 80-mile radius around our Norfolk, VA headquarters, Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm.
BAY is best known for having amazing reviews (quality & quantity), superior expertise, special methods, and affordable pricing options. We have the ‘Best of the Best’ on our team. Our All-Star Team delivers great customer experiences and the best quality for a great price.
Our reputation in the Hampton Roads community is with homeowners, engineers, city permitting offices, home services professionals, and online as a crawl space foundation repair contractor is outstanding.
- Google– 4.9 / 5 Rating, 1,100+ Reviews
- Better Business Bureau– 4.95 / 5 Rating, 450+ Reviews
- Facebook– 5.0 / 5 Rating, 400+ Reviews
- HomeAdvisor– 4.9 / 5 Rating, 200+ Reviews
- Angi– 4.9 / 5 Rating, 450+ Reviews
We have ranked #1 for crawl space repair in Hampton Roads for 8 years (Google: 2015-2023), ranked top 5% in the USA with Super Service Awards for 5 years (Angi: 2017-2022), were voted Best of Foundation Repair locally for 6 years (CoVA BIZ 2018-2023), were voted “Best of the Best” nationally in 2020 for the foundation repair category, and won the “Best Places to Work” award (CoVA BIZ).
