Are you looking to level a house in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX?
Home foundations settle as time passes. Your foundation may be affected by settling due to expansive soil, intruding tree roots, and backfilled soil. Since foundation movement can quickly affect your home in serious ways, these problems need to be addressed immediately.
Not tackling structural problems straight away will start decreasing your home’s value and creating more issues down the line. Leveling is a crucial step in order to fix these common foundation faults.
In this article, we’ll analyze the cost structure of house leveling in Fort Worth, TX. Additionally, you’ll learn about the typical signs that your home needs leveling and how the procedures work in the first place.
The Starting Point: What Does It Cost to Level a House
House leveling costs depend on the type of foundation you have. In the Fort Worth area, you can expect to pay anywhere between $3,000 to $7,000, subject to your unique circumstances.
Seriously damaged concrete slab home leveling can easily run into the five figure range. Pier and beam structures cost $2000-4000, provided there is no wood damage.
Here are the top factors that affect your final house leveling quote:
- What is the particular location of your home?
- What type of foundation do you have?
- What is the underlying issue?
- How severe is this issue?
- What is the number of piers necessary?
How Is House Leveling Carried Out?
House leveling is used for restoring your home as close as possible to its initial state. The associated procedures are usually finalized after foundation repair. If your house sinks in one or more places, leveling can correct that issue.
While leveling has the potential to be highly effective, it’s also necessary to address the underlying source of the problem. Otherwise, you would face the same type of foundation damage in the future, which is why DIY or patchwork solutions are generally frowned upon when it comes to a home’s foundation.
In most cases, only 50% up to 65% of the elevation loss can be recovered for your Fort Worth home. If you have pier and beam foundations, we’ll adjust the piers to restore as much of the original elevation as possible.
In the case of slab foundations, our experienced workers will underpin the dropped areas. While numerous underpinning techniques exist, it’s recommended to use steel piers in the Fort Worth area.
How Can You Prevent the Problems from Coming Back?
Fortunately, you can take practical steps to prevent the resurfacing of these problems after your home leveling procedures. Maintenance is crucial to ensure that leveling isn’t just a short-term solution.
The number one thing you can do is ensuring that the soil moisture levels aren’t getting out of control. If your house is built in a low spot on the lot, you will need surface drains, French drains, and sump pumps.
Always make sure that water is drained away from the house and its foundation. Even something as simple as clogged gutters can lead to serious drainage problems. You may have to extend some of the drainage systems if water is driven too close to the siding of your home.
Foundation settlement is often caused by a lack of moisture as well. Planting trees and shrubs too close to your home may cause the excess removal of water from the soil. Ensure that your foundation perimeter is not boardered by trees.
What Are the Signs Your Home Needs Leveling?
Now it’s time to go over the major signs that your house needs leveling. Check your home for the following red flags of foundation issues that can be addressed with leveling procedures.
Exterior & Interior Cracks
Visible cracking along the exterior or interior of your house is a common sign demonstrating the need for leveling. Focus on finding cracks on areas with wood paneling, drywall, and plaster. Also, look out for separation of cault at expansion joints and along the window casings.
Does your home have brick work? If that’s the case, see if any cracks have appeared in the mortar between the bricks. Additionally, you should check for widening vertical cracks.
Uneven Floors
Take a level or tape measure to see if your floors have any slants. Don’t forget to check all of your interior and exterior walls.
Keep in mind that the foundation isn’t the only common reason behind slants, either.
Mortar Joint Issues
Vertical gaps, also called expansion joints, are necessary in long brick walls. Foundation leveling may be required if the caulk inside these joints demonstrates gaps, expansion, or cracks.
Sticky Windows & Doors
Whenever you have trouble opening or closing your doors and/or windows, it’s important to put these signs into the wider context of things. Together with other foundation settlement symptoms, sticky doors and windows can show the need for leveling procedures.
Past Repair Needs
Did you buy your home from someone? You should see what the history of previous repairs tells you about the home’s top risk factors. Framework movements and patched-up cracks could be tell-tale signs of progressive settling.
Chimney Tilt or Cracks
A chimney that shares a foundation with a house can start showing the signs of foundation settlement quite quickly.
Tilting, cracking, and leaning may indicate that your foundation is on the move. Leaning chimneys demand immediate attention.
In a Nutshell: Leveling a House in Fort Worth
Leveling your house is necessary after your foundation has started to settle. In most cases, leveling is something that takes place after the primary foundation repairs have already been finished.
The cost of leveling depends on a multitude of factors, including the type of foundation, your home’s location, and the underlying issue together with its severity. However, most of the leveling procedures in Fort Worth cost anywhere between $3,500 and $7000 in total.
How do you know if your house needs leveling? Uneven floors, sticky windows and doors, exterior and/or interior cracks are common signs of foundation settlement. It’s likely that your house requires proper leveling in this situation.
Are you having foundation problems with your home in the Fort Worth area? Get in touch with the expert team at Granite Foundation Repair. We’d be happy to explain the services we can provide to ensure your foundation is rock solid for years to come.