Foundation Repair

One common misconception about trees on a Colorado property is that the tree roots will damage your foundation. The truth is, it isn’t really the tree roots themselves that cause the problem, but the soil. When tree roots grow to an extent to find moisture, they push the soil around and displace it. Displaced soil will be a lot looser on your property, allowing for easier soil erosion. Properties with loose soil tend to have more foundation and concrete settling problems.

If you have a tree that is close to your home, you might want to consider getting a root barrier to discourage root growth. If you aren’t able to get one, you might have to cut the tree and replant another one farther from your foundation. Trees should be 15 to 20 feet away from the house. You can also look up smaller trees that have roots that don’t extend as much as others. These trees are ideal for planting on a property if you want one but you’re worried about foundation damage.

If you’re worried about how your property will look, remember that your foundation’s health is important too, not just the way your house looks. Beautiful trees can always be replanted, but continuously paying for repairs is not ideal. If you’re unsure about whether your tree is causing foundation damage, give us a call for a free inspection.

Foundation settling often gets detected after the house is falling apart. If you’ve spotted the problem signs and have determined that your foundation is failing, you need to act fast. Settling only gets worse with time, which means that what you are seeing will become more of a problem later on. If allowed to go on for too long, the house may even become too structurally unsound to live in. Before that happens, call your local foundation experts for repairs.

Foundation problems are not something you can just DIY, like a paint job or hanging a painting. For the job to be done right, professional solutions are required. At Peak Structural, we provide the best foundation repair options for the homeowners of Denver, Colorado Springs, and the Pikes Peak region, such as helical piers and push piers. These pier support systems will permanently stabilize your foundation and completely stop the settling. The piers even have the potential to lift your home and even it out again.

After repairs are done, you can go about repairing any damage created by the foundation settling. If any door and window frames are warped, get them replaced. If any walls have cracks, get those patched up. It’s not worthwhile to repair your home when it’s settling, since anything that isn’t a support pier will not stop the damage caused by settling. If you haven’t already, also consider waterproofing your foundation, since some problem with the foundation drainage may have caused the settling.

Foundation settling is something that affects the entire household. There are many signs that point towards this issue, and they are very easy to spot, especially if the settling has been going on for a while. The tricky thing about detecting foundation settling is that the problem signs are often treated like isolated incidents. Homeowners look at the many structural issues caused by settling and try to fix them without being able to fix the root of the problem. By knowing what to look for and understanding how it all ties in with foundation failure, you’ll be able to identify and subsequently get the necessary repairs.

The first thing you want to look for is damage to the walls and ceiling. Because part of the house is sinking, the other half is carrying a tremendous weight that is causing the walls and ceilings to crack. Doors and windows become jammed frequently since the settling is warping and breaking the frames. In your basement or crawl space, the joists and supports begin to sink along with the rest of the foundation, causing uneven floors. If you have any interior columns, these will also begin to break and tilt, and you can measure this with a level ruler.

Damage to the actual foundation is also easy to see if you have a basement. The basement walls can bow inwards and crack as it bears the pressure of a settling home. The cracks along the walls and floor of the basement will also make it easier for groundwater to get in, so if your basement gets flooded frequently and you see structural damage, it’s most likely because of foundation settling. Structural damage can be seen outside the home as well, usually around the bottom half. One sure-fire indicator of foundation settling is stair-step cracks along mortar walls.

Colorado foundation problems can be caused by different issues. However, many are traced back to one source – the soil. Some of these issues include improperly compacted fill soils, poor soil maintenance and expanding or contracting soil bases. They may appear to be irreparable, but they can be easily fixed if caught in time.

Various soil types exist throughout Colorado, but three main ingredients make up these soil types and their textures – sand silt, and clay, and any combination of the three. Sandy soils tend to drain water faster, silt has more intermediate drainage properties, and clay is more likely to hold onto water.

Colorado is infamous for its expansive Bentonite clay soil that is particularly problematic for foundations. Because the area is prone to periods of drought, this soil can drastically shrink and leave voids and improper support for your foundation.

If your foundation is failing, there are various problem signs you’ll notice throughout your home. Do any of these issues sound familiar?

• Bowing Walls 
• Wall Cracks (Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal, Stair-Step) 
• Collapsing Retaining Walls 
• Floor Crack 
• Uneven Floor 
• Sagging Crawl Space 
• Foundation Settlement 
• Tilting Chimney 
• Sticking Windows & Doors

We use only the best foundation repair solutions. The products we use are manufactured right here in the United States, and they are tested and proven to permanently repair and protect your home. 

Every home and foundation is different, and each requires its own unique set of repairs. Our solutions are not “one size fits all,” and can be customized to meet your specific repair needs. 

Engineered to withstand the toughest forces, our dependable wall reinforcement and piering systems are made with galvanized steel to prevent rust, corrosion and damage, offering you a strong and permanent solution.