A building is only as good as the foundation it’s built on. Without a strong foundation, a building is at risk of collapsing and causing harm to anyone inside. Luckily, there are many ways to improve the foundation of a building.
Whether you want to strengthen an old home or need to make crucial adjustments to an apartment building, foundations can be improved. If you’re looking for more information here are four ways to improve your foundation for any building.
1. UnderpinningÂ
Leveling a Foundation is a crucial step in ensuring the stability and longevity of any building. Proper foundation leveling can prevent structural issues, such as cracks in walls and floors, that can result from an uneven foundation. It’s essential to address any foundation leveling concerns to maintain the structural integrity and safety of your building.
Underpinning is a method of strengthening a foundation that has some significant damage. It’s one of the most common ways of strengthening an existing foundation of a residential or commercial building.
Underpinning involves making the foundation deeper and leveling out anything that is causing damage to the foundation or structure on top of it. There are a couple of different types of underpinning techniques you can use to fix the foundation.
Screwpile
To complete the underpinning of a foundation a common method is to use piles and steel reinforcements to support the foundation and the soil around it. The screw-pile method of underpinning combines steel piers with concrete footings to lift the building back up to its original position. When strengthening a foundation this tends to be one of the quicker solutions. It can also be done by hand or with a small machine, making it easier for some to complete as well.
Concrete Slab
Concrete slab is another popular method of strengthening and repairing foundations. Concrete slab is used to increase the size of foundations. This process also helps to strengthen them. It is also common for the foundation to be excavated in pieces. The concrete is then poured into the exposed pits.
Concrete is an extremely durable material and is used for many different construction projects that require long-term strength. You can find concrete flatwork in most homes or commercial properties. The basement floor that is on top of your home’s foundation was most likely created with concrete flatwork.
2. Jacketing of Foundations
If you’re looking to put an addition on your home or expand a commercial space, you will probably use jacketing to strengthen your foundation. Jacketing occurs when the columns of the foundation need extra strength. You’ll most likely use jacketing if the load a column is bearing needs to increase or has already been increased.
Jacketing a foundation also helps strengthen foundations in the event of seismic activity. So if the area you live in is prone to earthquakes, you may have to use jacketing to make sure your foundation is at its strongest. This can come in handy for commercial buildings that are susceptible to seismic activity. Making sure your building is protected from natural disasters is an important step you don’t want to skip.
3. House Lifting
House lifting is one of the most extreme methods used when strengthening a foundation. The process of lifting a house is no easy feat, but if your home is at an increased risk of excessive flooding. If you live near a beach or body of water, you may have seen houses on what looks like concrete stilts as their foundations are being strengthened.
The process of strengthening a foundation through house lifting includes taking the house off of its original foundation. The house will then sit detached from the foundation on screw jacks. You can decide to strengthen the original foundation during this process. House lifting is also known as fabricating jacketing.
4. Mudjacking
If your entire foundation needs attention, mudjacking won’t be the technique you want to use. However, this is a great solution if there are minor issues with foundational spaces around your home.
Mudjacking is commonly used to fix uneven concrete surfaces. The technique utilizes small holes strategically placed in concrete. The holes are then filled with a mud-like slurry material that expands. This helps to raise the concrete to stay level with the rest of the concrete around it. Mudjacking is a great fix if you have concrete steps attached to your foundation that are getting uneven with time.
Conclusion
Strengthening a foundation is no easy feat. It may require intense changes to the home, or something as simple as filling some holes. No matter what the job is, you can’t live in a home or conduct business out of a commercial space with a weak foundation. Taking the steps you need to strengthen a foundation will ensure peace of mind whenever you walk into your building.
