Fix Sticking Windows and Doors in Philadelphia, Allentown, Norristown

Settling foundations

The causes of foundation settlement are rarely due to the design (or under-design) of the structure itself. More commonly, damage is caused as changes occur within the foundation soils that surround and support the structure.

Foundation settlement is never uniform because the soil underneath your foundation has varying soil characteristics. Soil variation under your foundation results in sections of uneven settlement causing slabs to crack and shift, while other sections remain in their original positions.

When the foundation and quite possibly the slab of your home begins to crack, the structural integrity of your home is jeopardized because the stationary wood framing above your home is likely to bend and twist. This type of soil settlement results in a home with warped floors and walls causing skewed openings for windows and doors.

Since drywall within your home is fastened to wood framing all throughout the interior, when an outlying force is applied to your foundation, the non-flexible drywall is likely to crack - especially at the corners of your windows and doorways. When a house has a brick or stone exterior, a settled foundation is likely to have cracks in these upper masonry surfaces due to a lack of flexibility.

More about foundation settlement issues.

How to fix it:

Here at BQ Basement Systems, we repair failing foundations such as foundation settlement by installing our warrantied foundation piers at key locations around the home. The piers we install are so effective because they extend to stable, load-bearing soil, where the weight of the home is transferred through the piers to competent soil and a lift can be attempted to bring the home back toward its original position.

Once the homeowner is satisfied with the stabilization or amount of lift, the soil can be back-filled and the home is permanently stabilized in its new position. The foundation is raised back up, cracks in the wall will close. Doors, locks, and windows may return to functionality, and further settlement damage will halt.

We offer two different types of warrantied foundation piers to address foundation settlement: push piers and helical piers. With either installation, there's a 25-year manufacturer's warranty, as well as our own performance warranty.

More about foundation piers.

Sinking crawl space supports

Crawl spaces are often poorly designed structures within the home. Some common problems associated with crawl spaces are weak supporting soils, inadequate support columns, and wooden floor joists and girders that can eventually rot -- causing the supports to sink.

SmartJacks™ should be used when you want to accomplish the following:

• Best opportunity to lift the above floors and walls back to their original position
• Engineered footing transfers the load beyond the troubled soils
• Can be installed in conjunction with a crawl space liner
• Restores property value
• Problem solved once and for all!

If and when the crawl space structure sinks, the floor that it supports will sink as well, creating uneven surfaces underfoot. This type of foundation problem will ultimately lead to other problems within the home causing the floors and walls above to sag and bow.

As walls begin to sink, they pull apart, leaving cracks in your interior walls. And as the floor warps and sinks, doors inside the home will jam and become difficult to open or shut.

How to fix it:

In order to repair structural issues with crawl spaces - our company utilizes crawl space support jacks. To address weak foundation soils a hole is excavated at each SmartJack®™ location. The hole is then filled with either concrete or engineered fill that consists of tight-compacted crushed stone.

A pre-cast concrete base is set into place and leveled on top of or within the engineered fill. Next, a high strength, galvanized steel column is cut to the appropriate height for your crawl space. The steel column and components are assembled and connected to the girder, and the SmartJack®™ system is tightened into place.

Once installed, our crawl space supports immediately stabilize the girder and floor joists, attempting to lift the above floors and walls back to level position.

Crawl space jack systems install quickly -- with installation usually being completed in about a day. They provide a superior solution to other repairs, such as concrete columns, shimming, and light-duty jack posts.

When shopping for crawl space jacks, it's important to find a system that's resistant to corrosion. Crawl space jacks that rust and corrode in a crawl space will become difficult, if not impossible to adjust. If you have a future issue, you won't be able to count on them to operate properly.