How to Install a New Foundation Under an Existing House for Foundation Replacement

Part of owning a home is to anticipate having to replace some aspects of it. Perhaps you will buy new windows or a new roof. But a fresh foundation? That doesn’t seem common. Come on, it’s the foundation that keeps everything together!

If only the best purchases in life could endure forever, that would be lovely. That isn’t the case, though. The most significant areas of your house should be treated similarly. Your foundation is not exempt from aging and degradation.

Working in Texas, Foundation Repair Specialist has 37 years of expertise. We have completed projects ranging from rebuilding an old home’s foundation to supporting an existing one. We have completed every type of foundation repair, removal and replacement.

If your foundation requires repair or replacement, it should be your first priority, regardless of how long you’ve been a homeowner. This blog post can assist if you are interested in fixing the foundation of your house! Here, we discuss how to install a new foundation beneath an existing home and outline the warning indicators that your foundation may need to be replaced. Continue reading to learn about the procedures for hiring foundation repair services and the variables that may have an impact on the time, cost and process of foundation repair.

Why Is Having a Solid Foundation Important?

A building’s foundation is essential to maintaining its structural integrity. It transmits the building’s weight to the earth below while supporting it. Strongness and stability of the foundation, which is usually composed of concrete, are essential to the building’s longevity and safety. But a foundation can sustain damage or compromise over time, necessitating a complete replacement in certain situations. Although replacing the entire roof is complicated and expensive, it is required to guarantee the building’s stability and safety.

Indices That It’s Time to Replace Your Foundation

There are a few indicators to watch out for that could mean the foundation of your building needs to be replaced. Visible foundation cracks are the most evident indicator, particularly if they are numerous or larger than 5 millimeters.

Uneven walls or floors brought on by the foundation settling or shifting is another indicator. Sticking or difficult-to-open/close doors and windows can also be signs of foundation problems. Furthermore, as water can infiltrate through fractures and jeopardize the structural integrity of the structure, water damage or mold growth on the walls or floors may be signs of an issue.

If you have doubts about the structural integrity of your house, you ought to speak with an expert.

How to Replace the Foundation in Your House

Employ a Profession

Like any building project, success or failure will depend on the assistance of skilled experts. Experts in foundation repair will evaluate the condition of the foundation of your house and recommend the best course of action, which is frequently a complete replacement.

Set Up the Location

If replacement is required, getting the requisite permissions and consent from the local government is the first step.

After the paperwork is finished, the location needs to be ready. It will be necessary to clear the area of any obstructive trees, shrubs, or nearby structures. The foundation’s surrounding utilities, such as the water and gas lines, should all be recognized.

To mark the building site, safety precautions like fencing and signage are crucial.

When the location is prepared, contractors will excavate the surrounding area and support it using jacks or other makeshift structures. The site is cleansed of any last bits of rubbish, and the soil is graded to allow for adequate drainage.

Transfer Your New Basecoat

A crucial part of the procedure is building a new foundation. It include pouring the footing, constructing the forms for the foundation walls, putting in reinforcing steel, and installing any conduits for plumbing or electrical needs.

Once these procedures are finished, your contractor will start pouring the new foundation’s concrete. The first portion of the foundation to be poured is called the footing. It guarantees a balanced distribution of your home’s weight and offers a strong foundation for the walls.

After that, foundation experts build the wall forms and add reinforcing steel to give the structure more strength and stability. The space between the forms and the reinforcing steel is finally filled with concrete by pouring it into the forms. By doing this, a strong foundation is built that will be able to sustain the weight of the structure for many years to come.

After everything is finished, your experts will make any last-minute fixes and alterations to guarantee your home’s strongest foundation.

Additional Things to Think About

A foundation replacement project’s price and schedule vary based on a number of factors, such as:

The structure’s magnitude and intricacy: Larger and more intricate constructions usually demand for longer turnaround times and more work.

Type of foundation: Different replacement strategies and materials are needed for different types of foundations.

Usability of the site: Remote or hard-to-reach areas can need more time and resources to finish the job.

Soil circumstances: Extreme weather or unstable soil might make the job more difficult and expensive.

Unexpected problems can also come up while working on the project, which could extend its duration and raise its cost. Talk to your specialist beforehand to avoid any surprises and make sure they’re factored into the estimate. 

Short-Term Residential Agreement

You can arrange for temporary housing in addition to the construction. A less-than-convenient living environment is produced by the noise, vibration, and dust generated by the replacement of the foundation. If these elements are going to affect your daily life, it’s important taking into account temporary accommodation in addition to the possible safety issues.

Get Several Quotes for the Replacement of Your Foundation

The process of replacing a foundation is intricate and expensive, requiring careful planning and budgeting. It’s a good idea to collect several estimates from several businesses before hiring a foundation repair contractor to make sure you get a reasonable and accurate estimate of the project’s cost.

Laying a new foundation for a higher base

For homes with raised foundations, we typically replace the footings 90% of the time.

The house would first need to be shored up, which means it would be temporarily held up for building, by entering the crawlspace. You don’t want someone to become the Wicked Witch of the East when your house falls on them. This include erecting pillars and pads around the exterior of the house, in addition to pier beams.

As the home is shored up, a production crew then begins excavating to remove the old footing. Either a new cripple wall is constructed, or the footing is prepared for rebar installation.

If the entire house can be stabilized, the concrete can be poured in portions or all at once.

Although we don’t choose this approach since it could further harm your home, the home can be lifted over its original location and a new footing built.

Replacing slab foundation

Compared to their raised counterparts, this is less typical. Typically, a sister footing is created by placing the new footing beneath the old.

It would require digging and the use of sacrificial jacks—similar to vehicle jacks—to support the slab from underneath.

While everything else is held up, the footing is removed part by section. Rebar is used to create the footing, and earth is used to reinforce the backside. From there, concrete is poured.

What is the time duration required to replace a foundation?

Installing a brand-new foundation may need at least four week but if there is enough room, larger tools like an excavator can be utilized for digging as soon as possibel. However, it can be completed by hand, which could lengthen the project’s duration.

The price to replace a foundation

The typical cost for a home of average size is between $75,000 and $100,000. At the very least, that is our going rate. Typically, contactor fees are about $600 per linear foot. Calculations based on the size of your home can be done.

Historical Houses and Foundation Replacement 

Older cities or homes are more likely to require a new foundation. This is typically not a concern for newly constructed homes.

There are houses with 1940s-era footings that nevertheless appear youthful. Don’t worry about not being able to find your footing. Only if the foundation is excessively damaged or compromised is a new one required.

Now that you know, you can lay new pillars beneath existing ones. Take care to safeguard your foundation.

You now know why it’s important to reinforce your foundation, how to determine whether it needs to be replaced, how new foundations are built beneath existing homes, how long the process takes, and how much it will cost. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where your foundation needs to be completely replaced.

Foundation Repair Specialist Can Help You Sort Out Your Foundation

We can assist you whether you need a regular inspection, concrete repair services, or a complete replacement. Get a price for your foundation replacement or find out more about our services by getting in touch with the Foundation Repair Specialist team right now.

Get Free Estimate





    This will close in 0 seconds