Is It Possible To Repair The Foundation On Your Own?

There are many home renovation projects that homeowners do them on their own without hiring contractors. However, some projects are beyond DIY. For instance, a foundation repair project tends to be complex. Is it possible to do such a project yourself or will it be better leaving it to the experts?

The answer to this question will depend on many factors. But the general answer is that if your home is constructed on the crawl space kind of a foundation, and only the middle part is sinking and not the exterior, then you can fix the problem yourself.

However, if it is settling or sinking around the entire perimeter or it is built on a slab, they you should hire a professional repair company.

DIY house foundation repair

You might be really wondering why this is necessary. The straightforward answer is that repairing a sinking concrete foundation requires expertise and special tools that most homeowners lack. The process also involves many risks. However, repairing problems such as sagging joints can be manageable by a handy homeowner. Here are the factors to consider when determining whether you can handle the project yourself.

  1. Identify The Type Of The Foundation

Check whether your home has the crawl space or the slab type of a foundation. If you are not sure about the type of your foundation, check the exterior part of the walls. If you can see a vent or access door towards the bottom, then your home sits on the crawl space type of foundation. Otherwise, the foundation is a slab or basement one.

  1. Identify the Indicators of a Damaged Foundation

You should confirm that the problem is indeed a settled foundation before fixing it. Common indicators include:

  • Leaning chimneys
  • Sagging floors
  • Cracked walls or cracked bricks
  • Doors or windows that stick
  • Bowing walls at the basement

  1. Determine the Repair Method Needed

The previous steps can assist you in determining whether you can do it yourself or not. Consider hiring a repair expert in case:

  • The exterior walls or bricks are cracked
  • The exterior windows or doors are sticking and are not level with the wall
  • The chimney leans away from your house

These are indicators that the exterior walls have problems related to a damaged concrete slab. Avoid attempting to fix such problems yourself. These symptoms require the attention of a specialist.

However, you can fix the problem in case your house is constructed on the crawl space type of foundations and you are experiencing:

  • Sagging floors
  • Cracks on the interior walls
  • Sticking closet or room doors

It may be that the floor joist between the concrete pillars only requires support. If you are an experienced DIY enthusiast, you can get some post jacks from your local hardware outlet and understand how to install and use one.

Shims may be used for support where the floor joists require support above the concrete pillars. However, other situations like rebuilding piers are complex.

The conclusion is that if the indicators of a damaged foundation are seen on the property’s perimeter walls, whether outside or inside, then you will have to hire a professional.

In case your home is constructed on the crawl space foundation, and the indicators of damage are on the interior walls, then there is a possibility that you can DIY.

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