In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basics on how a concrete foundation is built within a home. The foundation has a direct connection to other concrete sections of a property, such as the garage floor, driveway or even patio in some cases, and understanding how it’s built and how it impacts these other areas is important.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re happy to offer a wide range of commercial, municipal and residential concrete lifting and leveling services, including for areas like driveway leveling that may relate specifically to the care and maintenance of your home’s foundation – which tends to be among the costliest and most significant repairs, making such concrete areas very important. Today’s part two of our series will go over the final steps of concrete foundation building.

Stripping

At the end of part one, we finished off with the concrete for foundation walls being poured. After this point, the forms that were used for this process must be taken off the walls. At this point, the concrete must be left to dry and cure properly – if this is not done, it will not have enough strength to support the house moving forward. This is a common issue we tend to see during concrete repair, so if you’re on-hand for this job, just be sure to check that your contractor is taking the proper curing time here.

Waterproofing Themes

Once concrete walls have completely cured and dried in place, it’s time to waterproof the foundation. This is a vital task, one that prevents water from entering the basement, and one that also connects to areas like the garage floor, which must also be sealed.

Waterproofing of a foundation involves applying a sealant of some kind. When done correctly, this process will make it so that only cracking of the foundation itself breaks this seal and allows moisture in – and there are several steps you can take to prevent said cracking, including care of above concrete surfaces.

Drainage and Insulation

Another big part of keeping the foundation dry is the utilization of a drainage pipe. This pipe will be both installed and then insulated later, preventing not only standing moisture, but also limiting and cracks that might form due to water freezing and thawing during the Utah winter.

Concrete Subfloor and Backfilling

Finally, once the foundation is fully completed, the subfloor will be poured. In addition, the area around your foundation will be backfilled with soil, which must be compact enough to resist shifting or settlement risks. Soil will be graded so water runs away from the home, another way of protecting your home from water damage.

For more on how a concrete foundation is build and how it impacts other concrete repair or leveling needs within a structure, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

If you read this space often, you’re well aware that we spend lots of time talking about home foundations. There are direct connections between certain major concrete areas on a property and the structure’s foundation, including areas like garage floors or driveways that are often specifically connected to the foundation and linked to it closely.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re here to provide a variety of commercial and residential concrete lifting and leveling services, including garage floor leveling, driveway leveling and several other areas that may connect directly to your home’s concrete foundation. Many of our services have helped protect home foundations in major ways, saving their owners huge sums of money and major hassle for one of the most expensive repair areas out there. Because these two areas are so closely linked, we believe it’s a good thing for our clients to have an idea of how the home’s foundation is built – which is what we’ll go over in this two-part blog series.

Evacuation

Before the foundation itself can be poured, the excavator completing the project must dig a hole that’s larger than the size of the actual foundation. This is to allow for team members who will be pouring the foundation to have room.

In addition, this is the time where the lead contractor will determine the type of foundation the building will have. They will also lay out plans for how deep the digging will need to be for this foundation. Both of these factors are largely based on both the type of soil that’s present in the area and the moisture level of this soil.

Footings Poured

Once the proper hole has been dug for the foundation, the first items to be poured will be footings. These are the bottom sections of the foundation, offering support to the entire structure as it’s erected.

Pouring footings involves using what are known as forms, which are wood or resi-ply supports into which the actual concrete of the foundation will be poured. Footings will be wider than the concrete walls, with several footings poured to create support features around the entire area.

Wall Areas

Next up, it’s time for wall pouring. Before this can be done, however, the forms that were used for the footings must be removed, plus the footing concrete must be allowed to dry and cure completely.

Once this is done, forms will once again be set up, this time for the concrete. When ready, the actual foundation walls themselves will be poured.

For more on how a home’s concrete foundation is created and how this impacts potential future concrete repair needs, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basics on how to prevent water from creating concrete damage and other foundation risks in your home or building. Moisture is one of the top culprits in concrete issues like cracks or gaps forming, and preventing it from seeping into concrete is a top method for avoiding these risks altogether.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to offer a wide range of both residential and commercial concrete lifting and leveling services, including assistance with many issues where water is the primary cause. From waterproofing basement walls to improving your drainage capabilities and several other areas, there are a few themes you can look at when it comes to keeping water out of your important concrete and foundation areas. Here are several others to keep in mind, including a few DIY mistakes to avoid if you go this route.

French Drains

For those who have had significant drainage problems in the past or want to ensure there are no such issues in the future, a more complex drainage system is known as the French drain setup. It involves diverting water underground through a pipe that’s set in a trench, which is filled with some kind of gravel or rock to keep it steady.

The pipe involved here will be perforated, allowing it to fill up with groundwater and then move that water away from the home. French drains involve zero moving parts, meaning they require basically no maintenance and tend to work perfectly for years without any issues.

Drainage Swales

Another option for homes or buildings that have significant groundwater or stormwater issues is known as a drainage swale, which directs water away from the home. This refers to an open channel that collects water from hard surfaces, then allows it to percolate into the ground to remove runoff above the surface. It filters out into grass covering side slopes and the bottom of the swale.

Mistakes to Avoid

If you’re taking on certain water prevention tasks yourself, whether it’s basement waterproofing or some other area, there are a few DIY mistakes to avoid:

• Repairs with standing water: If areas of the home are already experiencing standing water, do not attempt any repairs. This is both dangerous and unlikely to produce high-quality repairs.
• Forgetful areas: Be sure to consider important additional areas like window well leaks and interior drainage, which can both be areas that contribute to moisture seepage and concrete damage if you forget about them.

For more on how to prevent water from creating concrete issues in your home or building, or to learn about any of our concrete repair services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

As anyone who has dealt with concrete damage issues like cracks or settlement in the past is likely well aware, one of the top culprits in these kinds of issues is moisture. When water seeps into various sub-surface areas of a concrete slab, particularly during the winter period we’re in right now (which comes with risks of expansion and contraction), it presents major risks in terms of cracks forming or worsening in the slab.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to provide a wide range of commercial, municipal and residential concrete lifting and leveling services for those dealing with concrete repair needs. We’ve helped numerous clients deal with moisture-related issues in concrete areas, including those that may impact your foundation or other structural areas. We often provide tips on stopping water from entering the home and these important foundation-related areas, and this two-part blog series will go over several areas of expertise we recommend.

Waterproofing Basement Walls

One of the first steps here involves waterproofing basement walls, which are important features because of the way they connect ground-level concrete slabs like the garage floor, driveway or patio with the basement and home foundation.

Keeping moisture from seeping into these walls in any format is very important, as it will protect the foundation in case your upper slabs have leaking or related issues. The easiest way to do this is through basement waterproofing, which can be done professionally or on a DIY basis if you have the right skills.

Add a Catch Basin

For homes or buildings that have dealt with standing water in the past, or if you feel there’s a risk of this in the future, one great addition is known as a catch basin. Catch basins may also be referred to as storm drain catch basins or similar terminology depending on where they sit in the building.

If you’ve noticed standing water in any major area, contact our pros about a catch basin. These include your yard, your landscaping, your driveway or main parking lot, or any other area that connects to concrete.

Downspout Extension

Another major cause of moisture issues in concrete areas is improper gutter downspouts that don’t properly direct water away from the home or building. Particularly during the Utah winter that features significant snowfall and then melting, you need gutters and downspouts that work properly and send water away from your building, rather than allowing it to drip or even pool up around important concrete surfaces like your patio or driveway.

For more on how to ensure water doesn’t make its way inside your home and into important concrete surfaces, or to learn about any of our concrete repair services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics on the foundation repair process. This is an extensive and laborious process, one that’s also costly – and it can be avoided through proper care for several areas of your property, including concrete repair in certain instances of damage.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to offer commercial and residential concrete lifting for any concrete areas on the property, including those that connect to the foundation: Garage floors, driveways, patios and more. Our services, along with related areas like basement waterproofing, have helped numerous clients avoid expensive, invasive foundation repair needs that will cost them exponentially more than our solutions. Here are some of the other steps of this process that you can steer completely clear of if you utilize our pros to keep your concrete areas and foundation in good shape.

Utilities Exposed

Most foundation repairs require a significant lift of the foundation, and in these cases the repair professionals will also have to expose various utilities to prevent damage. Plumbing, for instance, will be uncovered so access to pipes can be gained, allowing for repairs in case a leak occurs during the foundation repair. Other utilities like electrical and gas may also be exposed so there’s room for them to move along with the lift – if not, the ground will damage them as the foundation is lifted. As you may have guessed, this part of the process can be both messy and time-consuming.

Jacks and Support

Once the pilings have been placed underneath your foundation beams, as we went over in part one, it’s time for hydraulic jacks to be moved inside access tunnels and placed underneath the pilings. These jacks are in place to lift the foundation beams to the proper level.

Once this is done, support cylinders are placed underneath the foundation beams. These hold the foundation at the height that’s been achieved by the jacks, even once the jacks themselves are removed from the equation.

Cleanup Process

Finally, it’s time to clean up several areas that may have been impacted by the foundation lifting and repair. Plants, gate posts and other objects near the house will commonly be lifted along with the foundation – dirt will often go everywhere during this process, and it will need to be cleaned up plus returned to its normal elevation. Tunnel entrances that were created to allow repair pros to access the underside of the foundation will be sealed up, and breakouts used will be filled with new concrete. In some cases, cleanup will take a full day or more for a significant concrete repair.

For more on why you want to avoid foundation repair at all costs, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling solutions that will help here, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

As we’ve gone over several times previously in this space, there’s a direct connection between your home’s foundation and several nearby concrete surfaces. From garage floors to driveways, patios and several other areas that are commonly made from concrete, there’s a specific connection between the care for these areas and the long-term quality of your home’s foundation.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to offer numerous commercial, municipal and residential concrete lifting and leveling services that have an impact on not only your concrete areas, but also the care of your foundation in many cases. Concrete repair is one of several themes that at least touches on the foundation, themes that also include areas like basement waterproofing and various forms of sealing against moisture. They help avoid foundation repair needs – and this is important because foundation repair is not only costly, but also a major hassle for home and property owners that’s very time-consuming. This two-part blog series will go over all the laborious steps of a foundation repair that we’ll help you avoid through quality concrete repair services.

Pilings Placed

When foundation is damaged to the point where repair is required, the first step will involve placing pilings around the entire perimeter of the foundation. Pilings refer to columns that can be pushed into the ground around the foundation, serving as an additional support section so no additional damage is done while the repair is taking place. Without pilings, there would be no way to safely raise your foundation and work on it.

Access Tunnels

Next up, foundation repair professionals will dig underneath the home in intervals, moving from one end to the other. The goal here is to obtain access to interior foundation beams, or the thicker walls that support most of your home’s weight. Tunnels are dug that allow foundation repair professionals to access these beams.

HVAC Pad Lifting

Now it’s time for the foundation itself to be lifted, and this also includes anything next to the house – including HVAC items like the AC pad. This ensures that no connections are broken during the foundation repair process. However, certain landscaping elements near the house may be significantly affected by this process, or even might have to be removed in some cases.

Breakout Process

This step won’t be necessary in all situations, but is common for many homes. If concrete areas like the garage, driveway or patio is set up so that foundation beams under this area cannot be accessed, the surface will need to go through a “breakout,” or a process where the concrete surface is broken to allow access to foundation beams. Later on, these areas will be patched back up.

For more on the rigorous process of foundation repair, or to learn how our concrete lifting and leveling services help avoid the need for this service, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the top exterior and interior signs that may signal foundation damage or problems in a new home you’re touring. Such signs may indicate issues that are relatively minor, but in other cases they could signal major concerns that will impact not only the foundation but also connected concrete and other areas.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to offer a range of residential concrete lifting and leveling services to all our clients. These include assistance for those considering a home, both with numerous concrete surfaces on the property and how these impact the foundation. While part one of our series taught you how to recognize red flags of foundation issues, today’s part two will go over how to react if you do see these signs.

Not Necessarily a Major Issue

First and foremost, this isn’t all a doom-and-gloom scenario. While many of the signs we went over in part one are certainly not positive indicators, they also aren’t necessarily a major problem. Some may not even indicate foundation issues when you get to the bottom of them, for one, while others may indicate these issues – but only on a minor scale, and one where simple, affordable repairs will remedy the situation.

Call Our Team

So how do you find out for sure what the issues you’ve seen actually mean? By calling our concrete repair professionals, that’s how.

As we noted in part one, concrete repair and foundations are linked together. Our concrete lifting and leveling pros have completed many jobs that impact the foundation significantly, including the ability to diagnose foundation cracks, gaps or other issues you’ve noticed to get a true read on how significant the problem is. Using the information we give you, you’ll be able to proceed accordingly with any home you’re considering buying.

Covering Your Bases

Once you’ve spoken with our team and gotten a clear understanding of the extent of any foundation issues, you can take the following steps:

• Inquire with the home seller about whether any past foundation repair or related concrete repair work that was done. This should be documented in detail, especially if parts of the job appear to have not been done correctly.
• Speak to your loan officer, real estate agent or other professionals to understand how foundation issues might impact your mortgage. There are certain programs you might be ineligible for if the home has foundation problems, but also others meant to include additional funds for foundation repairs.
• Speak to our team about the costs of repair, then factor this cost in when you discuss final sale price with the seller. Generally, the seller should be covering the cost of these repairs – or the sale price should be reduced by enough to cover the buyer making this payment.

For more on how to spot and respond to potential foundation issues in a new home, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

As we’ve noted in this space multiple times in the past, there’s often a direct connection between concrete repair and your home’s foundation. Many areas of concrete damage, from cracks to sinking and other risks, threaten to impact the home’s foundation if they are not properly remedied, and concrete repair professionals are often called upon to help with foundation-related issues.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re proud to provide a wide range of residential concrete lifting and leveling services, including many that relate to your foundation in minor or even major ways. Our solutions are for a variety of situations, including those who are considering the purchase of a new home – but worried about certain foundation damage signs they’ve seen and whether these signal a home that should be avoided.  This two-part blog series will help guide you in the right direction here, going over some potential foundation issue red flags and what they might mean plus how you should react if you notice these in a home you’re considering.

Outdoor Signs

Most of the prominent signs of foundation damage will be seen from outside the home. They include:

• Visible cracks or fractures: Often the earliest form of foundation damage is the formation of cracks, gaps or other fractures in the actual foundation or the connected home exterior. These cracks can be due to a number of conditions, including concrete settlement and sinking that causes movement. However, not all cracks necessarily signal major foundation damage.
• Upheaval: While the more common result of concrete settlement is sinking, some foundation slabs may actually move upward, a process called upheaval. Most frequently seen on the outside sections of a foundation, this may happen due to soil expansion and contraction or other moisture concerns.
• Sticking doors: This is technically both an indoor and outdoor sign. Exterior doors may drag from their thresholds or appear uneven from the top if foundation issues are taking place; interior doors will stick or drag at the top.

Indoor Signs

There are also some indoor red flags:

• Uneven floors: Your floors may be non-level, may sag or could even bow and tip. This may be due to foundation issues affecting your pier and beam foundations, and this can be a hazard.
• Door, window or counter gaps: If you see gaps around your window frames or doors, this is often due to alignment issues caused by foundation problems. The same effect is sometimes seen with counters or cabinets separating from their walls.
• Dampness: If your home has a crawl space, noticing significant moisture or dampness inside it often means there are foundation or related issues taking place.

For more on how to identify signs of foundation damage in a home you’re considering, or to learn about any of our concrete repair services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basic root causes of concrete settling on your property. Often due to issues with soil below the concrete, but also possible based on certain other concerns, concrete settling is the primary source of damage that often requires concrete lifting and leveling for repairs.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re happy to offer a wide range of concrete repair services, from residential lifting and leveling to commercial and even municipal services. What are some of the other concrete settlement causes you should be aware of to help you steer clear of them? Today’s part two of our series will dig in.

Moisture Problems

Moisture is another key area when it comes to concrete quality, including the ways it interacts with the soil beneath your slab. We went over soil compaction in part one – a related concern takes place when soils are not compacted in the right ways, leading to the potential for water oversaturation during storms or other events.

With optimal moisture, the soil below your concrete will become cohesive within itself and resist movement or cracks. With too much moisture, however, the soil will turn to mud and become too soft, unable to resist sinking risks. On the flip side, if the material is too dry, it won’t bind together and will also risk sinking.

For these reasons, it’s important to work with concrete professionals who understand how to moderate moisture content in and below slabs.

Erosion Issues

Another soil-related concern here is erosion, which often takes place in areas like Utah due to varying weather patterns. We’ll go through long periods of drought here, but then will also deal with significant winter snows and other moisture – this makes soils more prone to expanding and shrinking, but also to eroding entirely. This often takes place over time as soil is weakened and then eventually washed away, leaving concrete surfaces with no support and at risk of sinking or settling.

Weight and Stress

Finally, often exacerbating existing soil or related concrete issues is the presence of heavy loads or weight on the surface. While healthy concrete slabs are meant to stand up to significant vehicle or other pressure, those that are at risk of cracks or other damage due to soil conditions will only be at greater risk when major weight is on top of them. This weight will often exacerbate existing concerns, allowing surface damage to get even worse while water makes its way down to your concrete soil.

For more on the common causes of concrete settling on your property, or to learn about any of our concrete lifting and leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.

When concrete surfaces develop cracks, gaps or other forms of damage that worsen over time, by far the most common cause of these issues is concrete settlement. Concrete that settles will often create significant issues like these and more, and will get worse and worse with each passing day they are not attended to.

At Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC, we’re proud to offer residential, commercial and even municipal concrete lifting and leveling services for any concrete settling or related concerns on your property. We also provide our clients with expertise on how to avoid future concrete settlement issues, which mostly involves understanding what causes concrete settlement in the first place so you can work to prevent it. This two-part blog will go over several conditions that may lead to concrete settlement, plus how they can be avoided.

Soil Conditioning or Makeup Issues

In many situations, the issues with concrete settlement will trace back to the soil that’s used in the area. Soil will often be treated before concrete slabs are installed, with either native soils (those already present in the area) or imported soils (those brought in by a concrete installer from elsewhere) potentially playing a role. If soil is not conditioned properly, including allowing for optimal moisture content, settlement issues often result.

Down related lines, the use of improper soils is a common cause of settlement. The use of “muck,” or “trash soil” in some concrete circles, will lead to less water resistance and support, making it far easier for concrete to sink and settle. The use of compacted clay and related soils, on the other hand, will provide excellent support and moisture prevention.

Compaction Concerns

One soil-related area that deserves its own section here is improper compaction. The soil underneath your concrete must be compacted to the proper level, usually to at least 95% of the maximum density allowed by the material – if not, it will not properly resist water, degradation and other risks.

Expansion Risks

On the flip side of compaction is the risk of expansion, which can also lead to cracks and gaps in concrete. Many clays that are used for concrete soil surfaces must be conditioned properly before being used – if not, they are prone to expanding and shrinking in massive ways, with swell potential up to 20% in many cases. This expansion heaves and cracks concrete – and when the moisture that caused it eventually leaves the material, it will shrink and sink back into the surface while retaining these harmful cracks.

For more on avoiding the risks of concrete settlement through proper soil attention and other areas, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete Lifting LLC today.