Sinking Or Uneven Floor Repairs Near Richmond, Lexington, Georgetown

Floors Above Crawl Spaces

The floor joists above a typical crawl space are supported by the perimeter walls of the crawl space foundation, and by a post or column-and-beam framework that extends down the center of the crawl space.

Floor problems may be caused by the settling or shifting of the perimeter walls of the crawl space, but it is more like for the center support systems to settle or sag because it was not built properly in the first place. 

When moisture causes wood supports to rot and collapse, this can most definitely cause a post-and-beam support system to weaken and settle.  When a dirt-floored crawl space begins to sag, the floor above will sag as well. 

Interior wall cracks, jamming doors, and gaps between walls or doors and the floor underneath them are also signs of a sagging crawl space.

More about sinking, sagging crawl spaces.

The Solution:

We have the solutions for your crawl space at The Basement Doctor of Central Kentucky.  Our trained specialist can quickly and effectively repair a crawl space structural issue with our heavy duty crawl space jacks.  These crawl space jacks will stabilize sagging crawl space structures with the help of their adjustable steel posts.

During installation, we prepare a base of compacted engineered fill at all jack placement points, located directly beneath the main support beam.  We install a pre-cast concrete base on this fill, and then extend a crawl space jack between the base and the beam. 

The weight bearing on the beam is transferred to the soil below once each jack's threaded rod is adjusted beneath the post. This system is also successful in the way that it brings your sagging floor back toward its original, level position. 

Our crawl space jacks can effectively stabilize your crawl space -- usually in a day.

More about crawl space jacks.

Settling, Sinking Concrete Floors

Concrete floors tend to crack and break instead of bend because of the material they are made out of.  If your foundation is settling, it may be lifting the concrete floor as the rest of the foundation experiences movement. 

Sometimes the slab floor can lift or sink independently of the walls.  This may be the result of settling soil underneath the concrete slab floors.  This kind of floor will crack if the soil beneath shrinks, settles, or washes away. 

Similarly, a concrete slab will lift, or "heave", when the soils underneath expand. 

A concrete slab can move independently of adjacent foundation walls, or along with them. Since settlement isn't uniform, one section of a slab may be elevated as another section sinks down.

More about foundation settlement.

More about sinking slab floors.

The Solution:

A slab pier system, shown on the right, can repair slab floors that are sinking independently of the walls.  These piers can be used to lift a slab back to its original, level position.  They are placed in cored holes in the floor, extending down to competent soils to hold your floor in place.

To stabilize your entire foundation your contractor will recommend either foundation push piers or helical piers.  These not only strengthen and fix your cracked uneven floor from foundation settlement, but also lift the foundation to its original position in some cases.

Foundation heave is a complicated and multifaceted problem that requires a professional inspection.

More about foundation heave.