Your home · 10 guides
Foundation & Concrete: problems and fixes, explained by TJ
TJ Gilmer is the only foundation & concrete member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What foundation repair costs in Dallas, and why two bids can differ by thousands Most Dallas foundation repairs land in the mid four figures, but the number depends on how many piers your house needs, what kind, and where they go. Here is how to read a bid. The short answer on priceWhy a foundation bid is mostly a pier countWhat moves the number up or downPier types and what they mean for the bill
- What a homeowner can do about foundation movement, and where do-it-yourself stops working Steady soil moisture and water moved away from the slab prevent a lot of foundation trouble. They cannot lift a house that has already dropped. Here is what to do yourself and when to stop. What you can and cannot fix yourselfWhy steady moisture matters more than how much waterA practical watering routine for dry spellsToo much water is also a foundation problem
- Steel push piers, pressed concrete or drilled piers: choosing the right fix for a slab Neither steel nor concrete is better for every house. The right pier depends on how deep the stable soil is, how heavy the structure is and where the piers have to go. Neither one wins for every houseHow pressed concrete piers workHow steel push piers workDrilled, bell-bottom and hybrid systems
- Sloping, bouncy floors in an older Dallas house: what is happening in the crawl space Older houses on pier-and-beam foundations move differently from slabs. Settled piers, crushed shims and damp beams are the usual causes, and most of the fix happens from the crawl space. What is usually going on under an older floorHow a pier-and-beam foundation is builtWhy these floors drift over the decadesSigns worth a closer look
- From first measurement to final elevations: what a foundation repair week looks like Most slab repairs take two to three days of work on site, and most families stay home the whole time. Here is what happens before, during and after, step by step. How long it takes, in one paragraphBefore the crew arrives: inspection, plan and paperworkGetting the house readyDay one: excavation
- Floors rising in the middle: telling heave from settlement, and why a slab leak matters Most foundation talk is about slabs sinking. When a floor humps up in the middle instead, the cause and the fix are different, and a leak under the slab is the first suspect. Heave or settlement: the quick way to tellWhat heave looks like inside the houseSigns that water is leaking under the slabOther things that swell the clay under a house
- Before you sign a foundation repair contract: the questions that separate good companies Foundation companies sound alike on the phone. The difference shows up in how they answer a handful of specific questions about measurements, piers, warranties and who does the work. Six questions that tell you most of what you need to knowCan you show me the measurements behind this plan?Why this many piers, and why this kind?What do you think caused this, and does your plan fix it?
- After the piers go in: keeping the warranty valid and the repair worth something at sale A foundation warranty is only as good as the steps you take after the crew leaves. Here is the 30-day checklist, the yearly routine and what to do when the house sells. The short list for the months after a repairThe first 30 days decide whether you have a warrantyBuild a foundation file and keep it foreverWhat can void the coverage
- A repaired foundation never moves again, and other myths I correct every week Piers stabilize the part of a slab they support. They do not freeze the soil under the whole house. That myth, and seven others, cost homeowners money every year. The honest answer about never moving againMyth: every crack means the foundation is failingMyth: homeowners insurance will cover itMyth: piers fix every kind of movement
- Stair-step cracks in the brick and doors that stick: is it the foundation, and what now Most of the cracks I look at do not need piers. Here is how to tell the difference, what our clay soil is doing to your slab, and what a fair repair looks like. The cracks you noticed and what they are telling youWhy North Texas soil does this to housesA half-hour inspection you can do yourselfWhen it is fine to wait a season, and when it is not