What to Expect

Foundation Repair, Austin, Texas

We understand that getting foundation work completed can be a stressful time for homeowners. Our mission is to get your foundation repaired so that you can quickly move on with your life.

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SCHEDULING THE APPOINTMENT

When you call Douglas Foundation Solutions we will schedule an appointment for an evaluator to come to your home or business to determine if the foundation needs to be repaired.

Before coming to your home, our professional foundation evaluator will review a series of maps of the area that indicate the depth and quality of the bedrock underneath your home or business. This information will have a direct influence on the type of foundation support that we recommend.


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THE DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT

On the day of your appointment our evaluator will arrive on time and conduct a thorough analysis of your foundation. In addition to a visual inspection, our evaluator will take elevations of your foundation and will use a specialized tool to determine the slope of your home over many feet. Any problem areas of the home, such as cracked ceilings, walls, broken windows or sticking doors will be examined. If you have blueprints or other documentation from the builder our evaluator will review these materials at this time.

In many cases, it is our pleasure to inform our clients that foundation repair is not necessary. Certain visual cues such as cracked brick in your home may not be indicative of an underlying foundation issue.

Analysis, Recommendations and Contract

If it is determined that your home does need foundation repair, the evaluator will provide you with a complete explanation of what will be done to the home, as well as a contract.

After you sign and fax the contract to our office, we will contact you to schedule your foundation repair. No payment is due until the day the crew arrives to work on your foundation. If weather or other circumstances arise that impact the day of service, we will notify you as soon as possible to reschedule.


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PREPARING YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS

Exterior Preparations

Before the day of your repair, remove any pictures or other items hanging from walls that will be impacted as your home is lifted. During the repair process, the foundation of the building will be gently lifted, which may cause some of these items to come loose and fall. Remove any outdoor items such as grills, outdoor furniture or hot tubs to allow us to access the perimeter of the building.

Interior Preparations

If interior piers are required, ensure that our crew has easy access to the rooms designated in the plan of repair. This may mean removing furniture and other objects that may prevent them from accessing the floor. If you have carpeting to protect, we recommend placing a sticky carpet protection film down in the high traffic areas. If you choose to place film or other protection down, for the safety of our crew members please ensure that it cannot move and provide a tripping hazard.

Landscaping

If you have small bushes or other foundation plants important to you that are directly in the path of our team members, we recommend removing them a day or two before the work begins. Please confirm which plants will need to be removed before removing them...we do not need to remove or prune every plant around the foundation, only those at critical spots. We are happy to prune or remove plants to gain access to the foundation, but in our experience established shrubs and other plants often experience transplant shock that ultimately causes those plants to fail. Many of our clients take this opportunity to freshen their landscape with new shrubs and plantings after the work is complete.

For more information, see Preparing Your Home for Foundation Repair.


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THE DAY OF THE REPAIR

On the day of your foundation repair, our crew will arrive early and begin prepping the house for repair. At this time, 50% of the total repair cost is due to the supervisor who will be coordinating and directing the work at your home or business.

Leave the Home to Our Capable Team

Our clients and their families should leave the home during the time that the repair is taking place. While generally safe, foundation work can be a loud and dirty business, and it is better for our experienced crews to remain completely focused on raising your foundation.

Our expert team is very precise, cutting concrete and digging holes only as large as required to safely access your foundation. All digging is done by hand because it is more accurate and saves the yard from damage. Any dirt that is displaced will be placed upon a tarp in your yard, then filled in once the work is complete.

How Long Does Foundation Repair Take?

The vast majority of our foundation repairs take place in one day. Our expert team is able to complete approximately 8-10 piers a day, so if you have a very large home or a larger problem area your repair may take longer to complete.

If your home is on a pier and beam foundation that requires Sonotube pier installation, be aware that the concrete used to create the piers underneath your building will need time to cure so that it will be able to bear the weight of the structure above. We will schedule a time to return to your home or business to remove the temporary support and complete the repair process.

The Finishing Touches

Our highly-experienced team will work quickly to repair your foundation and perform our final clean up and concrete patching. When the work is complete, the remaining 50% of the fee is due to the project supervisor. We will provide you with detailed documentation showing the post-lift elevations. Douglas Foundation Solutions will keep this documentation on file and will provide you with a copy for your records.

Warranty and Engineering Documentation

Upon receipt of your final payment, we will draft a warranty document for your records. A few weeks after the repair is complete, an independent engineering firm will provide you with final engineering documents detailing the foundation work performed.


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AFTER THE REPAIR

While many of our customers report no interior changes as a result of the lifting process, when you return you may notice some interior finishes have changed. The process of foundation settling often takes years, and your finishes have had time to adjust to this.

Changes You May Notice

When the foundation is slowly raised, drywall, tile and other finishes may show cracks as they are forced to go back into their original installed position. If cracks that resulted from a sinking foundation have been previously repaired, these areas are likely to show stress as the original materials behind them are moved back into place. If you do see interior changes, we highly recommend that you wait at least one month before repairing them to ensure that all of the changes have had a chance to manifest completely. However, any exterior cracks should be patched immediately to ensure that air, water and insects cannot penetrate into the home.

We treat your home or business as if it were our own, even after the work is complete. We’re there for you when you need us. If you notice that things aren’t as they should be, our warranty has you covered. For more information, see Warranty.

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