Before & After Photos

Foundation settlement is something that we see pretty regularly in our line of work. It usually is not a very pretty sight, but more often than not it is something that we are able to take care of! Foundation settlement occurs when the earth under and around the home begins to sink and settle in. As the earth settles, the foundation begins to sink with it as well which causes the wall to crack, which can be very dangerous, especially if not taken care of.

Unfortunately, this was the case for this homeowner in Fair Play, South Carolina. There were two main cracks that were noticeable along this wall, and believe it or not, this was actually the better of the two. The before photo does a pretty good job at showing the extensiveness of the damage caused by the settlement. This stair-step crack starts at the top of this cinder block wall and goes the majority of the way down.

The photo that was taken after the work was completed is pretty incredible, and shows just how effective our products are. The crack has been completely closed up by the push piers, and after the lifting was done, the crew went back over the crack with mortar in order to completely seal up the crack and make it seem as though no work was ever done! The homeowner was extremely pleased with how this turned out and couldn't believe the results.

CarbonArmor Fabric is a product that we don't get to use that often, so when we do get to use it, we like to show it off! CarbonArmor is made up of carbon fibers that are woven together. Many people have heard of carbon-fiber before, but don't always know what it is or what it can do. Carbon fiber is an excellent product to use (especially for a job like this) because its immense strength but also because of its weight, or lack of it. Carbon fiber is 10 times as strong as steel, however, it is 5 times lighter.

The "before" photo shows what the basement looked like before the CarbonArmor Fabric was installed. While you are not able to see any visible bowing on this particular wall, you can see some stair-step cracks on the back wall. These cracks are almost always a sign of bowing walls or another type of foundation issue.

The "after" photo shows off the installed product, CarbonArmor Fabric. As you can see, there are four strips in this small section of the basement, over twenty were installed in total. While there is not that much of a visual difference between these two pictures, just having these 4 small strips will do this homeowner a world of good. Let's not forget about what was mentioned earlier, carbon fiber is 10 times stronger than steel. Would you rather have a small strip of carbon fiber or a steel beam that is much weaker?

Keeping your basement foundation strong is very important. If your basement walls begin to bow or crack it can lead to severe damage to your home. In this Brevard, NC home the basement walls had begun to bow in. To solve this problem the All-Dry of the Carolinas team was able to install CarbonArmor strips. This CarbonArmor system is a fiber reinforced polymer that is 10 times stronger than steel. The system is extremely flexible and can be used easily against all basement walls. This strip absorbs the pressure that is pushing out from the wall. Along with all the foundation benefits, the CarbonArmor strips are easier to paint and are easily concealable.

There are several different types of cracks that can occur with foundation problems like settlement. Sometimes these cracks are separation cracks (like a chimney separating from the home or around a door or window, drywall cracks, but the most common type of cracking is stair-step cracking. This cracking often starts at the corner of a door or window and looks like stairs from the side. 

One of the cracks that had appeared on the outside of this home was following a stair-step pattern. They are more common on cinder block or brick walls, because the mortar breaks easier than the bricks and takes the path of least resistance. However, this crack seemed to take a pattern similar to this. The crack started around the window and slowly made its way up and up to the top of the wall.

The difference between the before and after pictures may not seem too significant, but a lot has been done between the two photos. The biggest thing that was done was the crew installing several push piers in order to lift and stabilize the foundation. The push piers help to raise the foundation back towards its original position. After the lifting has been done, the crew mixed up some new mortar and covered the crack. A little bit of paint and the area will look as good as new!

Nothing is worse than losing your stomach as you begin to freefall. We expect the ground that we are standing on to be strong and durable. So imagine how homeowners feel when their house begins to fall out from under them. After time, homes begin to settle and mold to the earth under them. Depending on how sturdy the earth is, determines how a home will settle. Homes that are on hills are very likely to mold to the natural layout of the land. But don’t worry! We at All-Dry of the Carolinas are here for you to lean on when you aren’t strong.

As you can see in the before picture, the crawlspace wall has cracked from the pressure of the house. To solve this problem our team at All-Dry of the Carolinas were able to install Push Piers, which is a support system. The crack in the wall is then forced back together, although in some cases the cracks don’t close completely. That is not something to worry about, the Push Piers will continue to support the structure and prevent further damage. In the after picture you can see the Push Piers holding the wall along with cement that has been used to seal the rest of the crack.