Photo Album: Stabilizing a Sinking Foundation in East Lansing

Our customers called when their garage - which was under the second story of their home - had cracks in its block walls. They suspected the foundation was shifting and sinking. They were right. The foundation beneath that entire side of the house was sinking, and needed to be stabilized and (hopefully) raised to its original position. We used a combination of helical and push piers to stabilize and support the foundation, which will prevent the home from sinking in the future.

Crack in Block Wall is a Sign of Sinking

You might not think much of this - you might not even notice it most of the time. But it's a crack in your block wall, which is a huge red flag that there's a problem with the foundation. As a slab sinks, the blocks that make up the wall shift and break apart.

Interior Crack Splits Block Wall

Not only are the blocks breaking where they're mortared together, the pressure from the sinking slab has caused some blocks to simply break apart.

Foundation Splits Apart Due to Sinking

The walls are simply not joined together anymore in spots, because the combination of the slab sinking and the weight of the house still bearing down is too much pressure for them. This is how you get sinking floors and sticking doors upstairs - everything is off-kilter.

Broken Block Threatens to Fall Out

While poured walls crack and bow, block walls can simply fall apart if the pressure from sinking is too great.

Preparing for Pier Installation

We need to excavate the area surrounding the foundation in order to reach the footer, which involves a lot of heavy equipment and the dissection of your yard. But it's worth it for a home that is no longer

Excavation Around Foundation

Considering we're stabilizing an entire home, this isn't actually that much excavation. Plus, the grass will grow back and your house won't be falling apart!

Pier Installation in Progress

Here's a better look at the piers themselves. By anchoring them in stable soil, we eliminate the risk of future settling due to soil shifting.

Piers Installed to Stabilize and Lift Foundation

We drill the piers down to a predetermined height, depending on the composition of the soil and the weight of the home, and attach them directly to the foundation. This means that the piers bear the home's weight rather than the compromised soil that has caused the settling.

East Lansing Foundation Settlement

This isn't quite the traditional neat, clean stair step crack we often see with a sinking slab, because the pressure from the house above is so great that it's just kind of cracking in every direction.