Foundation Repairs In Dallas

♦ November 25, 2012 ♦ Leave Your Comment

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. QUESTION:
    I need to know of a good foundation repair service, in dallas tx?
    prefer someone that has had personal experiance or recommonadtions. looking for a reputable company, that has been around for a while and will continue to be….

    • ANSWER:
      Howard and sons on east main st try them

  2. QUESTION:
    Post-tension or steel-rebar foundation for a home?
    We are considering building a new home in the Dallas,Texas area. The builder uses post-tension foundation versus the steel rebar foundation that we currently have in our Dallas home. I have read both pro and con articles for both sides of this argument. I would like to know what type of foundation is better for this area. Anyone that can shed some light on this issue would be greatly appreciated. I would rather find out on this side of building a home than have expensive foundation repairs after the home is built.

    • ANSWER:
      I have a friend who has a good bit of commercial rental property in and around Tyler, Tx. He says he has never had a cracked slab when you has used post tensioned slabs.

      He built a home for his daughter just down the street from me and that is what he used there.

  3. QUESTION:
    The soil is pulling away from the foundation of my house. It is only happening on one side, what should I do?
    I live in Texas. The side of the house where the soil seems to be shrinking is on the east side, where I get full morning sun. I water 3 times a week in the summer, but this isn’t helping. Should I add more soil along that side of the house?
    If it’s because of the clay content in my lawn, what can I do about the problem?

    • ANSWER:
      I have lived in Dallas for 25 years (if that’s where you are) and our clay soil is horrible. The best thing you can do for your foundation is put soaker hoses along that side of the house, about 2′ from the foundation. Run them in the very early morning before the sun hits the area for at least 1 hour. Then again in the evening after the sun has left, for 1 hour. Do it for a week and see if the soil is tight against the house again. If so, go to once a day or once every other day to keep it damp.

      DO NOT add soil. Adding soil become another problem when it starts raining again and it expands and pushes your foundation in another direction.

      Over time you may need foundation piers installed under the foundation. Keep an eye on the side of the house for brick movement and inside at the tops of windows and doors. If you see cracks getting bigger, call a foundation repair company before it gets really bad.

  4. QUESTION:
    Who can repair an old Garage that is leaning b/c of a cracked foundation?
    Dallas TX-
    I just bought a house and I want to have the 50 year old garage brought back into plumb. The garage is leaning approx 1 1/2 inches to the right side. This side has a broken foundation that is causing the lean.
    What kind of repairmen should I seek to fix this problem? The roof needs to be raised and cranked into place with a comealong. Then either the foundation needs to be fixed or simply wood/metal needs to be placed to raise the broken side.-Thanks

    • ANSWER:
      This sounds like a pretty straightforward repair. Contact a slab jackiing contractor to take a look for you. What you need ot have done is an epoxy resin repair of the cracked foundation after you get it jacked back in place.
      The slab jackers use a clay product and a group of jacks to help raise the concrete back into place. Once they move the foundation back in place then they can fix the concrete cracks and if they don’t know how to repair or move the roof/ceiling they will be able to recommend someone.
      This is going to be far less expnsive thatn starting over, and it should be relativley unnoticeable when completed. Good luck.

  5. QUESTION:
    what are the legal steps in to starting a foundation repair company in dallas texas?

    • ANSWER:
      try yahoo

  6. QUESTION:
    Can we build a larger house on a 50-year old foundation?
    We got a 50-year old house. There is evidence that there was foundation shifting. The house itself is in a pretty bad condition so it is possibility that we will tear the one floor house down and build a two-floor house. Now I wonder, if it is possible/desirable to preserve or fix the foundation so we can save some building cost. The house is in Dallas, TX and the old foundation is pier and beam

    • ANSWER:
      Funny you should ask … that is our situation exactly. We bought a new, two-story home that was built on the foundation of a 1950s ranch. We are getting a LOT of settling and buckling of floors. The builder used all the original beams and floor joists and they’re just groaning under all of the additional wait. Plus there was a lot of termite damage that they “repaired” but I’m not sure they did a thorough and strong enough job. As far as I know, the cinder block walls are holding up ok, but the builder finished the basement so there may be some shifting that I can’t see. If I were you I just would not proceed without a competent structural engineer at your side. Best of luck!

  7. QUESTION:
    If I am going to grad school in Dallas is it better deal to rent for 2 years or to buy a house?
    I heard its cheap there.

    • ANSWER:
      On the national average, to rent in Dallas is cheap. On the other hand, property values in and around Dallas tend to get a bit pricy unless you’re willing to purchase a home in an “undesirable” location. Another drawback to purchasing a home in the DFW area is many of the newer homes’ foundations tend to shift causing cracks and expensive repair costs. If you have a little money to invest, buying an older house with the intention of renting out the house later can be quite a lucrative investment for your future no matter where you live.

      I would rent first, shop around, and then make up my mind.

  8. QUESTION:
    Are there companies in Dallas fort worth that will level your pool and how much will it cost?

    • ANSWER:
      Red Canyon Construction specializes in pool construction and issues of subsiding ground that is common in north TX.

      You cost will vary according to the size, material, and extent of work to be done.

      Red Canyon Construction*
      2850 S Belt Line Rd
      Dallas, TX 75253

      Many foundation repair services also do pool leveling. ARS would be a good first call with locations through out the metroplex.

  9. QUESTION:
    roughly how much would it cost to build a small 3 bedroom pier and beam home in texas?

    • ANSWER:
      While I am not sure of the price here is a company that can tell you a huge amount of information.
      http://www.bedrockfoundation.com/pier-and-beam-foundation-repair-dallas-tx.html
      These people repair pier and beam houses. They can tell you what to build and how to build it. Based on what repairs they do, it seems that houses fail later on because they build with cheaper products in the beginning. By this I mean they use small timber supports where larger ones are recommended. This company has good answers on repairing and based on that they sound like they can offer you great information on building.
      I live in Australia and until I read this question didn’t know anything about the company I am telling you about.

  10. QUESTION:
    Wanting opinions of foundation repair companies in the Dallas area?
    This question is for people living in the Dallas metroplex. I’ve narrowed the choice of companies I will use to fix the foundation on my house to one of three. Their prices are extremely close to one another and they would each be working off an engineers report I paid for so they should be doing the same work. All have nice representatives. Two are rated A+ and one is rated A with the better business bureau. None have any complaints with the BBB in the past 36 months. The one with the A rating is a few hundred dollars less. Please give your opinion of these three companies. Stratum Foundation Repair, Dallas Rock Fondation Repair and Homesavers Foundation Repair. Thanks for your candid replies.

    • ANSWER:
      Join Angie’s List. Great service. You pay to get certified opinions of people who have attested to affadavits of having the work done and are not relatives, owners or employees to the company. They will also help with any greviances or complaints if you have that after the work is done and give the company a bad rating.

      Better expense than to trust opinions on Yahoo answers.

  11. QUESTION:
    How to find history of Texas? To all the archeologists?
    How can I find old detailed maps of Texas? I want to become an archeologist one day and im trying to find old and ancient historical places in Texas so I can study rocks and layouts…etc But I cant find old maps where it would show me where to search for an abundant old town or maybe where some battles happened “not in San Antonio” where it would be a good place to learn. Or how do I go about finding historical places like that? For example: I went from Dallas to El Paso one day and took some small road in the middle of no where and end up finding a very old abundant place, it was probably 1800’s or so stone building that had only about 2 small broken walls sitting on a some sort of foundation… This is kind of stuff im looking for, old history where I can study and understand what kind of a building was there, try to re build it on my computer to see what it possibly looked like in those days, and from there I want to find out what happen, who lived there…etc And I have no clue how to find all this information… I think practice like that will do me good in college and work.
    Any help from archeologists would be much appreciated! Im not a digger- “black archeologist” and I dont believe in messing with historical places, I just want to understand and recreate old 1800’s and older places on my computer for my portfolio.
    I forgot to mention that one archeologist, long time ago, told me that I need to use Topography Maps?!? I cant seem to find it for Texas…

    • ANSWER:
      Try the Handbook of Texas website, links are in this Wikipedia article :
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handbook_of_Texas
      The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA).

      I don’t know what part of the state you are closest to, the oldest Texas history (after the Europeans arrived) is along the Gulf Coast. The French, then the Spanish occupied many areas there between what is now Austin and the Gulf Coast. Much of the area is still rural and may have some buildings from that era still standing.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_La_Bahia
      You can visit the Presidio La Bahía in Goliad, Texas.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliad,_Texas

      There are a lot of magnificent houses built in the late 1800s still standing in Cuero and Gonzales, Texas. Unfortunately, a lot of houses from that era have been torn down, probably because the owners died and the heirs could not find a buyer for the properties and the houses became derelict.

      The old jail in Gonzales is now a museum.

      Most of the area has been low-population rural, but the fracking oil business moved in that part of Texas around 2010 and now there is a lot of traffic on the county roads of large trucks hauling sand, gravel, chemicals, and water to remote drilling sites. It is not pleasant driving. Many abandoned farm houses have been renovated to become housing for drilling crews, if not bought outright.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Texas
      List of ghost towns in Texas
      This list of ghost towns in Texas might be a start, but some of them simply no longer exist; they were wiped out completely by hurricanes, or burned down by Indians or Spaniards, or the people abandoned the town when the railroads stopped running by and the buildings all decayed from the elements.

      One ghost town to look at would be Concrete, Texas. There are a few people living in the area. There is a two story brick building whose wood roof and second floor have rotted away; it looks to be sturdy enough to repair and use again.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unused_highways_in_Texas
      no useful information here

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_with_fewer_than_ten_residents
      Interesting list that might be out of date, you will have to search for the Texas links.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luckenbach,_Texas
      Luckenbach, Texas
      this very small town gets a lot of visitors and was made famous by the Waylon Jennings song:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luckenbach,_Texas_(Back_to_the_Basics_of_Love)

  12. QUESTION:
    I am looking for a BBB Foundation Repair (serving South Dallas County)?

    • ANSWER:
      Genesis Foundation Repair
      http://genesisfoundationrepair.com/home

      All American Foundation
      http://www.all-american.ws/index.php

      Just to let you know. The BBB has been caught giving businesses A’s and A+’s in return for cash payments. Their word doesn’t really mean anything anymore.

  13. QUESTION:
    I need a foundation repair service, dallas tx?
    looking for good recommendation for a reputable company that has been a round and is experienced in this industry.
    please help, my house is falling a part
    Thanks

    • ANSWER:
      Advanced Foundation Repair in Dallas did a great job for me when I lived in Roanoke, Texas. The number should be in the yellow pages. Good luck!

      PS…I looked up the #. It’s (817) 429-4658. I don’t remember who I dealt with directly, but I do know they got the job done for a reasonable price.

  14. QUESTION:
    Foundation trouble in the Dallas area…?
    What foundation repair company should I use and why.

    • ANSWER:
      Ram Jack no question about it Ram Jack is the best.

      Ram Jack uses deep driven steel piers.

      There are other companies that use the same technology as Ram Jack but they are all copies of Ram Jack.

  15. QUESTION:
    Real Estate problems…?
    I have just bought a home. We closed on the 29th of Feburary. Once we moved in we realized the plumbing was bad. When the upstairs toliet is flushed, I get sewer water coming up in kitchen sink & threw the laundry drain. The seller did not disclose this, nor was it in the inspection. Can I sue to get the problem fixed, or is it all on me? THis was an FHA Loan, & it was not a AS IS Home. My home owners Insurance says it was pre-exhisting & they can’t pay for it. I had 2 plumbers come out, & say that I have severly deteriorated pipes under my slab. Which is affecting my foundation. Cost of repair is anywhere between 00-00 depending on what more they find after they jackhammered up my home. I live in the Dallas fort worth area.

    • ANSWER:
      Every thing has to be disclosed. You have rights under the sales agrement. Exactly how you go and get out of the mortage or get a law suit — not sure how to handle this problem…

  16. QUESTION:
    How far below my foundation do I have to dig to reach the sewage drain?
    One day I was washing laundry, when the spin came on water started coming out of the bottom of my toilet and also filling the bathtub. Husband ran sewer machine few days later and noticed what we were breaking up looked like dirt or mud. *note the house had been vacant for approx 3 years and hadn’t had any water run thru the pipes during that time. The water eventually ran clear and the sewage drain was flowing normally. That lasted about 3 or 4 weeks. Now it’s even worse! When my dishwasher cycles out water it fills the bathtub but there is dirt in the water. My toilet won’t flush properly. It’s become a nightmare. All of the water utilities are located at the back of the house in a pretty centralized area, within about 5 to 10 ft of eachother. I have slab foundation and have started digging a trench along that part of the house. How far below the bottom of the foundation should I have to dig until I come across the sewer line? Also any idea what my pipes may be made of? I live in Dallas and the house was built in 1954. My grandparents are the only people to ever live here and have never had any repairs done, to my knowledge. Please give any and all advice.
    I have a public sewer. Do you think the sewer line would run directly below the roof stack clean out?

    • ANSWER:
      Probably close to 2 feet or deeper and a 1954 Home will have cast iron sewage lines. This time of year tree roots go crazy and probably have made a way for the dirt to infiltrate and possibly even corrosion has collasped the line.
      It is easy to repair by cutting out the bad section and replacing with 4″ PVC, however the digging by hand is miserable when it is hot outside.
      Hopefully you dont have any buried electrical lines in the way. Some homes come in above ground and some below, also sometimes a line is added to run out to a shop area or garage.
      Just a couple things to watch out for. Here we have a CALL BEFORE YOU DIG hotline, they come out and mark underground utilities for free. Just delays your project 3-5 days.

foundation repairs in dallas

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