Drainage issue
Snow fall
Broken pipe
Excessive water, whether it be from rains, melting snow or broken pipes can cause your foundation to fail.
The uneven swelling of moist soils, under and around the foundation, will cause the foundation to move. When the foundation twist and flexes as it was designed to do under these circumstances, the ridged building materials begin to flex like they are not suppose to do. This causes what is usually described as foundation damage. It's like a jigsaw puzzle being twisted and the connecting parts start to pull apart.
In the great majority of these cases the damage is cosmetic not structural and will not be fixed by using piers. The problem is not settlement or a loss of support under areas of the foundation, but a lifting of of areas of the foundation.
By using piers and lifting the lower side of the building up to that which is artificially high, it will look good until the heaved or raised areas reverts back to normal, or as built, and the piered side remains high. Now you have a problem that is reversed and you have no warrantee to fall back on because the warrantee is on the piers and not the job. There is an answer, it is proper drainage or leak repair and I can help you find it.
One very important point to make here. Do not be fooled by foundation elevations. Thousands of unneeded piers are sold every year based of phony elevations. Unless you have the original elevations of the structure, and you don't, and access to to a benchmark which was used at construction, you can not tell if part of the building is high or the other part to low, of if it was poured uneven. If that's hard to understand contact me and I will explain it in more detail over the phone. I don't care who takes the elevation, they don't know where the original zero was so they can't tell what has moved and which way. If They are trying to sell you piers they will pick and area that seems high and call that zero so everything else looks lower. However, had they made the low area zero, then the whole thing would be reversed.
My job is to help you get it right. My livelihood does not depend on what I advise you to do. I get a pre agreed upon fee to be your advocate and explain your problem and show you the possible solutions. My fee is extremely fair and when I show you what is going on you will be happy to pay it. Oh, and if I don't help you I don't expect you to pay me.
Now please read on and check out the rest of my website and I hope to hear from you!
Richard Rash 817-308-8186 richardrashinc@tx.rr.com
Bad drainage is the cause of most foundation movement!
(improper drainage is the main cause of foundation movement and damage in North Texas)
For a reasonable pre-set fee I will inspect your foundation and drainage.
I will explain your foundation problems.
I will draw pictures and show you why your foundation has moved, or might move and your options to stop the movement, prevent more movement and usually show you how to reverse the movement.
Because of my pre-set fee I have no financial incentive to guide you to anything but what is best for your home. Read on to find out how bad drainage can cause extensive foundation damage and how proper drainage can prevent, stop and reverse foundation damage.
In areas of expansive soils, such as most of Texas and surrounding states, settlement is not the main cause of foundation movement and damage. If you sell piers, you want everything to be the result of settlement because that is what piers are designed for. With upheaval, (expanding soils), piers do not work and often cause additional long term damage. Give me a call and I'll tell you why. Richard 817-308-8186.
By definition, settlement is generally looked at as a loss of support. Remedial piers are designed to provide support, and in the case of foundations, to lift and provide support. The truth is that there is really not much settling, percentage-wise, going on in areas of expansive soils, such as Texas, and I will tell you why. Contact me to asses your situation.
The pier salesmen would have us believe that every year we are in a new drought which is causing our soils to shrink out from under our foundations, which is not true.
I even bought into that line of thinking 30 plus years ago when I got into the foundation business. That’s what everybody said so it must be true, or so I thought. The rally cry was ...if it moves, PIER IT! ( most often It didn't work then, and most often it doesn't work now.)
After being in this business for awhile it became obvious to me that some things just didn’t add up.
For one thing, there were about as many foundation job failures as there were successes. That didn’t seem right and the more I thought about it the more I realized that the drought that happened just about every summer was also going on during many of the falls and springs as well as the occasional winter. However it seemed to me that when we did have rain it was enough to cause the soils to swell under existing homes often cause the structure to move.
Also a fact: we have been going into, coming out of, or experiencing some sort of a drought most years since the 1930’s. It also dawned on me that many foundations were poured during these droughts, to the point that the ground was already contracted so that it couldn’t shrink much more. So why were, and how were these houses and commercial buildings settling? It struck me: most are not settling! You know what I figured out? I figured out that a whole bunch of this foundation failure business was not settlement but upheaval. That is, upheaval, that is mostly due to rains that follow a drought, that was happening when these houses were built!
In North Texas it seems as if everybody has some sort of foundation movement. Really the percentage is rather low. With over seven million people in the area a small percentage is a lot of homes and commercial buildings, and it seems that many of these foundations were poured during hot or drought conditions. It also seems that much of the damage tends to appear after rains in hilly locations where the drainage is negative.
Houses were being built on dry, contracted soil. Then the rains came after the houses were built. The contracted soils expanded unevenly around areas of homes where water was standing.
Parts of the homes were lifted and parts were not, giving the illusion that settlement had occurred.
So bottom line is that many homes thought to have experienced settling, are actually having other areas of the house raising or heaving, leading to piering of parts of the house that have not moved, which will bring it up to the already artificially high section of the home. When this is done, and it is done often, the repairs seldom succeed.
To sum it up: most foundation movement is not settlement and most homes in our area do not need piers. That’s why there are so many failed foundation repair jobs. And sadly to say I don’t know of a foundation repair company whose LIFETIME WARRANTY covers upheaval. Always check the drainage near your foundation before considering piers, or... buying a home.
If you would like additional information about this or need clarification contact me, I will be glad to discuss it. See what my customers say at: Testimonials. Here are: My Fees. For additional information: Contact me! Richard Rash 817-308-8186 with any questions. Thank you.
Note:
As I have stated most foundation movement and damage in North Texas are the result of drainage/upheaval and not settlement. That means that piers are seldom the answer. There are however, usually adjustments that need to be done. They are seldom if ever as expensive or disruptive as piers but they must be attended to. If not problems will escalate. I can help you determine what is needed and show you how to accomplish the repairs as inexpensively as possible.
Remember: Upheaval is the main cause of foundation distress in North Texas, but settlement can occur, and while the symptoms are similar to upheaval, the repairs are completely different. Lifting up to match upheaval will cause additional damage. Fixing drainage will not help settlement.
You must know the difference!
Because my fee is preset, unlike commissioned pier salesmen, I have no reason to recommend any particular repair and am always happy to suggest the best and least expensive solution for your particular problem.
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Repair Tip
If you don't think you need your house piered...don't call a pier salesman!
Find out Who I am
I am Richard Rash and I am here to help you keep from getting taken advantage of by the foundation repair companies. I have spent forty years working with foundation damaged homes constructed on expansive soils. I am based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but go where I am needed and the economics warrant, such as San Antonio, Austin, Shreveport, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and cities and towns in-between.
I have been involved with thousands of foundation repairs in all size homes, apartments, hospitals, nursing homes, warehouses and small commercial buildings. I have worked as foundation inspector, contractor, consultant, and expert witness.
After many years as a foundation repair contractor, since 2005 I have been consulting with individuals who are experiencing foundation distress. I am their check and balance, their advocate. I know foundations and I know the soils. I know what causes foundation failures and what prevents foundation failure. I know the products used to repair foundations and I know the contractor’s reputations. I know what works where, and how much it should cost. I save my customers from failed foundation repairs, unneeded piers and I save them money. See what my customers say at Testimonials. Here are: My Fees.
For additional information: Contact me! Richard Rash 817-308-8186
