All homes will settle over time. It’s a normal part of home ownership, but extreme settlement can cause damage that devalues your house and makes it unsafe.

When this happens, you must perform foundation repair and house leveling immediately. This will help you save money and keep your house in great condition.

Cracks in the Walls

When homeowners hear “house leveling” and “foundation repair,” they assume they’ll soon be out a lot of money. But like repairing a leaking roof, it’s necessary to maintain your home’s value.

Over time soil shrinks and shifts due to drought conditions, seasonal changes in moisture levels, tree roots, or even settling and shifting of the structure itself. As soil shrinks, it puts pressure on the foundation and can cause cracks in the walls.

Raising your home during house leveling can help you avoid these problems. It can also improve airflow under your house, minimizing wood rot, mold issues and termite infestations. It’ll also improve the drainage situation under and around your home. This is essential for preventing water or moisture build-up that can lead to foundation movement. It’s best to have any of these issues dealt with house leveling contractors Killeen TX, sooner rather than later because the longer you wait, the more extensive and costly the repairs will be.

Cracks in the Floors

You should pay attention to floor cracks because they could indicate structural movement and damage. The longer these cracks remain unaddressed, the wider they can spread. The best way to avoid this is to call an expert to perform house leveling.

The type of foundation your home has will affect the method used for house leveling. Homes with slab foundations require different strategies for house leveling than pier and beam foundations. Slab-on-grade foundations tend to shift due to environmental factors like extreme weather changes, clay soil that expands and contracts at different times of the year and under-slab plumbing leaks.

When a foundation shifts, it can create uneven floors that pose a tripping hazard to anyone in the home, especially children and older people. The uneven surface can also make it difficult to open and close doors. House leveling raises a home as close as possible to its original position (as construction would allow) and can help correct the cause of the shifting.

Cracks in the Ceiling

If you notice cracks forming where your ceiling meets the walls, it’s important to call the experts immediately. These signs of structural problems can lead to collapse and safety issues in the home.

Differential settlement is the cause of these issues, and house leveling can fix it. The process involves lifting a foundation as close to its original state as possible without causing cosmetic or structural damage. This is called maximum practical recovery.

There are several methods that foundation repair professionals can use to lift and level a home. These methods vary based on the type of foundation in the house. For example, a pier and beam foundation can be lifted using helical bell bottom piers, steel piers, or mud jacking. Other methods involve stabilizing the soil underneath the home using a chemical mixture, curing sagging floors, and reinforcing damaged support stations with rods and braces.

Cracks in the Slab

A house that sinks or has sagging floors may need leveling to restore the integrity of its foundation. This is true for homes with slab foundations and pier and beam foundations. The cause of these problems is often due to soil movement. When clay soil gets too dry, it shifts and strains the foundation. This results in heaving and settling.

The best way to repair this problem is with a method known as soil stabilization. This process injects a chemical that alters the soil’s composition so it doesn’t move as easily. It’s also possible to fortify a concrete slab foundation with pilings, install steel or concrete piers underneath a sagging floor and use rods or braces to reinforce damaged support stations.

Leveling a home is usually done in conjunction with other foundation repairs. This helps ensure that the structural damage is corrected and will not reoccur. It also makes it easier to access pipes for plumbing repair, reduces the risk of termite infestation, and improves drainage conditions under and around the foundation.