Foundation Repair in Washington, MO

Challenge

This residential home in Washington, Missouri, had foundation settlement problems, seen by a stair-step crack on the outside corner of its brick wall. This was allowing water into the basement, and needed to be fixed as soon as possible. Along with the foundation problem, there was a retaining wall that needed more support from falling over and a patio with some uneven concrete slabs. Woods Basement Systems was called, where Systems Design Specialist Kevin Estes came out to design a solution based on the needs at the residential home. This residential home needed to correct its sinking foundation, it needed a solution to prevent its retaining wall from collapsing, and a solution to level out the back patio.

Solution

The best solution for this residential home was to install push piers along the outside of the home to permanently raise and stabilize the foundation, PolyLevel® polyurethane foam to raise the back patio, and Geo-Lock™ wall anchors to stabilize the retaining wall.

Foreman Jose Lorenzano and his team came out to install the push piers. The installation process began with excavating the areas needed for the push piers. Once the holes were dug, the pier was placed underneath the footing and a mechanical auger was used to drill the piers into the ground, raising the foundation. The piers were inserted into the ground, far enough to ensure stability. After all the piers were inserted, the ground was filled in with dirt and topped off with the removed sod and blended in for a seamless look.

Foreman James Long and his team came out to do the Geo-Lock™ wall anchor installation. Only two wall anchors were needed on the retaining wall. The team drilled small holes, about one inch in diameter, in the wall, preparing the area for the installation. In the yard, holes were dug for the anchors. Long, metal tubes were inserted through the holes in the wall to the anchors, and were fastened together. Plates were placed over the tubes on the retaining wall, and fastened together. Depending on the current status of the bowing of the retaining wall, the team could have tightened the bolt on the plate to help vertical-ize the wall. After the wall was satisfyingly straight, the holes were filled in with dirt, and topped with the removed sod, and blended together for a seamless look.

Foreman William Teter came out to complete the PolyLevel® project. The team drilled small holes in the concrete, preparing the areas for the polyurethane injections. The dust from the drilling would be kept for later. Small plastic injection ports were placed in each hole, and the team injected the PolyLevel® foam through each port. Injecting the foam immediately began to level the slabs, and by the time the injections were complete, the slabs were level and secure. The team then mixed the concrete dust from the drilling with some fresh mortar and filled the small holes, matching the slabs’ color as best as possible.

This residential home now has a stable foundation, a straight and stabilized retaining wall, and a level back patio, fit for the homeowners.

Project Summary

Systems Design Specialist: Kevin Estes

Primary Foreman: William Teter

Primary Foreman: Todd Wells

Primary Foreman: Jose Lorenzana