How To Repair Brick Foundation

If your home has a genuine brick foundation, information technology's probably an older domicile that's seen a lot of life.

Generally speaking, homes built after 1950 only have a brick facade.  This means that they take an external layer of scarlet dirt bricks, only the foundation core is fabricated of concrete or cinder block.  You lot may need to go into your basement or crawl space to visually confirm that aye, your habitation just has bricks on the exterior.  But if you exercise only have a brick facade?  This article isn't relevant to your home'southward repair options.

If yous're on our site looking for repairs for a more typical physical foundation -with or without brick outside facade- please allow me to advise our free Foundation Review Guide instead.  This is a resource we developed specifically for homeowners, to accost all of the questions commonly asked by our customers.

Only if you lot have a true brick foundation, please go on reading.   Acculevel is a family unit-endemic and operated company that specializes in foundation repair, waterproofing, and concrete leveling.  Since our beginning in 1996, nosotros've repaired over 30,000 homes throughout our service area .  But like most foundation contractors, we accept express scope when it comes to all-brick construction.  Nosotros desire to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information available, and then you know what services and options are correct for you.

In this article, I'chiliad going to clearly explain what types of repairs need a masonry expert and which ones should be done by a contractor like Acculevel.

If a Brick Foundation Wall is Smashing, Leaning, or Bowing

When your foundation cracks, and wall(s) begin to lean inward or bow , y'all need to get these repaired promptly.  These are signs that hydrostatic pressure is damaging your foundation, and these problems only get worse.

For this blazon of repair, yous will need to contact a masonry contractor or bricklaying company.   A mason will exist the best resources for restoring your foundation to its previous stable condition, every bit they can repair or replace the bricks every bit needed.  (Even home builders do not commonly build with bricks; they prefer to subcontract a masonry company for a chimney, or other specialty item.)

Bricks are softer and crumble more easily than cinder block or poured concrete, so they aren't uniform with the standard physical methods like carbon fiber straps or wall anchors.

If You Take a Sagging Flooring and a Brick Foundation

Every home with a basement or crawl space has a wooden floor structure built into it.  Only homes on a slab (poured physical) foundation do non have this structure.

Since this construction is built in the aforementioned way across multiple foundation types, the repair methods are pretty consistent.  The most common variable you will encounter is the heart or primary beam; certain contractors like Acculevel prefer to install steel replacement beams instead of wooden ones .

The most common causes of flooring damage are insects and wet .  You will oft notice that if you have one, you also have the other.  Moisture is the platonic variable to create rot, decay, and mold; information technology tin can also makes your flooring structure more than appealing to insects.  Termites in particular like wood that has been softened, because it is easier for them to tunnel through.  As a foundation repair company, Acculevel does not treat termites.  Simply one time you accept had a professional service address the infestation, we tin repair the damages they take done.

This photo was taken by an Acculevel project director during a free estimate appointment.  Water in the crawl space has caused the joists and beams to mold and disuse.

In that location are a number of components involved, and so information technology can be difficult to know which ones need repairing or replacing.  Nosotros have an in-depth look at each of these pieces and how we repair them in this commodity .

If There is Water in Your Basement or Crawl Space

Similar sagging floors, h2o intrusion into any basement or clamber space tin can be repaired past a qualified and experienced visitor like Acculevel.  This is due largely to the fact that water drainage type is determined by the blazon of floor you take , and so the foundation type is not a gene.

BEFORE: This photo was taken past an Acculevel projection director during a free estimate appointment.  Water has been leaking into the basement whenever it rains.

We strongly recommend encapsulation for whatsoever dwelling with a brick foundation, whether it'south a crawl space or basement.  This is because water can seep through bricks at any point in the wall.  Once inside, the water and so runs down the wall and onto the flooring.  This provides an excellent location for mold or mildew to develop .

Encapsulation means attaching a white cap material to the walls of the basement , or walls and floor of the crawl infinite , with a liner.   Whenever h2o seeps through the brick, it is stopped past the impermeable barrier of the encapsulation, and funneled downward to the drainage track.

It is less critical to encapsulate physical blocks considering unlike brick (and poured concrete), blocks have a hollow core.  This means water that seeps through the exterior of the cake will bleed down and so out through weep holes into the water drainage.  Generally, we recommend encapsulation for block foundations if the homeowner is planning to finish their basement or convert their crawl infinite into a storage room.

AFTER: This photograph was taken past an Acculevel squad fellow member, after installing water drainage, a sump pump, and encapsulation.

Do You Need Repairs Made to Your Home?

If and then, you should find a qualified and experienced contractor to work with you.  If you're not sure how to observe the right visitor, we propose asking friends or neighbors if they've had like issues repaired.  Yous tin also contact the realtor who sold your dwelling house, your HOA, or a service like Angie'southward Listing for recommendations.  The Better Business Bureau is an splendid resource for verifying the contractor is insured and accredited.

We have a checklist of questions to enquire a contractor that includes a free downloadable grade; as yous'd expect, this document covers the FAQs that our customers often ask.  But information technology also includes a number of questions that a homeowner may non call back near that tin highlight potential alarm signs.

If you live in our service surface area , please call Acculevel.  Nosotros'll schedule a free appointment with 1 of our friendly and knowledgeable project managers, who will evaluate your dwelling house and recommend the best grade of action for you and your family unit.

Source: https://acculevel.com/how-to-repair-brick-foundation/

Share this post