Residential & Commercial Foundation Repair
Help Stabilize Your Home Or Business
Why Does A Building Need A Foundation?
Your home or business sits on a steel-reinforced slab of concrete that is known as the foundation of the building. Your foundation, like anything else that acts as a “foundation” in life, is extremely important. Not only does it stop your building from sinking, it also helps keep moisture out!
How Does A Foundation Crack?
When your building contractor puts the foundation in, the ground below it needs to be compacted. If you think about standing on sand when you’re on the beach and creating an indent in the sand with your foot due to the added weight, your building does the same thing. Unfortunately many contractors do not do this effectively and the building’s foundation needs to be repaired.
If the ground is compacted properly, foundation repair is not really necessary since the due diligence is done on the front end. If this doesn’t happen, the ground settles and your building will begin to sink. This process usually takes between 4-10 years to notice the effects of the settling.
As you may know, the islands are prone to micro-quakes that aid in the settling of the ground beneath a building. These won’t have any affect if the foundation is laid properly but if the ground isn’t compacted, this can exacerbate the settling.
Building Foundation Crack Symptoms
While a very minimal amount of these symptoms may not be a cause for alarm, combinations of these can be a telling sign that you’ve got extensive foundation damage.
- Major cracks in the concrete slabs
- Uneven floors in the building
- Windows and doors not able to shut properly
A small little crack in the concrete or one window in your home having a bit of trouble closing may not mean you’ve got foundation damage, but be sure to keep an eye on them.
Fixing Your Building’s Foundation
There are a couple different ways to fix your building’s foundation. With the Island Of Hawaii being made up of rock, it changes how the foundation must be fixed. For people that live on the mainland, their foundations can be fixed using helical piles since their homes usually sit on a dirt ground. This method can be used for about 20% of our Big Island clients.
For the remaining 80% of those living on the island, micropiles are needed to break through the rock. While the helical piles are faster and more inexpensive, they don’t work for majority of the buildings.
How Do We Fix Your Foundation Problem?
Fixing your foundation can be broken down in 3 simple steps. The crew at Solid Rock Contracting receives training from PierTech, the industry leading manufacturer, so our process has a refined approach.
Foundation Repair: Step 1
The first part of the repair process is to dig around the base of the building. We don’t go too deep, it’s mainly to prepare for the piles. Once the perimeter is dug, these piles are put into the ground. For those 20% of our clients that are situated on dirt, this process goes much quicker since we use a helical pile setup. Either way, the piles are embedded deep in the rock below to provide support.
Foundation Repair: Step 2
The next step in the repair process is to jack up the piles into place. What this is doing is supporting the building almost on a pier structure. Once the piles are at the proper height to lock the stability of the building in place, the jacks are removed and the building is secured.
Foundation Repair: Step 3
The final step is to pour concrete around the perimeter of the building. While the piles are very sturdy and don’t actually need this, adding this extra measure just creates an extra layer of home security.
Trained By The Best
PierTech Trained
In the world of foundation repair, PierTech is the leading manufacturer. In addition to providing a top of the line product, they provide top of the line training. What this allows us to do is provide the best work possible since we come from the best training possible.