There is no such thing as a 'one size fits all' foundation repair.
I have made the claim that foundation contractors often misdiagnose foundation repairs. In talking with many people, casually, I hear skeptical thoughts about the amount of misdiagnoses that occurs in the industry being as much as I claim it is.
When I say that many foundation problems are misdiagnosed… I don’t think many people realize how often this occurs.
Recently, I visited one of the many contractors that have reached out to me, interested in installing my patented MoistureLevel Smart Foundation System. During this visit, I also visited with a captive engineering service for the contractor. I asked to see a report and analysis for a typical slab on grade home. Randomly, a project was picked and I was floored when I saw the data.
Many Foundation Repair Contractors will confuse foundation heave with perimeter foundation settlement.
Below is the floor level survey and damage map for the home:
Those of you who have followed my blog in the past may very well recognize that this is a classic example of a heaving floor slab:
- Classic dome heave pattern on an older home (more than 20 years old)
- Damage in the high areas with little damage in low areas
- Interior damage verses perimeter damage
- In the corners of interior walls meeting exterior walls, the cracks are wider at the bottom than they are at the top
- The elevations around the perimeter are fairly uniform with minor variations.
In this particular example, the diagnosis of the foundation problem was incorrectly called out as perimeter foundation settlement. No one had even considered floor slab heave! No one had any idea that they had misdiagnosed the home. This was the first foundation repair project they pulled up randomly.
So yes, when I say that many foundation problems are misdiagnosed…… I don’t think many people realize how much this occurs.
I want to hear what you have to say! Leave me a comment below.
