The Basics Of Mud Jacking For Foundation Repair

Foundation repair for someone’s home is often only thought of in times of an emergency.
The home owner may be sitting in his or her living room when they notice a crack in the wall, or in more severe cases, they see a large crack in the bricks on the exterior of the house. This is disturbing to say the least.

Often one’s home is their most expensive investment. Sometimes foundation problems are discovered upon the home owner wanting to sell the house and buyer has hired an independent inspector. Time and money are even more crucial because the own is trying to sell his/her home fast while making enough for a down payment on another house.

How can one fix foundation problems? Some call professionals and some do it themselves. Professionals use many different techniques and methods. Mud jacking is one process used by foundation experts to fix foundation problems. There are two methods of this this technique: filling the void and raising the interior floors.

Filling the Void

Often times, foundation problems in certain parts of Texas are the result of the perimeter of the foundation settling. When building a house concrete piers are installed under the perimeter grade beam. The first attempt to fix the problem is by using industry tools to return the house to its original position. After the readjustment, a void is usually created under the main slab.

Professionals then use a “mud jacking” technique to fill this void. This is done by drilling 2″ holes through the perimeter grade beam surrounding the house and pumping a mixture of soil and cement grout into the void. Then the holes are filled with a fluid mix of soil/cement grout.

Raise Interior Floors

In other situations, the interior portion of the slab may have settled. Mud jacking is used to raise interior floors is accomplished from the inside of your home by drilling 2″ holes through the slab in the areas that have settled and pumping a mixture of soil/cement grout under the foundation. This method uses a stiff mix of soil/cement grout and is often associated with more complicated foundation problems.

Although it sounds simple enough, this can be a delicate and involved process to do correctly. Being familiar with the common land issues around the area and through extensive experience, the process can become second nature to seasoned professionals.