Category: Construction

Looking for a basement waterproofing company in Utah? If you want an unbiased opinion on your home, have a structural engineer assess your home. Engineers have nothing to sell but their services, so they will only recommend what is necessary to ensure the stability and and safety of a home. The average cost is around $400-$500.

After the foundation of a house is built, the loose soil is back-filled around the foundation and can sometimes allow water seepage into your basement. As years pass by, this soil can also expand, placing pressure on the foundation and causing problems for the home. Foundation repair companies like the one we will present below, have developed several methods for solving these issues, thereby restoring both price and safety to your home.

Chad is a 3rd Generation contractor. He was raised in West Texas with strong family values. Being a third-generation graduate of Texas Tech University, Chad put himself through college just as his mother and grandmother did before him. After graduation Chad became a property adjuster specializing in foundation claims for State Farm because it not only required his new degree but also allowed him to use the contracting experience he gained while running his business during college. Upon the arrival of his third child with his wife Deena, Chad knew his income would have to increase. When Chad left State Farm, he went back into general contracting in Houston Texas. Read extra information at Foundation Repair in Utah.

The repair costs for my foundation came in right around $500 and required about a weekend of my time. My costs include the French drain materials and the waterproofing paint for the inside wall. I already owned the shovel. However, I was lucky because the problems weren’t more serious. Other repairs are going to be much more intensive and expensive than installing simple drainage options. For some basement homes with foundation cracks the only option is excavating the soil surrounding the entire foundation, waterproofing, shoring up and installing a more substantial drainage system. Costs for this type of foundation repair are going to add up very quickly due to the amount of labor, materials and equipment needed to complete it. Extra needs could compound on top of that $7000 average. However, sometimes it is necessary to hire a professional regardless of your home improvement skills or the cost to complete the foundation repair.

Does foundation repair affect home value? Foundation issues will bring down the value of your home. How much depends on the extent of the damage. As a very rough estimate, significant issues can bring down the value as much as 10%-15%. On the plus side, 10%-15% of a $250,000 home is $25,000-$37,500. As we’ve seen, the average cost of repair is significantly lower than that. Make the right deal and you can save a nice chunk of change. Another thing to consider is that some buyers will get nervous just knowing the house had issues in the past. You might be comfortable buying the home and doing the work, but you may have trouble getting full value from it when it’s time to sell.

When it comes to foundation repair methods, trust that Foundation Professionals of Utah is the foundation repair company with every known solution the industry. Some of the tools we have available are foundation piers, helical piers, wall anchors, helical tiebacks, epoxy crack repair, perimeter drainage systems, basement waterproofing in all forms and crawlspace encapsulation. Providing you and your family a healthy, stable and dry home is our goal. Doing it cost-effectively is your goal. We understand the balance between the two.

Searching for a Colorado contractor fully licensed and insured?? When it comes to repair methods, trust that we have every known solution in our industry available to us such as foundation piers, helical piers, wall anchors, helical tie backs, epoxy crack repair, perimeter drainage systems, basement waterproofing in all forms and crawl space encapsulation. Providing you and your family a healthy stable dry home is our goal. Doing it cost effectively is your goal. We understand the balance between the two.

Watch the slope. Water pooling up near your home’s foundation is never a good thing. You should ensure your yard’s grade slopes away from the home in order to push away excess water that would otherwise seep into the foundation. On a related note, always make sure downspouts and gutters are pointed in the appropriate directions.

If you have a broken water pipe, a plugged gutter, or a drainage problem in your yard alongside a perimeter foundation to weaken the area, a contractor might be able to shore up the area with more concrete or shim the sill plate to make the area level again.

Our in-home appointments begin with an initial inspection. Our foundation inspectors will use a variety of instruments to help determine any foundation problems or structural issues. Once we understand your unique issue we take you around the house and help you understand what is happening in your home.

At first, a minuscule crack in the wall or the slight buckling of the foundation might not seem like an immediate problem for your home. Minor issues are often overlooked and neglected-until the problem becomes much larger and compromises the overall stability of your home. The best defense against escalating expenses is to scan for potential signs of foundation damage and address these issues as soon as they appear. Many of these signs often manifest in other parts of the home, usually several levels above the underlying foundation.

We are foundation repair and basement waterproofing innovators in the Colorado Springs, Denver and Pueblo areas. We are led by partners who each have multiple years of experience either designing foundation repair solutions or installing those solutions. We are fully licensed and insured. The founding partners of Foundation Professionals of Colorado recognized a need for a foundation repair contractor in our community that provides straight and honest answers and leaves the buying decision in the hands of the customer where it belongs. As a foundation repair company, we seek to educate and consult our customers on all repair methods and let you decide how to proceed with your repairs. See extra info on here.

Look to your inside walls for signs of needed repair. Angled cracks in the plaster or at joints above a doorframe can be the first sign of a shifting foundation. If the home is settling in an un-level manner, cracks in walls could be prominent. On the other hand, anyone with a full basement – whether poured concrete, stacked stone, concrete block construction, bricks, or something else – can easily access the inside of the walls of their foundation. Look for cracks of a substantial nature or other signs of damage such as window frames bending or lowered ceiling height.

Looking for a foundation repair company in Colorado? You have been putting off calling the foundation repair company even though you’re pretty sure something is wrong with your the structure of your home. Maybe you see cracks in the walls that are getting bigger, or the doors are sticking, or maybe the floors are un-level. But who do you call? If you’re like most homeowners, you really don’t know too much about foundation repair, but you want an honest company.

Ledgestone retaining wall repair in Colorado: Ensure you order everything you need at once and set aside an allowance for breakages and cutting. Contrary to popular belief, building a fence on top or behind a Block Retaining wall is rather easy. In some cases where only a small amount of retaining is required as in 200-400mm, the fence can be built directly on top of the wall with the fence posts passing through the walling blocks and concreted into the ground as normal. This method would be ok to use with all forms of fencing such as post and rail, colour bond post and rail, good neighbour fencing, tubular panel and even pool fencing.

Why you should compact the trench? Compact the soil in the trench bottom with a hand tamper or vibrating plate compactor. This step is often neglected. The excavator, and even hand shovels, can disturb and loosen the top inch or two of soil, and that’s enough to make your wall settle-settling is bad! Our experts prefer crushed stone for the base rather than naturally occurring gravel dug from a pit. Crushed stone is a little more expensive. However, it provides better drainage, and because of the sharper angles on the stone, it requires less compacting, and once it’s compacted, it stays that way.

After your drainpipe is in place, you should backfill the rest of the space behind the blocks with either sand or pea gravel—either will allow water to filter through to the drainpipe at the base of the wall. For the best results, backfill with a few inches of the material after laying each course of blocks, and use a hand tamper to compact the material. By tamping the backfill every six inches or so, you’ll ensure that it is packed tightly, which will provide additional support from the pressure of the soil behind the wall.

No matter if you choose to build your retaining wall out of block, brick, stone, wood or concrete, the goal should be to integrate the retaining wall into your landscape. The angle of a sloping lawn should never be greater than 45 degrees, and the gentler the slope, the better. The higher the wall, the gentler the slope will be. After determining the wall height, check local building codes. Many municipalities require a building permit and an engineer’s approval before a wall higher than 3 feet can be built. For taller projects, some careful engineering is required to construct a sturdy, long-lasting wall. See additional details on Colorado Retaining Wall Builder.

We also repair existing retaining walls. Many railroad tie walls or older concrete retaining walls which may or may not include rocks or boulders are beginning to show signs of failure. Often times a homeowner will build a DIY retaining wall that needs help after years of service. We serve all of Colorado out of our home office in Colorado Springs. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. Estimates are always free and everything we touch comes with a warranty.

Stone retaining wall construction in Colorado: If the wall runs up a hill, continue each base course into the hill until the top of the second course is level with the grade, and then start your second base course at that point. If you have the option, it can be easier to excavate and lay the lowest course before excavating the trench for the next step, especially if you have to step up several times. Save yourself some money and install the cheapest style/color that matches the wall style (usually the gray ones) on the bottom course since it won’t be seen.

NFC can either be mixed on-site for smaller areas or purchased from a reputable concrete supplier and trucked in for larger commercial applications. NFC is mixed at a 6:1 ratio by volume of 20mm max size clean aggregate and cement. Water content should be such that the cement slurry evenly coats the aggregate and retains a wet/glossy appearance without excess slurry running off, this is typically around 40 litres per 100kg of cement. With the use of NFC, we are able to build Block Retaining Walls in areas and situations where normal construction methods would not work. Some of these situations are: In areas where excavation behind the wall is limited either due to being on a boundary or close to other structures or footings.

We serve all of Colorado out of our home office in Colorado Springs. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. Estimates are always free and everything we touch comes with a warranty. Colorado Retaining Wall specializes in the building and repair of retaining walls. Whether the wall is for a backyard or driveway of a residence or a commercial Shopping Center, we design and build large block walls for all Earth retention requirements. We have the ability to fortify the wall with shotcrete or soil nails which would include helical tie-backs or micropiles. Nearly every wall we build requires engineering and we have deep relationships with engineers that work hand-in-hand with our foremen regardless of the size of project. Please read our reviews and look and our photo gallery. Read extra details on Building and repair of retaining walls Colorado.

No matter if you choose to build your retaining wall out of block, brick, stone, wood or concrete, the goal should be to integrate the retaining wall into your landscape. The angle of a sloping lawn should never be greater than 45 degrees, and the gentler the slope, the better. The higher the wall, the gentler the slope will be. After determining the wall height, check local building codes. Many municipalities require a building permit and an engineer’s approval before a wall higher than 3 feet can be built. For taller projects, some careful engineering is required to construct a sturdy, long-lasting wall.

DON’T lay blocks on an unlevel surface. The first course (or row of blocks) sets the stage for the rest of the wall, so it’s vital that you make it perfectly level. If it isn’t, subsequent rows won’t be level either, resulting in a retaining wall that’s lopsided and unattractive. Use a four-foot carpenter’s level to ensure that the gravel layer below the first course of blocks is level before you start setting the blocks. Any discrepancies here will show up higher in the wall. DO stack blocks at a slight backward slope.

This decision would be much easier if you knew in advance whether or not your neighbour was planning to consent. Why not smooth the way by giving your neighbour a copy of the plans as soon as they are ready and at least a week or two before serving the official notice? Take the plans round personally and explain the parts of the work which will affect their property. Include your architect’s office number in case they have any technical questions. Having received full details of the work your neighbour should may be able to tell you whether or not they will consent before you serve the notice; although they might wish to consult their own surveyor before making any response.

Party wall issues? Here are several advices: Party walls usually separate buildings belonging to different owners but could include garden walls built astride a boundary – known as party fence walls. Where a wall separates two different size buildings often only the part that is used by both properties is a party wall, the rest belongs to the person or persons on whose land it stands. The “etc” within The Party Wall etc Act 1996 is so included because the provisions of the Act are not limited to party walls, they also include party structures and party fence walls. Section 20 of the Act defines each: “party fence wall” means a wall (not being part of a building) which stands on lands of different owners and is used or constructed to be used for separating such adjoining lands, but does not include a wall constructed on the land of one owner the artificially formed support of which projects into the land of another owner; “party structure” means a party wall and also a floor partition or other structure separating buildings or parts of buildings approached solely by separate staircases or separate entrances;

Plants and any other large object present on windowsills should be removed, as these will also be assessed by the surveyor. This saves the surveyor from having to move things around themselves. Mould is one of the most obvious signs of damp in a home and must always be dealt with as it can thrive if left alone. Make sure you scrub away any mould that is present in your kitchen or bathroom, fix dripping taps by replacing the washers.

A Building Survey, otherwise known as a Structural Survey, will detail the condition of each element of the house while suggesting which aspects are of immediate and major concern and may need further investigation. This type of survey will be carried out by a Chartered Surveyor and is an ideal report for most property types.

The RICS Building Survey is well suited to unusual properties, older or non-standard construction properties were buildings which are away from the status quo. They are most typically commissioned for older properties whether listed or not and are valuable for understanding the common issued associated with their original methods of construction, as well as giving new owners advice on the best methods to preserve or maintain their condition and rectify problems before they become devastating to the property. Where our traditional building stock has been modernised, altered or extended a RICS Building Survey will be able to investigate if these modern methods of construction are affecting the traditionally built building such as PVC or Cement, which in modern houses designed to be kept dry function surprisingly well but in older traditional stock designed to have breathability there inclusion can lead to all sorts of moisture retention and this can lead to rot or beetle infestation. See more details at Party Wall Surveyor Canterbury.

At Home Heroes, we endeavour to provide a competitive service while attaining the highest standards of professional practice. Home Heroes although we are experienced Party Wall Surveyors, we understand that to you our clients the party wall act can be a pretty daunting experience and you have already probably been left nervous and confused, with compliance of the act. We are able to speak to you in plain English using familiar terms and sayings helping you to be put and ease and more importantly understand your obligations and rights under the act. Home Heroes Limited has experienced surveyors who are well placed to help you with your party wall requirements, be you the building owner, adjoining owner or even as an agreed surveyor.

These types of work all require notices to be served as required by the act, once notice has been served, if there is dissent then it is deemed there is a dispute and the Act allows for this, this would be the dispute or resolution stage. Most disputes arrive when the Adjoining Owner has worries or concerns with the proposed work or simply fails to respond in the statutory time to the building owner, for which there could be many reasons. Where a dispute arises either due to non-consent or no response then the Act lays down the steps required to resolve the dispute this is where the Building Owner and the Adjoining Owner will each appoint there Surveyor this could be one each or even the same surveyor with an agreement for all parties working as the Agreed Surveyor. A HomeBuyer Report is a survey suitable for conventional properties in reasonable condition. Costs start at 400 on average. This will help you find out if there are any structural problems, such as subsidence or damp, as well as any other unwelcome hidden issues inside and outside. As one of the most comprehensive surveys available, more often than not a building survey will be requested by potential buyers of your property. It is a wide range inspection of the entirety of a property done in more specific depth than a Homebuyers Report or a Mortgage Valuation. A Building Survey’s purpose is to give a detailed report of the condition of the property in question.

Home and building survey tips and tricks : Is your Home Cracking Up? Many cracks that appear in houses, new or old aren’t a major problem, just something that happens as properties settle on the ground they are built on. Some properties though suffer severe cracks which are structural problems, many of which can be easily fixed. Any cracks that take a 10p piece fitted in sideways, to should be checked by a local independent property surveyor. Electrical and Gas Safety, I don’t know why, but every home I’ve ever bought has had a really useless boiler! As a result I’ve had to fork out between 1,000 to 2,000 to get a new one fitted. So, after having this happen twice, I now make sure I ask the surveyor to have a quick look and then I get a Gas Safety Registered plumber to check it out – albeit at an extra cost of up to 75. However, this has saved me over 10,000 due to the number of properties I’ve bought over the years! Read extra details on home-heroes.co.uk.

How do you uncover foundation issues? Carefully inspect the home, paying particular attention to the foundation. Though not required, buyers are highly encouraged to hire a home inspector to root out any problems. Even if the damage to a foundation is difficult to overtly see, there will be symptoms. The entire house rests on the foundation. If it is faulty, problems will show up somewhere.

We design world class Solutions for our customers. However, these Solutions still need to be looked at and verified by an engineer. We hire third-party engineers who are independent from our firm. Their professional confirmation helps to put your mind at ease and insures that our foundation repair solutions are appropriate for your home’s unique circumstances, whether it’s situated in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, or Denver.

At first, a minuscule crack in the wall or the slight buckling of the foundation might not seem like an immediate problem for your home. Minor issues are often overlooked and neglected—until the problem becomes much larger and compromises the overall stability of your home. The best defense against escalating expenses is to scan for potential signs of foundation damage and address these issues as soon as they appear. Many of these signs often manifest in other parts of the home, usually several levels above the underlying foundation.

What types of foundation repairs are better handled by a professional? There are many types of foundation repair that require a trained professional. Again, we need to go back and inspect the issue that has started to impact the foundation, as well as how long the problem has been going on, to determine which repairs might be more severe.As you’ve already discovered, there are many variables involved in making a repair on a foundation. Those variables usually depend on the method required because, while some methods are okay for a DIY lover, others are going to be out of reach for many handy people. There are factors that contribute such as cost of materials, availability of equipment and even the particular skill set needed to complete the work. Read more info on Foundation contractor Colorado.