Replace or Repair Foundation

We can perform a comprehensive inspection of your foundation, providing a professional consultation and a written cost quote.

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Should I Repair My Foundation Or Replace It?

Many homeowners feel that if their foundation is cracked or damaged, the logical thing to do is to replace it. However, as with most home repairs, it’s important to consider ALL your options if you want to get the most for your money and the least disruption of daily family life.

Whether you choose to repair or replace the foundation, this is a job you’ll only want to take care of once. The most important thing is to find an effective, permanent solution from a contractor you can trust.

At Foundation Systems of Michigan, we’d like to help you find the best solution to your foundation problem. We can perform a comprehensive inspection of your foundation, providing a professional consultation and a written cost quote.

Call or e-mail us today to schedule your free quote! We proudly serve Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Saginaw, Traverse City, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Muskegon, Jackson, Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Sterling Heights, Charlevoix, Flint, Clio, Gaylord, Madison Heights, Midland, Lexington, Mt. Pleasant, Adrian, and the surrounding areas in Michigan.

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What’s Causing My Foundation Problem?

In a nutshell, foundation settlement is the movement your home experiences when the soil beneath it shrinks, settles, or can no longer support the structure’s weight.

Changes that occur in those soils — such as drying & shrinking, wetting & softening, compacting and swelling — all affect the stability, strength and overall condition of your foundation.

A foundation with bowing, buckling walls is demonstrating the damage caused by expansive soils. When clay-rich soils absorb moisture, their volume increases dramatically.

This can increase pressure on your home’s foundation walls by thousands of pounds, causing walls to bow and buckle inward.

A home that is experiencing foundation issues is not likely to get better on its own. As the constant cycle of wet and dry periods continues, your home is likely to experience damage on a continuing basis.The sooner the problem is addressed, the better.

Soil layers tell a story in Troy.
The different types of soil around a foundation will behave in different ways as temperature and moisture conditions change, possibly affecting the condition of the foundation.

Foundation Replacement

With total foundation replacement, heavy equipment is brought in to totally excavate the soil around your home and expose the foundation.

Anything around the foundation — such as porches, steps, gardens, walkways, and foliage — would be removed.

The house would need to be “jacked up” on temporary supports as the foundation walls and slab floor and are removed. After the new foundation is built, the house is lowered into place, the soil is replaced and the landscape details are restored as much as possible.

This process is disruptive, time-consuming, and much more expensive than foundation repair.

Foundation Repair

Following a thorough foundation inspection, the foundation repair contractor will explain how and why the damage occurred, and how specialized materials and techniques can be used to make permanent repairs.

There are a variety of solutions that can be applied. If you have buckling foundation walls, for example, foundation wall anchors may be suggested as the solution. Foundation settlement issues are often solved with foundation piers.

Foundation repair can be performed year-round, and many repairs just take a day to complete. Our foundation products include a 25-year written warranty, as well as our own performance warranty.

More about our foundation repair products.

It’s important to note that foundation problems can occur in houses of any age, size, and style.
An article from Consumer Reports has shown that an alarming 15% of new homes constructed also experience structural problems.
These problems generally have two causes: poor construction quality, and homes built on poorly compacted fill soils.

Repair The Foundation Or Replace It?

While there are some extreme cases where a foundation just can’t be fixed, we recommend repairing the foundation whenever possible.

Not only is choosing to total foundation replacement extremely disruptive and expensive, it doesn’t address the source of the problem: your foundation soils.

Since you’ve built a new foundation on the same troublesome soil, you can expect the same behavior from that soil — the kind that will “break” your new foundation just like it did the old one!

What Makes Foundation Repair Better?

A reliable foundation contractor will do more than simply repair a damaged foundation. Their repair strategy will take problematic soils and site conditions into consideration so that the original problems cannot recur.

Wall anchors reach beyond foundation walls, using the soils outside of your foundation to anchor the walls and counteract inward pressure.

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FAQs

Which Is Better, Replacement or Repair?

Sometimes it feels only natural to fix the issue with your driveway, by removing the slab altogether and replacing it with a new one. That’s sometimes the only way to go when the damage is too great. However, it’s not always the case and a lot of the time, the right repair can do the trick.

Replacement

There are two main considerations to take into account when contemplating replacing the driveway: the cost and the time it takes to do it. The existing concrete needs to be broken up and removed using heavy machinery. In some cases, that means digging in your yard and that’s messy and loud. All of this happens before you actually get to pour new concrete.

The cost of replacing the concrete can be quite high as well. It depends on how large the driveway is and what underlying issue has caused it to sink in the first place. That needs to be addressed first so that the new slab isn’t affected by it as well. Replacing the concrete will take about two to three times longer than lifting it. That said, it’s still sometimes necessary to do it.

Repair

Unlike replacing, the repairs are addressing the root cause of the issue and fixing it. That means that it’s also a solution for any future concrete trouble that may come up. All of this is done without the need to remove the concrete and cause a mess in the yard. All it takes are a few small drill holes. The repair done using PolyRenewal will take a few hours to complete.

This option is a bit more costly than the traditional mudjacking, but it’s an advanced product you’re paying for and it’s worth the difference. It’s still much less expensive than replacing the sidewalk altogether. It’s a long-lasting solution meaning that you only need to pay once and you get your sidewalk as it once was.

How much does foundation repair set me back?

The cost for foundation repairs varies based on multiple elements, including the severity of damage and the products employed. For a precise quote, reach out to Foundation Systems of Michigan. We offer free inspections and estimates, transparent cost structures, and versatile payment options.

Can I remain in my home while foundation repairs are ongoing?

Typically, yes, it is possible to stay in your home. However, the scope of necessary repairs might necessitate temporary relocation. Rest assured, a Foundation Systems of Michigan inspector will assist you every step of the way and provide optimal advice tailored to your situation.

Leah Leitow

Content Writer

Leah is a Content Writer for Groundworks with more than ten years of experience working in the foundation repair industry. Her experience ranges from working with homeowners to find the right solution to training inspectors and staff. In her background as a Michigan journalist, she gained invaluable insight into people's lives throughout our state. Leah lives in metro Detroit with her husband and two sons.

WHY CHOOSE US?

Since 2007, Foundation Systems of Michigan has been Michigan’s most trusted foundation repair contractor. We have grown and continue to grow as a leader in the industry because of our outstanding reputation. We have earned this reputation year after year, one job at a time, and we work hard every day to maintain that reputation. We don’t just fix foundations – we help people. Restoring your peace of mind, and protecting your home.

Our Customers Trust Us

Jonathan, Matthew and Devon are freakin’ ROCK STARS! Professional, courteous, knowledgeable and respectful. The team worked diligently and…

James Wilson

Replace or Repair Foundation

Should I Repair My Foundation Or Replace It?

What’s Causing My Foundation Problem?

Foundation Replacement

Foundation Repair

Repair The Foundation Or Replace It?

What Makes Foundation Repair Better?

FAQs

Leah Leitow

WHY CHOOSE US?

Our Customers Trust Us

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