Whether you own a home or an investment property, additions can be a great idea.
If you own an investment property, you can increase your home’s value and charge higher rent with additional amenities.
The subject of this article is one particular remodeling project: home additions. As a reputable foundation repair company in Dallas-Forth Worth, we’ll be discussing what these projects imply for the existing foundation of your home.
Home Additions: Where the New Joins the Old
There may come a time when you, as a property owner, feel as though the current living space isn’t sufficient. Maybe you’re expecting a new member of the family soon, or extended family is moving in with you, or you’re trying to increase the number of tenants a unit can hold.
Whatever the reason, you’ll need to start a home addition project. You can expand the current footprint of your property by adding in a new foundation. This calls for expert work in the design, execution, and appending to the current foundation.
Structural Foundation Damage During Home Additions
There are several things that can lead to foundation damage during a home expansion/addition project.
Sometimes, the contractor chosen for a home addition project is not the one who put up the initial structure. If they’re not familiar with the structure of the area, it can lead to foundation damage to the house.
The integrity of the contractor could also play a role. In the case where you’re dealing with a sketchy or new contractor, they might choose to cut corners to get a bigger profit. Some of the examples include skimping on materials, using fewer steel reinforcements, or placing footings at shallower depths.
From our experience in the foundation repair industry, contractors who specialize in home addition projects will often decide to mix and pour the slab for the new section without installing spread footing for the new foundation walls. This often results in the foundation settling, which is most dramatic during the hotter months.
Another possible cause of foundation problems is water intrusion. With the extra living space, you now have a large roof harnessing large volumes of rainfall during every downpour.
The question is: Did the contractor factor this in by increasing the size of the downspouts? There could possibly be spillage to the soil around your house, leading to saturation of the soil.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Area has clay soil that easily absorbs water. Without the right measures, you can expect a possible upheaval of the structure, should we experience a higher-than-normal rainfall during the rainy season.
A lack of proper downspouts and gutters could compromise the integrity and structural strength of your foundation in the long term.
What should you do if you suspect there’s a chance of foundation problems?
At Granite Foundation Repair we have decades of experience handling foundation repair problems of all manners and sizes.
Regardless of your foundation repair needs, we can guarantee to comprehensively deal with all issues, quickly and at an affordable cost.
Get in touch with us today and book an appointment. We’ll come down and perform an inspection of your property for free!
Signs of Common Foundation Issues
So, what should foundation problem warning signs should you be on the lookout for? Here are a few common things our experts look for:
- Sinking floors. Do items in the new part of your house move toward the center of the room? Do you often feel as though you’re walking on an uneven floor? This is a sign of a possible issue with the foundation.
- Gaps around portals (doors and windows). Homeowners should be on the lookout for signs of misalignment in window and door frames, signifying possible movement of the sub-structure.
- Tilting chimney. While it could also be a sign of poor workmanship, a tilting chimney could be the result of a foundation problem. To be sure, call the team at Granite Foundation Repair to give you a professional analysis.
- A settling foundation. This sign of foundation repair is often caused by uneven soil beneath the property. Other things that cause a settling foundation include bad drainage, ground movement, or poor workmanship.
- Cracks in the wall, floor, or the foundation. If, during the regular inspections of your house, you identify cracks in your wall, chimney, or the exposed part of your foundation, call Granite Foundation Repair immediately.
- Foundation upheaval. This sign is quite common in the Dallas-Fort Worth area thanks to the fine clay soil particles. Signs of upheaval include bowed walls, uneven floors and surfaces, large cracks in the floor, and misaligned windows.
To read more about signs of foundation problems, click here.
The Leading Foundation Repair Company in Dallas Fort Worth
With all the information you’ve just read, hopefully, you now have a proper understanding of the foundation of a house and the possible damage to your real estate investment or home.
While foundation problems can cause you sleepless nights, having a reputable and trusted foundation repair contractor to call can alleviate your worries.
Granite Foundation Repair is the expert company to rely on in and around the Dallas area for foundation repair services. With our experienced and professional team, we’re committed to helping property owners attain peace of mind knowing their property is on a solid foundation.
We also provide our Texas clients with a StrucSure Warranty for our foundation repair services that’s backed by Lloyd’s of London.
Get in touch today to learn more!