Foundation repair in Athens GA - a fix aimed at the cause, not just the crack
Cracks in the walls, doors that stick or a floor that slopes? We find what's moving your house and fix that first.
What's going on when a house starts to crack and settle?
Foundation repair in Athens, GA usually means setting steel piers under the part of a house that has settled, cracked or heaved, so the piers either hold it where it is or lift it back close to where it started.
Most people call when something changes. A crack opens in the brick or the drywall, a door that used to close now sticks, or a floor starts leaning toward one wall. Those signs tell you part of the house has moved, but they don't tell you why, and the why decides the fix. The price mostly turns on how many piers your house needs, whether water has to be sorted out first and whether the house has to come up or just be held where it sits. The schedule turns on those same things plus any permit, and a house that has to be raised takes longer because we bring it up in steps. The estimate I write after seeing your house spells out what we'll do and why, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
What happens after you call us about your foundation?
Call or send the form
Call (706) 395-0746 or use the form and tell us what you've noticed, whether that's cracks, sticking doors or a sloping floor. We'll set a time for me to come out to your house.
Walk the house with me
I come out myself, listen to what you've seen, look under and around the house with you and answer your questions. Then I write up an estimate that says what we'll do and why, so you can weigh the price against the plan before you decide anything.
We handle permits and work
Once you say yes, we take care of any permit the job needs and the inspections with the city or county office for your address, and if your house is in a local historic district I'll bring that up early so the review fits your plans. I work alongside our crew on the job itself.
Walk the finished job together
When the work is done, we walk it with you and look again at the spots you showed me at the start. We put the soil back and clean up before we leave.
How we handle foundation repair and the masonry that goes with it
Before we talk about piers, I look at what's going on under and around the house. That means where the gutters empty, which way the yard slopes and whether water sits in the crawl space after a storm, because if water is part of the problem it goes into the plan from the start, not after the piers are in. Then we dig the access holes, set the piers under the part of the house that's moved, and either hold it where it sits or bring it back up toward where it started. When a house has to come up, we'd rather raise it in careful steps than rush it, because a fast lift can crack plaster, jam doors, strain plumbing and break brittle finishes inside. Once it's done we backfill, clean up, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
When a house settles, the masonry on it moves too. A chimney often sits on its own footing and can crack or pull away as the house shifts around it, so I check it on the same visit and we take on chimney repair when it needs it. Cracked mortar in a brick wall usually shows you where the movement went, and once the foundation is steady we follow with tuckpointing to cut out the cracked mortar and pack in fresh joints.
Get a foundation repair estimate for your Athens home
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come look at the house. The estimate is free, done at your home, and you're under no obligation once you have it.
Foundation repair questions from Athens homeowners
What does foundation repair cost in Georgia?
Foundation repair in Georgia usually runs about $500 to $25,000 a job, from a minor crack repair at the low end to major structural piering at the high end. Pier work is priced by the pier and most jobs need several, so the pier count sets much of what you'll pay. My estimate tells you how many your house needs and why.
Are push piers or helical piers better for my foundation?
Neither one is better for every house, according to one pier maker's guide, so the choice comes from your soil and how the house is built. Push piers are steel pipes driven through the weak soil until they reach rock or firm ground that can carry the house, and helical piers are screwed in while the installer watches the twisting force to judge whether the soil is dense enough. That same guide suggests having a registered professional engineer review the home before you pay for major work, which helps you pick a method that fits.
What is the best way to fix a foundation when the crawl space stays wet after rain?
Deal with the water as part of the repair, not after it, because a damp or muddy crawl space softens the soil, rusts steel connectors and jack hardware, and rots joist ends and sills. One Georgia foundation guide says problems in this state come more often from poor backfill and drainage than from the red clay swelling and shrinking, though it calls that clay moderately expansive. So drainage belongs in the conversation about your repair.
Will foundation piers tear up my yard or the inside of my house?
Usually not much, going by what the pier makers say. One helical pile maker says its piles go in with portable equipment that fits tight indoor spaces, with no heavy machines near the foundation and no vibration. One push pier maker says its piers need only small hand-dug access holes, and once the soil goes back in the work is usually very hard to see.
Do I need a permit for foundation repair in Athens, GA?
Check before work starts, because Athens-Clarke County's Building Permits and Inspections Department enforces the codes that cover a house's structural strength and stability, and building permit applications are filed with the county. When your job needs one, we take care of the application and the inspections for you.
How do I make sure a foundation contractor in Athens is licensed?
Ask to see their Georgia contractor's license, because Athens-Clarke County says contracting work of $2,500 or more in Georgia needs a state license, in either the residential or general contractor category. Anyone applying for a county building permit also hands over copies of a current Georgia business license, a driver's license and that contractor's license, so a licensed contractor should have them ready. We're fully licensed and insured.
Masonry work that often comes up with a foundation
Chimney repair
A chimney often moves on its own footing when the house settles, so cracks or a lean near the roofline are worth fixing while we're already there.
Tuckpointing
Stair-step cracks in brick mortar can let rain into the wall long after the house stops moving, and new joints close them so the wall sheds water again.
Call us about the cracks you're seeing
Have photos of the cracks and any doors that stick ready, plus a note on whether the crawl space stays wet after rain, when you call (706) 395-0746 or send the form, because they help me see the pattern before I come out.