Foundation Repair Photo Album: Installation of Steel Components to Strengthen Foundation - Lebanon, OR

Our Design Specialist arrived at this home to perform a through inspection of the foundation and crawlspace. He found that the foundation of this home was very old, and had settled extremely on the entire right side. The settling was caused by too much moisture in the soil beneath the home, which created repeated compression and expansion. Additionally, there was a downspout on this home, that for many years had deposited all rainwater collection directly onto the settling corner, contributing greatly to the settling of the foundation. Because of this settling, the concrete step leading into the home had cracked, and one of the subfloor support beams had fallen out of place - no longer adequately supporting the home. Our Design Specialist thoughtfully explained all of his findings to the homeowner, and assured her that we are the leading experts in crawlspace and foundation repairs. He presented her with excellent, permanent solutions, and she eagerly signed the Job Proposal, so that we could get her on our schedule! When our crew arrived to complete the work, the first step was lifting the home back to its correct and level height. To do this, we needed to install 10 Steel Helical Piers directly onto the concrete foundation walls. First, we attached 10 steel brackets onto the outside of the foundation walls, and then we hydraulically drilled 10 Helical Piers through the brackets, deep into the earth. We continued drilling them down, until we reached ground that was strong and dense enough to support the weight of the home, and then drilled even further, until the home was lifted back to the correct height. These Helical Piers will remain permanently in place, to support the weight of the home, and prevent further settling in the future. With the home now returned to its appropriate height, our crew got to work in the crawlspace. First, we removed the old wooden subfloor support beam that had fallen out of place. Next, we laid down our 6 Mil Black Plastic Vapor Barrier directly onto the ground of the crawlspace, to help prevent moisture seepage from entering through the ground. In order to provide stability to the subfloor, we installed a new Steel Support Beam in place of the old wooden one. To maximize support of the subfloor, we installed 7 Steel SmartJacks directly underneath the new Steel Beam, and 14 more underneath the other 2 wooden support beams that were compromised by the settling of the foundation. SmartJacks are steel piers that are "jacked up", until the subfloor is level, and remain permanently in place. They are adjustable, and are incredibly supportive steel subfloor components. The final step of this job was to attach the gutter downspout to our Rain Drain System, to route all gutter water away from the home. First, we dug a shallow trench from the downspout, and away from the home. Inside of the trench, we laid down our Rain Drain Line, and then covered up the line with dirt. At the end of the drain line, we attached a LawnScape Outlet, so that all of the gutter water would be properly dispersed in the yard. The experts here at John's have now successfully restored the integrity of the entire structure of this home, through the installation of high quality steel foundation and crawlspace components. Additionally, the soil beneath this home will no longer be weakened by the presence of excess water coming out of the gutter downspout. This homeowner can now rest, knowing that she has protected the investment of her home by ensuring that her foundation will experience no further settling!