Foundation Soil Problems in Greater Orlando

The soil under your foundation is comprised of several different layers, some of which were disturbed when your foundation was originally dug out. When one of these layers can’t support the weight of your foundation, it will begin to sink and settle. This is a slow process that will not be immediately obvious, but over time it can have serious effects on your home.

Common signs of foundation settlement include floor cracks, stair-step cracks in walls, cracks in interior drywall, and windows and doors that are difficult to open and close. Foundations usually settle unevenly, causing damage to walls and floors that can eventually lead to failure if not addressed. We use foundation piers to stabilize settling foundations and provide a long-lasting solution.

Foundation heave occurs when soils under your home expand and force the foundation upwards. This process is generally caused by over-saturation of soil. Underground water, prolonged or heavy precipitation, poor drainage, and frost heave can all be causes of foundation heave. Foundation heave will cause cracks in floors, bowing walls, and sticking windows and doors.

It’s important to note that although the symptoms of foundation heave and foundation settlement are very similar, the causes are very different and the solution for one won’t work for the other. One easy way to spot heave is to examine floor cracks and see if they form an enclosed loop. The area inside that loop is where the greatest pressure is being exerted. In order to fix foundation heave, we use solutions such as improved drainage, soil stabilization with polymer injections, and mechanical foundation repair.

When your foundation is dug out, the removed soil is backfilled into the empty space once the foundation is poured. Backfill behaves differently than “virgin” soil because it no longer has the tightly packed, watertight properties that undisturbed soil develops over decades and decades. When excess moisture enters backfilled soil, it expands and exerts pressure on your foundation walls. This is known as hydrostatic pressure, and it can cause serious damage to your foundation walls.

Foundation walls that are subject to pressure from expansive soils will bow inwards and develop cracks. If too much pressure builds up over time, the foundation walls could eventually fail. We can repair this problem with our wall anchor system, which will stabilize the wall by tying it to stronger soils and preventing inward movement.