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Missouri Basement

St. Charles Foundation Repair & Waterproofing

  • Healthy Home
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    • Foundation Crack Repair
  • Foundation Repair
    • Settling Foundation
      • Why Foundations Settle
      • Grip-Tite Push Pier
      • Grip-Tite Helical Pier
      • New Construction Piers
      • Street Creep
    • Bowing Walls Or Leaning Foundation Walls
      • Wall Anchors
      • Carbon Fiber
    • Crack Repair
      • Crack Injection
      • Carbon Fiber Crack Repair
  • Waterproofing
    • Water & Moisture Control
    • Humidity Control
    • Sump Pump Installation
    • Basement Products
  • Crawl Space
    • Stack Effect
    • White Cap Vapor Barrier
  • E-Z Crack Estimate
  • Financing
Missouri Basement > Foundation Repair > Settling Foundation > Why Foundations Settle

Why Foundations Settle

A settling foundation in the greater St. Louis and St. Charles Missouri area is often the first step to serious home damage, including wall cracks, tilting chimneys, sticking doors and windows, and, most importantly, the potential complete failure of the foundation itself. Foundation settlement is a common problem in Missouri and will only become worse (and more expensive to repair) over time, it's always in your best interest to begin repairs for foundation settlement sooner, rather than later.

Foundation settlement will continually compromise a structure. Eventually if it's not repaired or replaced, the foundation will fail completely, with potentially disastrous results. Foundation replacement is the most invasive, expensive, time-consuming, and disruptive solution, but if the foundation has deteriorated to a very advanced stage, it can be the only way to address the problem.

The foundation and its footings are dependent upon the soil that surrounds it to hold the foundation in place. On paper, this design should stand the test of time; however, the one variable that cannot be controlled is that the soil beneath and around the foundation is constantly changing. Unfortunately, soil conditions are rarely considered during the construction of the foundation in residential homes, it's typically a one size fits all approach in regards to foundation design. There are a variety of reasons why these foundations settle.

Expansion and Contraction of the Soil

Many clay-rich soils in Missouri can be defined as "elastic" in nature. In other words, they expand and contract with moisture content. As soils become saturated with water, the clay expands and loses strength. This condition allows the foundation to sink much the same as if you were to place a concrete block on wet mud. Many times repairs are made by simply enlarging the concrete footing by excavating holes beneath it and pouring more concrete to increase its size; this repair method is essentially just placing a larger block in the mud, it's not the size of the footing that's causing the foundation settlement, but the soil it's bearing on. Conversely, clay soils contract when moisture is taken away. Unfortunately the soils do not always lose moisture evenly, which allows one area to contract faster than another. The soils contract, the foundation loses needed support and therefore settles.

Over time, the expansion and contraction of the soils beneath your home will lead to foundation damage. Cracks, sticking doors and windows, and other signs of foundation settlement will begin to show up throughout your home.

Poor Drainage
Improper drainage can cause soil instability by creating localized areas of saturated soils, which softens the soils and allows the foundation to settle. Poor drainage can be due to the localized topography of the area, "French" drains that have become clogged with roots and soil, gutter down spouts, etc.

Poor Compaction
Many homes are built on back-filled soils, which is a common and accepted building practice. However, care must be taken to properly compact the back fill before construction of the foundation. Improperly compacted back fill will slowly consolidate, sometimes over a period of years, which will allow foundation settlement.

Plumbing Leaks
Another potential reason for your foundation problem may be due plumbing leaks that allow water to saturate or erode the soil under or around your home. The water created from this problem is constant and will only continue to deteriorate the soil conditions around your home's foundation.

Tree Roots
Many varieties of trees and large shrubs consume vast quantities of water. For example, some experts report that one large pine tree can remove as much as 30 gallons of water from the soil daily. If trees and large shrubs are located in close proximity to the foundation, excessive moisture loss can result. This will allow the soil to contract and the foundation to settle.

The Good News
Although a settling foundation problem is very serious, Missouri Basement has permanent, engineered solutions available to correct your problem. Contact us today to schedule your free foundation inspection.

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This is the ONLY business that I wanted to deal with for a 2nd time. I had used them prior and was so happy with their work, that when i had a problem, I called Todd right away. I did not have to worry in the least about their workmanship. They always do above and behind my expectations. I knew that Todd and his team were working for me and with me to do a job they were proud of. Do not hesitate if you want quality workmanship with a team that is friendly and a pleasure to work with.
Diana Canoy
Diana Canoy
16:12 19 Jun 18
Todd and his team were great. First off, Todd worked within my budget to meet the needs of my basement. The system he installed has now been tested for 1 full season, and the start of a rough one this year. Second, Todd's team was very clean and kept the dust to a minimum. On top of that, they did a great job cleaning up after the job was done. Lastly, it has now been over a year and Todd just called me again to make sure I was not having any problems with my system. He is truly passionate about the work he and his team performs. Thanks, Todd.
Ravi Patel
Ravi Patel
02:04 16 May 18
Todd and his crew did my grandmother's basement about 6 years ago, and did a great job. Unfortunately, my first home needed a full perimeter sump pump also, as well as two major cracks sealed and reinforced. If you need any kind of foundation work like that, you want to be sure it is done properly. We reached out to Missouri Basement, got a reasonable quote from Todd, and they went to work right away. They are great, honest guys that don't try to upsell you on unnecessary work. Todd was always willing to discuss any small detail or concern that I had throughout the entire process, and even called me a week or so after the job was done, just to make sure everything was still to my satisfaction. To be completely honest, I wasn't looking forward to spending that kind of money, but I realized that in order to be in a position to finish my basement properly, it had to be done. I got several bids from a few different companies. Todd's bid was about the same as another companies, but since I was already familiar with his company and work, I went with him and have been happy that I did. Todd is a great guy, his people are great, and it was an overall pleasant experience. If I need anything done like this in the future, I'll look him up again!
Nicholas Bloom
Nicholas Bloom
20:18 09 Apr 18
Todd and his team were fast, friendly, and very reasonably priced. They got me in a month earlier than scheduled, completed all the work on time, and left my basement in a far better condition than how they found it! I had a crack repaired, vapor barrier installed, a drainage system and sump pump installed. They also put in a new pad for the washer and drier. You couldn't ask for a better team, at very reasonable prices.
Michael Goulty
Michael Goulty
18:39 26 Mar 18
Thank you Missouri Basement! After being told by another company that I needed $11k worth of work done to fix my basement leaks, I called Missouri Basement for another opinion. Todd arrived on time and found the source of the leaks pretty quickly. 2 minor cracks that posed no structural threat was all I needed repaired. He also told me that I already had a drain system AND a perfectly functioning sump pump! They were very friendly to work with and left the work area spotless. Thanks again Todd and Missouri Basement for your honesty and integrity! Would definitely recommend these guys!
denise sullivan
denise sullivan
04:35 25 Mar 18
Todd and his workers did an awesome job!! They installed six piers on my foundation. It looked like the picture on his website. He did a very professional job back filling the dirt back into the hole. He did an excellent job not tearing up more of my the yard than what was required to operate the machinery. His workers were clean-cut and very professional looking. This is the second job Missouri basement has done for me. I’d go no where else for my foundation repairs.
Dave Wright
Dave Wright
20:30 05 Oct 19
Came out as scheduled and did the job neatly. Left the area cleaner than they found it. I highly recommend them. Thank you Will and DJ.
Rob Powley
Rob Powley
11:22 09 Oct 19
I highly recommend this company, my basement was leaking everywhere and it was HORRIBLE. They sold me just what I needed and nothing more. The crew was amazing and left my basement cleaner then it has never been and best of all my basement has been dry ever since and I could finally finish my basement! Thank you Missouri basement!!!
Scott Smith
Scott Smith
02:14 03 Oct 19
I highly recommend this company. I had a single crack in my basement wall that was very leaky and I got a couple of bids one company wanted me to spend 11k and get a sump pump and drainage system the other guy wanted to do the same basically and Will from missouri basement came out and told me that was basically ridiculous and informed me why amd what I needed to do to fix the problem that I have and sold me a flex shield crack repair with a lifetime warranty for under a thousand dollars. He came back and fixed it the next day and explained to me how it worked every step of the way. My basement has been dry ever since. I highly recommend this company.
Glen Mathews
Glen Mathews
00:53 02 Oct 19
Todd came out the very same day to do a free quote on my basement. He was nice and professional. Since he has been a GHOST! He wont return any calls or texts to his cell or respond to emails. He came out on a Friday and i have been waiting for my quote 5 days. I explained i am selling my home and have a strict deadline to meet for buyers inspection. Do NOT use this company if you are looking for timely responses or have deadlines. Can't even be bothered to provide the free quote that was promised! Very disappointed by great first impression and lousy follow through
Nick Fazzino
Nick Fazzino
15:07 04 Jun 19
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Main Menu

  • Healthy Home
    • Air Quality
    • Mold and Mildew
    • Radon Gas
    • Foundation Crack Repair
  • Foundation Repair
    • Settling Foundation
      • Why Foundations Settle
      • Grip-Tite Push Pier
      • Grip-Tite Helical Pier
      • New Construction Piers
      • Street Creep
    • Bowing Walls Or Leaning Foundation Walls
      • Wall Anchors
      • Carbon Fiber
    • Crack Repair
      • Crack Injection
      • Carbon Fiber Crack Repair
  • Waterproofing
    • Water & Moisture Control
    • Humidity Control
    • Sump Pump Installation
    • Basement Products
  • Crawl Space
    • Stack Effect
    • White Cap Vapor Barrier
  • E-Z Crack Estimate
  • Financing

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