Got a Problem With Your U District Basement, Foundation or Concrete?

Find a professional who delivers practical answers to house structure, wet basements and sinking concrete slab problems.

So if your house near UW is showing some symptoms of having one of these problems, you should make a short call and talk about it.

During a brief phone call, you can discuss your situation, maybe hear you a little advice and then set up an appointment to come out and inspect your property. After the inspection, they will be able to give you a plan on how to get it fixed.

Do I Need a Professional Inspection?

Sometimes, it’s obvious to a King County homeowner that they have a structure problem. In some situations, the evidence is just really obvious and easy to see; Other times the property owner isn’t really sure they have a problem.

And these kind of problems can show up in all types of home construction, from older to newer houses.

Warning Signs to Look For At Your UW-Area Property:

1. There are gaps around doors, often an exterior or garage door
2. You get water in your basement
3. There is a gap between a wall and floor or a wall and ceiling
4. Doors or windows are sticking to their frames when you open or close them
5. Your basement is humid and damp
6. It feels like a floor is sagging or weak or floor tiles are loose.
7. There are separated interior molding pieces, usually door or crown molding
8. There is a crack in a solid surface exterior wall
9. You have water pooling near your house or in the crawlspace after a rain
10. There are cracks in exterior or interior brick and mortar walls
11. There is an uneven or sloping interior floor
12. Your sheet rock has a vertical crack, maybe between the ceiling and a door frame
13. You can see significant cracks in your basement floor or concrete blocks
14. There is a separation between meeting exterior walls or wall and chimney

This Looks Hard to Fix. Is It?

Homeowners often take a look at their house and think their problem is so big, it’s going to end up being an expensive and super hard project to get done. But most of these types of faults can be fixed.

These building repairs will require a well-trained, experienced foundation repair contractor and crews, along with some pretty sophisticated equipment, to correct a sinking house foundation, make a house level again or successfully carry out any another serious structure problem.

Waterproofing a Basement in the U District of Seattle

If you have a wet basement, why not let one of these inspectors check it out and determine what is allowing water to leak into it.

Property owners sometimes worry that making their basement waterproof is going to involve work on the basement walls, and for people with finished basements, that can be a problem.

But many of the University District basement waterproofing solutions may not require any work on the walls themselves, but just on the land surrounding the home. Once they do an inspection, a specialist can come up with a strategy to correct the situation.

University District Slab Jacking Services

If a section of your concrete sidewalk, patio or driveway has sunk below where it is supposed to be, they can get that corrected. The process used is called slab jacking. (They sometimes call it mudjacking because they like to refer to wet concrete as mud.)

Mudjacking describes the process where your work crew will shoot a thick substance underneath a sunken slab. This “mud” is strong enough to slowly force the slab upwards until it gets to the desired height.

Concrete slab lifting can improve the appearance of walkway sections when one or more section isn’t at the right height. Having them at the right height will also help prevent trips and falls.

Why Do These Issues Come Up?

Well, it’s just the nature of our soil.

The soil under and around your home periodically changes, moves and shifts. It might expand or contract depending on exposure to moisture or temperature. This constant expansion, contraction and movement (no matter how small) of the soil can place a stress on a building or any other solid structure.

While you can’t control the physics of our natural earth, there are a few things you can do. First, if your house sits on a lot that has bad drainage or improper grading, these two factors could lead to having too much water resting right around the base of a home.

Second, simply having adequate rain gutters can help move excess water away from your home. Gutters are an inexpensive fix that can have a big effect.

The specific makeup of the soil on your lot is a big factor. Some particular types of soil retain more moisture than others do, so they can swell and expand more than others.

Fortunately, in Western Washington, the soil here is classified as only somewhat absorbent. This means that our soil won’t contract and swell as much as some other types of soil around the country.

Having a big old tree too close to your house might even cause a problem in some instances. Your big tree can have big roots that grow way underneath your house and puts pressure on your slab, as might even interfere with water and sewer pipes.

In some cases, the expansive roots of a major tree might even suck up too much moisture from the soil under your building during our really dry Summers.

Environment and constant stress can contribute to causing tiny cracks in your home’s structure. These tiny cracks allow in moisture, and some of those tiny cracks grow into small cracks, and some of those small cracks develop into bigger cracks.

Maybe I Can Deal With This Another Time?

If you or a friend has a feeling that you have an issue with your house, you should get it inspected. At least then you’ll know whether or not it should be corrected right away or not.

The inspection is not something you should put off.

Don’t ignore it. You know your foundation supports your entire home. Your entire house, the walls, floors and even the roof depend on it.

When water slowly seeps into a basement, it can lead to problems over time including mildew and mold. And it will not get any better over time.

Perhaps you are thinking about putting it off, because you are considering selling your home. But no home buyer wants to purchase a property that has a hidden structural issue or shows signs of water down in the basement.

And home sellers have to disclose any known significant problems with their property or they could be in trouble later.

It’s typical to be worried about your home. But many situations that appear to be too difficult to correct can usually be fixed by the right company.

They may involve a tricky and sometimes difficult process, but they can be done. So try not to worry until you know the facts.

Choose the Right Contractor

Find someone who has been doing these kinds of home repairs for a long time. These local work crews have the experience to conduct a thorough foundation inspection and successfully correct your issue.

Where in Seattle Can They Work?

They will take on projects all over the local area including the suburbs near the University of Washington, including Bryant, Hawthorne Hills, Laurelhurst, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Sand Point, View Ridge, Wedgwood and Windermere, including the 98105 and 98115 zip codes.

Projects That Get Handled:

– Making Houses Level
– General Foundation Fixes
– Concrete Slab Jacking
– Filling Up Concrete Cracks
– Sealing Basements

206-539-1117

206-539-1117