Basement Wall Repair in Edwardsville, IL

Location: Edwardsville, IL

Job Type: Foundation Piering, Basement Waterproofing

Poor Soil Conditions Lead to Foundation Settling in Madison County

After noticing signs of settlement throughout his home, a homeowner was searching for a basement wall repair company in Edwardsville, IL to help solve these issues. However, there were several underlying challenges that arose throughout the work.

After work began, it was found that an initial company tried to solve the existing settlement problem of the house. Concrete masses were poured in the crawlspace in an attempt to stabilize the foundation. Instead of fixing the foundation permanently, this caused an even larger problem by adding weight to the foundation and caused the home to settle further.

Helitech was able to go in and remove the concrete masses that added to the initial problem. In addition, Helitech replaced the affected area of the foundation by utilizing a temporary shoring system for support. After the new foundation was built, Helitech installed a Helical Pier Anchor System to prevent further settling caused by the initial poor soil problem.

Foundation Cracks Found in Basement Bedrooms

A homeowner was concerned that a section of his crawlspace was settling. Within six (6) months of purchasing his home, the homeowner started noticing stair-step cracking in his brick veneer, foundation cracks, and cracks in the interior of the finished bedrooms.

He contacted Helitech and inquired about what could be done to fix the problem permanently. Helitech designed a plan to install six (6) underpinning A.B. Chance Helical Piers in the work area to support the existing foundation and keep it from continually settling further. The homeowner was satisfied with the design and decided to move forward.

Unfit Foundation Repair Contractor Made Settling Worse

However, when Helitech began work on the project, it was found that a previous owner had tried to stop the settlement by having another foundation repair contractor install poured concrete masses under the crawlspace for support. Not only did this not work, it significantly contributed to increased settlement as the masses acted similar to a boat anchor, adding more weight to an already failing footing. Upon exposing the new problem, it was decided a different approach was needed to truly fix the problem.

Fixing Basement Walls in Edwardsville is Easy with Helitech

Fortunately, Helitech was able to utilize its on-staff structural engineer in order to design a new plan for the homeowners. This new design entailed breaking off the existing masses and completely removing the foundation wall in the area that had settled for replacement. Because the homeowner was going to do major remodeling, he still wanted to install the Helical Piers as a way to ensure the new foundation would never settle.

In order to rebuild the existing foundation, Helitech installed angle iron to support the existing brick while the old foundation was removed. Helitech also worked in the crawlspace and installed a temporary shoring system to support the above bedrooms.

With everything supported, we were able to break apart the concrete masses and remove the old, cracked foundation. Helitech then installed the Helical Pier foundation system to competent load-bearing soil and rebuilt the new foundation on a solid footing. Once the new foundation was installed, the brickwork and above bedrooms could now be put on the new foundation.

Robert Cooper

I’ve recently moved my family into my parent’s old house. They built it 45 years ago and there was some settling over the years. The patio in the back had sunk down at least 4 inches and the steps were quite a drop now from the doorway. After getting a really low bid from a competitor for mudjacking, I called Helitech. Jake came out to perform the site inspection and provide us with an estimate. He was very thorough in his explanation of their process and the material they use. It is not the same as mudjacking by any means which resulted in an obvious price difference. We decided to go with the Helitech bid because of poor past experiences with mudjacking. Helitech had also taken the time to follow up with us a few days after the bid to see if we had any questions. The competitor did not. Scheduling was good with Ashley calling us and emailing us several times with the possible work dates and confirmations. We received all the paperwork promptly and the paperwork was very clear and thorough. On the day of the work, we received a call from the crew supervisor giving us an ETA. Jaylin and Mathew were the crew that performed the work. They were extremely professional in their prep work, the explanation of the work being done, and what expectations to have from the results. From start to finish, the whole process took 3 hours for our particular job. The crew brought plenty of the right equipment so that they didn’t have to try to take their truck into the yard. With the rain lately, it would’ve sunk in and damaged the grass badly so we were grateful for that. During the work, the supervisor had us come to check on their work several times to make sure that they were achieving what we were hoping to. At the end of the job, we did a final inspection and were extremely pleased. The work really outdid what we expected. Our patio was back to its original location and the driveway repair that they performed was virtually flush again which was important with relatives coming for the upcoming holidays. Most importantly, there was no mess left when the crew departed, and our dogs approved by running out and sniffing the work area! I would highly recommend Helitech for any work in the future.