Julian Construction Offers Slab Foundation Repair

Company Offers Tips to Knowing if Your Slab Foundation Needs Attention and Repair

LOS ANGELES: Julian Construction (www.julianconstruction.com), a construction company in the Los Angeles area that specializes in foundation repair, is offering slab foundation repair to homeowners and commercial building owners in the Los Angeles.

Julian Construction founder Julian De La Torre stated “The best solution for concrete slab failure is prevention. When a home foundation cracks or sinks, the damage spreads, cracking drywall, and shifting your doors, windows, and roof. Why do slabs crack or break? The primary reason is water, usually not enough water, or an unequal distribution, causing shifting in the soil under a foundation. The higher the clay content in the soil under your home, the more susceptible the home is to expensive foundation repair, as well as extensive repair in other parts of the home. It's important to spot any sign of failure early and be proactive about it. The longer you wait, the worse the situation gets.”

Julian suggests that the following are some symptoms to look for in determining if you have a broken slab:

• Stretched or buckled linoleum flooring
• Unlevel floors
• Broken floor tiles
• Bumps in carpet
• Cracks around windows and door frames
• Sloping floors
• Domed floors in center of room
• Sticky doors or windows that are difficult to open and close.

Julian De La Torre has been doing earthquake retrofitting since the early 1990s and has personally worked on over 6,600 homes in Southern California. With this unmatched experience in the substructure areas of a home, Julian formed Julian Construction in 2001 with the goal of making safer homes, apartments and commercial properties throughout Southern California. His partner Shawn Kyles has inspected over 15,000 structures, working with both engineering firms and local departments of building and safety, and is an expert in foundation repair and house bolting. Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model - no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home.  The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com.

Posted via web from julianconstruction's posterous

Julian Construction Offers House Leveling

Process Brings Houses or Buildings That Have Settled or Tilted Back Up to Level Position

LOS ANGELES: Julian Construction (www.julianconstruction.com), a construction company in the Los Angeles area that specializes in foundation repair, is offering house leveling services to homeowners and commercial building owners in the Los Angeles.

Many homeowners live with sloping floors, doors that won’t open and cracking walls. Most floors can be leveled and returned to their original level position. This work can be completed in a structurally sound manner by a foundation repair professional, making yours a safer home.

Julian Construction founder Julian De La Torre stated “One of the questions that needs to be answered is why the house settled or tilted in the first place. This will determine what handling needs to be done. It is quite possible that the original builders failed to compact some soil underneath the foundation and the foundation then settled soon after construction. If so, then theoretically there should not be any more settling. But if your house is built on a "problem soil" such as decaying organic matter or absorbing clay soil, then the settling problem could continue. You will probably see no further settling, but you should have a foundation professional inspect and monitor the situation. In either case, you will probably see cracks in the foundation that are consistent with settling. Raising a house, or just a part of a house, is a serious step. But with an experienced foundation repair professional, a home that has settled or tilted should be able to be brought back to level or near level in most cases.”

Julian De La Torre has been doing earthquake retrofitting since the early 1990s and has personally worked on over 6,600 homes in Southern California. With this unmatched experience in the substructure areas of a home, Julian formed Julian Construction in 2001 with the goal of making safer homes, apartments and commercial properties throughout Southern California. His partner Shawn Kyles has inspected over 15,000 structures, working with both engineering firms and local departments of building and safety, and is an expert in foundation repair and house bolting. Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model - no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home.  The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com.

Posted via web from julianconstruction's posterous

House Leveling

by Shawn Kyles

As retrofitting is a science, house leveling is an art. Many homeowners live with sloping floors, doors that won’t open and cracking walls. Most floors can be leveled and returned to their original level position. This work can be completed in a structurally sound manner, making yours a safer home.

One of the questions that needs to be answered is why the house settled or tilted in the first place. This will determine what handling needs to be done. It is quite possible that the original builders failed to compact some soil underneath the foundation and the foundation then settled soon after construction. If so, then theoretically there should not be any more settling.

But if your house is built on a "problem soil" such as decaying organic matter or absorbing clay soil, then the settling problem could continue. You will probably see no further settling, but you should have a foundation professional inspect and monitor the situation. In either case, you will probably see cracks in the foundation that are consistent with settling.

House leveling is the process of restoring your home towards its original level position, when the foundation has shifted. In order to lift your foundation, you must first secure it from further sinking problems.

Concrete piles are often used to secure the foundation of your home. These provide solid bearing to rest your foundation on. Concrete piles, however, do not offer the ability to lift.

Raising a house, or just a part of a house, is a serious step and needs to be done by a company that specializes in foundation repair.

A general rule about leveling houses is that you should raise it by no more than 1/8 inch per day maximum to prevent excessive cracks in drywall or plaster. So your typical lifting job could be done over a two week span to be safe.

Filling:

When all the raising is done, your foundation professional will need to install shims (such as strips of pressure treated plywood) between the mudsill and the foundation. Any wood next to concrete must be pressure treated or preservative treated, to prevent wood rot. Your professional will caulk all the small holes between the filler pieces, to reduce cold air infiltration and bug infestations. Some professionals use mortar to fill this gap, and it may look better from the outside if the filler area is visible.

With an experienced foundation repair professional, a home that has settled or tilted should be able to be brought back to level or near level in most cases.

Posted via web from julianconstruction's posterous