How to Determine Differential Settlement?

As a crawl space and foundation repair company, you want to provide the right services to please homeowners. When a homeowner calls about settlement issues, they often only know the symptoms of the problem and not the root cause, requiring you to investigate further. The added time it takes to discover the cause can make many homeowners feel uncertain. They are already worried about the stability of their home. So, they may ask how differential settlement is determined. Having to wait for an answer and possible solutions can be taxing on their minds.

Once you explain the problem, they want the job done quickly while simultaneously desiring a permanent solution. If your company cannot meet their immediate needs on their time schedule, you cause the homeowner to develop a negative impression of your company. The homeowner may not recommend your company to others as they leave negative reviews that can hurt your brand and ruin the trust with your current and potential clientele.

You want products that are both efficient to use for the repair process and serve as the best products for the customers’ homes. GridLock Foundations offers premier products and modern technologies so that contractors can provide reliable foundation repair services while cutting down on costs. With our products, you can please your clients as they will see you as a highly respected foundation repair company. Your company can stay highly regarded and recommended throughout your service area. Learn more about GridLock Foundations and differential settlement.

So, You Found Some Differential Settlement

While uniform settlement typically happens to homes as the building shifts evenly, differential settlement is more complicated. The uneven settlement of the foundation could be occurring in more than one location depending on the cause of the problem. If the foundation is settling unevenly, you cannot always blame it on inferior construction causing structural damage. Bearing capacity problems beneath the ground that no one predicted could be the ultimate culprit.

Since the solution to the underlying issue may not be simple to solve, using traditional techniques may not suit the problem. Using standard underpinnings such as helical piers and push piers usually happen in one specific area, which may help to initially stabilize the foundation. Yet if the underpinnings are insufficient, settlement can continue to occur and make the original underpinnings useless.

These traditional methods take additional time and complexity to install. They are also less cost-efficient. They may not effectively deal with foundation loads, soil pressure, and total settlement of the home. When dealing with a homeowner who wants the best and fastest solution at minimal costs, these traditional solutions might not fit into their preferences.

GridLock Foundations are home foundation settlement systems that consist of two products: Crawl Space Foundations and Foundation Stabilizers. This modern solution covers more surface area while using fewer technicians to install. With fewer technicians needed and greater efficiency, your company will speed up repair work. You will also save money due to transporting fewer materials to each job site.

Are Your Current Products Strong Enough to Handle Weak Soil? Ours Are!

Soil properties can play a significant role in causing differential settlement. The soil that is not compacted after being filled and leveled could begin to shift after the home is constructed. The weight of the house causes the soil to compress below, as the house shifts rapidly in several areas.

The soil may also be too weak to support the house. When the soil contains a mixture or uneven spread of sand, silt, or clay, the ground becomes highly compressible. Adding in other problems, such as soil that is too dry, excess groundwater, or vegetation drying out the soil too quickly, may make it difficult for you to select the products that work for the homeowner.

Once you convince the homeowner of a specific traditional product, you may find out that they want more advanced and powerful solutions. It may also cause you to use more materials than the homeowner agreed to for the work based on the foundation soil and vertical load of the foundation. With the extended work time, more manpower needed for the installation, and more costs placed into the installation process, it can lead to the homeowner feeling frustrated.

You want a product that can handle the varying soil conditions and issues that may be causing the differential settlement. With GridLock Foundations, you obtain superior foundation systems and supplies that remedy foundation repair problems. These products are designed to last a lifetime. You give homeowners a product that they can trust to keep their homes stable and secure even on soft soil, clay soil, and other soil layers. You are able to advertise a repair system to your clients that they will love and will be eager to talk about as they may leave positive reviews about your company.

New Product. New Solution. Better Results.

How is differential settlement determined? One way to determine differential settlement is to have a structural engineer perform a geotechnical engineering exploration, settlement analysis, and soil profile. This can be expensive and time-consuming.

The fastest and most cost-effective way to determine differential settlement is to train inspectors to look for the traditional signs of differential foundation settlement. By looking for foundation cracks, shifting windows, sticking doors, and sinking building components, you can identify the areas that have settled.

Then, you may offer possible products to the homeowner. Some old methods include underpinning, jet grouting, and micro piles.

Underpinning involves excavating underneath the foundation and pouring in concrete below the footing. This process could be labor-intensive and costly based on how deep the foundation is and the size of the section of the house that has settled. Unless engineered exactly right, there are many problems with traditional underpinning designs. The GridLock Foundation Stabilizer is underpinning that has been specially engineered to stabilize virtually any foundation footing.

Jet grouting involves using cement that becomes injected into the ground so that it mixes with the soil. It erodes the soil and creates a soil grout that hardens into place to cause ground stability. It strengthens weak soil. However, if jet grouting is not successfully controlled, it may lead to soil heave and foundation deformation.

Micro piles, aka push piers, consist of small diameter casings that are placed into the ground. The piles are used as a way to bind the soil to increase its stability along shallow foundations. It can also help to more evenly disperse the load placed down onto the soil from the house. While it is a good solution, it is also a costly repair job. The high costs may deter customers from working with your company and getting the work completed.

As new technologies are being used to build homes, contractors and foundation repair services can also turn to the latest technologies to help with solving differential settlement problems. GridLock Foundations offers revolutionary methods used to specifically address differential settlement due to weak soil compositions. The use of an engineered GridLock rebar cage and concrete that covers 260 times the surface area than micro piles allows for more soil stability in a larger region. The Foundation Stabilizer is also thousands of pounds stronger than push piers or helical piers.

This system requires fewer materials to use and equipment for the installation process. It also does not require your workers to undergo lengthy training sessions. You can use fewer workers to install the system, helping you to save on costs while still providing the most reliable products to your customers when dealing with vertical displacement of the soil.

It’s Hard to Know What You’re Missing If You Don’t Try

Your company may be used to the traditional methods for performing repairs to building foundations. You’ve based the entire business model on these older techniques of un-reinforced concrete and steel piles. However, your customers will not hesitate to learn on their own about maximum differential settlement, soil types, load distribution, and the products that can be used to perform foundation repairs. They will perform the research to find the fastest methods and superior products at the right costs.

Offering additional foundation repair solutions allows you to expand your target market to reach the customer who wants the latest technologies to fix the settlement of a foundation. Also, investing in these technologies helps position your company as a leading industry expert. You can use GridLock Foundations’ products to show how your company is constantly evolving to meet the changing expectations of your clients as you outpace your competition.

GridLock Foundations helps cut down on the amount of equipment and manpower you need to complete foundation repair tasks that deal with compressible soil and poor foundation design. You will be able to perform more jobs in your work calendar, which will lead to a higher return on your investments. You are also providing more dependable and safer foundation products that last a lifetime.

Premier Products Pair Well With Skilled Workers

You have made it your goal to be the top foundation repair contractor in your region. You’ve invested in the knowledge on how to make quality foundation repairs that please your customers. So, it’s only reasonable that you should also invest in the right products. Learn more about how GridLock Foundations is the sound solution for differential settlement issues by contacting our company today.