What does it mean to have a raised foundation?
If your house was constructed before 1979, it almost certainly has a raised foundation of some kind, such as a stem wall, pier, beam, or cripple wall foundation. These are the three primary types of raised foundations.
The primary reasons why raised foundations were constructed were their low construction costs and ease of access.
The cost of preparing the land and building the concrete pad was significantly more than the cost of installing raised foundations. In addition, higher foundations made it easier to install heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, as well as water and gas connections.
A raised foundation is a common construction method, particularly in the San Diego area and in seaside towns.
Raised foundations start from the ground and work their way up. After the footing has been poured, the attachment of the foundation wall can begin. A sill plate and rim joists are what finish off the foundation wall at the top. After that, the walls of the exterior are joined.
After that, the ground is smoothed out beneath the house, and concrete pads anchored to posts are installed as a means of providing support for the girder beams. The girder beams are laid out in a lengthwise orientation, and the floor joists are laid out in a crisscross pattern on top of the girder beams.
After that, the subfloor is fastened down. Depending on how old your home is, the subfloors may consist of hardwood flooring, pad, carpeting, or even tile.
Homes built on raised foundations typically need to be:
During the course of your inspection, make sure to get your crawl area retrofitted with seismic jacks…
When your foundation repair specialist gets on the scene for your Foundation Inspection Compton, he will examine the integrity of your concrete pads and confirm that the posts and beams have not deteriorated. In addition, he will ensure that your foundation has not been compromised in any other way.
All of our Foundation Inspection Comptons, whether they are for a raised foundation or a slab on grade foundation, cover the same ground and include the same components.
We take measurements of the exterior of your home and keep a record of any evidence that we discover that may hint at foundation heave or foundation settlement.
Among the signs and symptoms of foundation problems are the following:
Cracked drywall
Cabinets and countertops in the kitchen that are set off from the walls
Sloping flooring
Doors and windows that won’t open properly
A reading is taken from a manometer on the interior of the house to assess whether the house is settling, heaving, or both throughout the course of the examination. These measurements are an important factor to consider when calculating the highest possible practicable recovery farther down the line in the event that a lift is necessary.
A device that determines elevations by determining the difference in vertical pressure between two fluids that are contained within the manometer’s cable is known as a manometer.
The professional will use the manometer to locate the portion of your home that is the most level, and he or she will designate that point as the starting point.
After that, the professional will go around the house and take a series of measurements. These measurements will identify the regions of the house where the floor may be bowing or sagging. When entering your home’s crawlspace, these readings can assist you to establish which parts of the house you should pay the most attention to.
Depending on how the house was constructed, crawlspaces can either be reached from the exterior or from the interior of the house. Some houses have a little aperture or door that is located on the exterior of the house. There are certain houses that have crawlspace access doors built inside the master bedroom closet.
In order to prevent insects and other vermin from entering, raised foundations are frequently fitted with screens or doors that completely isolate them from the surrounding environment. On the other hand, in order to get away from the heat, rats, and reptiles will frequently enter crawlspaces.
If you find that rats have been gnawing their way through the wiring beneath your house, you should probably think about hiring a professional pest control service.
During our examination, we will not be concentrating on any invading animals. We examine the soundness of the concrete pads, and we make certain that the posts and beams have not become degraded over the course of time. We check for signs of dampness as well as decay and spalling.
Check out RLM Retrofit Foundation right away for additional information if you live in the state of California and are interested in receiving a FREE Foundation Inspection Compton.
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