Damaged foundations can keep homeowners up at night with concerns that their entire structure is at risk. Getting prompt repairs from a professional team is the best way to protect your home and restore your peace of mind. If you’re left wondering, “How long does foundation repair take?” don’t worry. It all depends on the method of repair you choose and the team you bring in to handle the work. Choose Pinnacle Foundation Repair for the fastest possible response time across our service area in Texas.
Common Reasons You Might Need Foundation Repair
You may need to schedule one of the following foundation repairs if you end up dealing with issues like:
- Leaking or growing cracks in your foundation walls, especially if they’re horizontal
- Loss of mortar between concrete blocks
- Shifting, leaning, or bowing basement walls
- Sticking doors and windows
- Tilting floors in the home
- Signs of collapse in the crawlspace area
- Shifting soil around the exterior of the home might leave the foundation at risk
Preparing for Foundation Repairs
Every foundation repair project should start with a thorough inspection. Only a professional can tell you the true extent of the damage to the foundation and the best ways to repair your home and prevent future issues. Once you’ve settled on a repair method and plan of action, you’ll have a better idea of how to prepare. For example, the large machinery required for installing most types of piers may require extensive clearing and even the removal of existing landscaping features until the work is done. Other methods, like mud jacking or drilled piers, may require less extensive preparations.
How Long Does Foundation Repair Take?
The type of foundation repairs you need will determine the total amount that the project will take. If you need multiple repairs at once and they all take days to complete, it may take a month or two until your foundation is repaired. Simpler projects may only take a few days to plan and complete.
Patching and Sealing
These steps are necessary for any cracks in your basement or crawlspace walls. However, you may need other stabilization methods completed first to prevent further shifting or damage to the home before sealing the cracks. The process of actually patching and sealing damaged foundation walls only takes a few hours, but the preceding repair work may take a few weeks before it’s completed. If we determine that all you need is some patching and sealing to prevent leaks, we can get in and out as quickly as possible so your basement is dry again.
Mud Jacking
Shifting structures or basement walls that bow outward indicate the need for soil stabilization around the foundation’s exterior. One of the fastest and most affordable ways to achieve this is through mud jacking. This technique involves mixing sand, cement, and water to make a slurry that’s thin enough to pump into any voids behind the foundation’s walls or under the slab. Mud jacking is a quick way to stabilize a compromised foundation, often requiring only a few days to complete.
Helical Piers
Because of their screw-like design, helical piers go into the ground relatively quickly despite the depths they achieve. Still, most projects take a week or more from site preparation to clean-up. There is also a short delay for planning and engineering before the work begins, but this is common to all foundation installations. You may have to budget between two weeks and a month for the entire project to be completed, especially if there are any interruptions.
Steel Piers
Solid steel piers take around two to three days to install, but as with helical piers, the prep work can take a week or more. The key is sourcing piers that fit the needs of your project so there’s no extended shipping time to wait for. We keep a wide stock of piers on hand to speed installation. If you need prompt repairs to keep the rest of your home from developing serious damage, steel piers are one of the fastest ways to stabilize a sinking or shifting foundation.
Steel Transition and Drilled Piers
Both drilled piers and steel transition designs involve poured concrete to stabilize your foundation without requiring the heavy equipment needed for installing other piers. However, that means there’s added time for curing the concrete, which can take a few weeks. You may or may not be able to stay in the home during the month or so the piers take to cure, depending on the amount of damage to the foundation before you start the repairs.
Drainage Correction
These services support your other repairs by directing the majority of water away from your foundation so it can’t wash the surrounding soil away. Drainage correction services around the home go relatively quickly, often taking as little as 2 to 3 days to complete. Basic repairs like downspout improvements and gutter corrections need just one day. The installation of French drains, dry wells, and other more advanced landscape drainage features will extend the project’s timeline by a few more days. An extra week or so for some drainage correction steps will pay off in the long run.
Other Repair Services
The most minor repairs take just a few hours. For example, experienced technicians can drill a space for a sump pump and improve your basement’s drainage without much of a time commitment. If you need more extensive repairs like block and base repair to deal with an older foundation that’s sinking under the weight of the home, we’ll have to prepare a custom quote for you.
Getting a concrete answer to the question, “How long does foundation repair take?” requires an inspection and an in-depth estimate. Let Pinnacle Foundation Repair get started on the project by contacting us today. You can ask your questions when scheduling your evaluation to get a head start on your preparations. Don’t let foundation damage ruin your day when you have the support of our expert team.
