1. MAINTAINING A HEALTHY HOUSE FOUNDATION
2. FOUNDATION SETTLEMENT
3. BOWED & TILTING BASEMENT WALLS
4. FOUNDATION WALL STRAIGHTENING
5. BASEMENT FOUNDATION HEAVE
6. CRAWL SPACE RECOVERY & ENCAPSULATION

Foundation Repairs

Gordon Energy & Drainage has been serving Home Owners and the residential industry for 40 years with quality services and products. Foundation Repair Services have become a large part of Gordon Energy & Drainage’s everyday business. All your Foundation Repair, Waterproofing and Drainage needs can be provided by the same company you have trusted for nearly 4 decades. Give us a call today for your free evaluation and we will be happy to discuss your foundation concerns and offer you a few suggestions.

Maintaining a Healthy Strong Foundation

For many of us, our home is our largest investment. The maintaining of our home is often difficult and even overlooked at times. The foundation seems to get the least of our attention even though it is the “Foundation” of our investment.

Why so many foundation problems in the Midwest? A large geographical area of the United States has soil types referred to as clay soil. There are many kinds of clay soil from region to region. Here in the Midwest our clay soils will expand and contract (depending on the moisture content) enough that it will physically move our foundations. These soils coupled with extreme weather patterns, insufficient grade and surface drainage conditions will cause our foundations to move up (Heave), down (Settlement) and also inward (Bowed). When these changes happen, your home may show signs of the movement. In some cases the signs are significant and a reason for concern. If you are concerned about your foundation, give us a call at 913-764-6229 or by email.

Foundation Settlement:

Foundation settlement is a vertical downward movement of the foundation from the original elevation which it was first built. Normal settling will take place the first few years after the home is built and will continue to move up and down throughout the life of the home. Often times, in the Midwest, the contraction “shrink” of the soil causes settlement in excess of normal and may create a break in the foundation. This break or breaks allow a large area of the foundation to move separate from the rest of the home. When this occurs it may require you to mechanically stabilize “underpinning” and lift the foundation to prevent additional and severe damage to the home.

Look for these symptoms:

• Diagonal sheetrock cracks in walls
• Cracks in ceilings
• Doors and windows sticking
• Cabinets, trim, baseboard pulling away
• Uneven floors
• Exterior cracks in brick and mortar
• Separation of siding or brick from doors and windows

Possible Causes:

• Expansive clay soil
• Poor drainage conditions
• Freeze thaw of soil
• Tree roots
• Plumbing leaks

Solutions: Underpinning (Piering)

When correctly installed foundation underpinning (Piers) provides the basis for lifting of the structure to its original or desired position while providing vertical support that can eliminate settling of the underpinned area in the future.

Steel Piers: An engineered system designed to underpin your foundation footings and transfer the weight of the home from unstable soils onto the steel piers that are driven deep to verifiable load bearing strata or bedrock.

Helical Piers: A screw in type pier that creates torque resistance in soil less deep than steel piers used for lighter weight structures such as stoops, porches, patios and slabs.

Concrete Pressed Pilings: Undesirable and uncommon to the Midwest. These are 5” – 6” diameter push piers requiring skin friction to hold the weight of structure. Reaching load bearing strata is difficult and often unverifiable with depth limitations based on friction and soil conditions at the time of installation. Hybrid systems available but are currently unproven.

Concrete Poured Pads: An antiquated method of digging out underneath the foundation and pouring new concrete to support the old. Concrete Pads have depth limitations to the actual dig depth and adds substantial weight to current load bearing soil that has already failed.

Bowed and Tilting Walls:

Bowed and Tilting Walls is the lateral movement inward of a foundation wall caused by expanding soil and hydrostatic pressure. Lateral movement is common and ONLY worsens through time. Bowed and Tilting Walls are often the result of poor drainage conditions and saturate expansive clay soils in the backfill area around the foundation creating significant swell pressure (Force) and hydrostatic pressure. The inward movement is the result of the energy created in this area. If this condition is not addressed the wall will continue to move at a rate determined only by the Amount of Expansion vs. The Resistance of the Wall or Wall Supports. A wall may move enough that it has to be pushed back or replaced.

Look for these symptoms:

Inside

• Beam pocket broke out
• Water pipes or electric breaker box pushed away from wall
• Wall ceiling joist crushed
• Drop ceiling cross members compressed
• Diagonal or horizontal cracks in foundation wall

Outside

• Support beam pushed through foundation wall
• Vertical crack on foundation wall at corners
• Horizontal crack in mortar line
• Siding bowing or curled under at the bottom
• Center of foundation moved in further than corners

Possible Solutions:

Depending on the severity of your individual condition Gordon Energy & Drainage will you help you determine what steps and options will work best for you. Contact Gordon Energy today for a cosultation: 913-764-6229 or by email.

Determine Severity of Condition:

• Contact Gordon Energy & Drainage for a consultation and recommendation

Improve Drainage conditions:

• Fix gutters and downspouts
• Improve grade by adding soil
• Install French or surface drains
• Deflect surface water from other properties

Install Wall Supports:

Depending on the severity, there are many common methods of supporting a foundation wall.

• Wall Brace - uses the weight of the home and strength of the concrete floor to support a steel brace on the inside of the foundation wall. Economical way to support the wall with some limitations.
• Tie Backs - Uses the earth to tie the wall back to an anchor with threaded rod.
• Concrete Tie Back
• Steel Plate Tie Back
• Helical Torque Tie Back Anchors

Each Tie Back anchor point method has its own advantages and applications.
Let Gordon Energy & Drainage help you decide the accurate choice for your home and situation.

Wall Straightening

Wall Recovery System:

In more severe cases of Bowed Walls, the pushing or pulling back of the foundation wall is recommended. This method of repair allows the wall to be put back to plumb and will include the drainage improvements and exterior waterproofing of the wall be done at one time at a reduced system price. The Wall Recovery System addresses both the Cause and the Damage.

THE WALL RECOVERY SYSTEM ADDRESSES ALL CAUSES

1. REMOVE THE CLAY SOIL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FOOTING  
2. MOVE THE FOUNDATION WALL BACK TO PLUMB WITH WALL SUPPORTS
3. CLEAN THE OUTSIDE WALL AND FIX THE CRACKS
4. APPLY A THICK, FLEXIBLE, RUBBERIZED WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE
5. INSTALL A COMPRESSION DRAINAGE BOARD TO BUFFER THE EXPANDING SOIL AND WALL
6. INSTALL A FOOTING DRAIN TILE SYSTEM AND RUN IT TO AN INTERIOR SUMP PUMP
7. BACKFILL WITH GRAVEL, SOME SOIL & ADD NEW WINDOW WELLS
8. INSTALL DRAIN SYSTEM AT THE TOP FOR SURFACE WATER AND DOWNSPOUTS
9. RE-GRADE FOR PROPER DRAINAGE & HAUL REMAINING CLAY SOIL AWAY
10. ADDITIONAL FINAL GRADE AND LANDSCAPING SERVICE AVAILABLE

Extended repair and waterproofing warranty periods available for this complete repair method.

Foundation Heave:

Foundation Heave is the vertical movement upward caused by expansive soil raising you foundation and or slab. This condition is less common than Settlement or Bowed walls but does exist in the Midwest. Often caused by poor drainage conditions around the home it may also be the result of broken plumbing lines saturating the soil or tree roots growing underneath a slab home or structure. It is important to have an expert identify if your home is Settling or Heaving. If Heaving is the problem then most likely improved drainage conditions will be recommended. If the heave is occurring inside the home on slab or interior footings,then interior water collection may be required.

(Read More about: Leaky Basements in Kansas City)

Look for these symptoms:

Interior

• Vertical and horizontal cracks in drywall
• Crushed or Compression cracks in drywall
• High elevations above basement beam support poles
• Circular cracks on basement floor

Exterior

• Vertical cracks in mortar through the brick
• Straight separation of exterior building materials

Possible Solutions:

• Improve exterior perimeter drainage conditions
• Install interior Water collection systems (Sump Pump, Channel Track)
• Break out and replace portions of basement slab

(Read more about: Kansas City Yard Drainage)

Crawl Space Recovery and Encapsulation

Crawl Space Supports

Crawl Space Homes are often built with center supports beams that rest on Surface bearing supports. These Supports are subject to the current soil conditions of the season or changes in soil conditions through time. The weather patterns in the Midwest will cause the expansive soils to heave, settle and consolidate all having an impact on the center beam supports. Maintaining the proper drainage around your home is very important but does not always fix the problem. Gordon Energy & Drainage can make adjustments, add supports or even replace beams and beam supports if necessary. It is not always possible to make you floors perfectly level but great improvements are nearly always possible.

Crawl Space Moisture control:

The Crawl Space soil and air is naturally moist during most seasons. This moisture is often the root cause of many issues such as support Beam movement, mold and mildew, stale air, insects and pests. Having a wet crawl space makes it difficult to maintain the homes utilities such as water, gas, electrical and HVAC. Gordon Energy & Drainage can install perimeter surface water management to reduce the water infiltration within the crawl space and in some cases an interior water collection system including drain tile and sump pump may be necessary.

Encapsulation:

Encapsulation of a crawl space is often done to maximize the benefit of controlling the moisture within a crawl space for Health, Structural or simply to gain usage of the space for storage. Encapsulation includes the installation of a vapor barrier to help trap moisture between the soil and barrier. It may also include interior drain tile and sump pump to remediate excess water under the barrier, and a Humidifier may also be installed to control the humidity within the crawl space. All or any combination of these steps could be used to help gain the safe control of your crawl space.

Give A Gordon Energy & Drainage Experts a call to help evaluate your individual situation. 913-764-6229
Contact us today for Foundation Repair in Kansas City