Foundation Repair Monrovia

As a small rural town sitting beyond the outskirts of Frederick, Maryland, Monrovia isn’t much more than an exit for highway travelers moving along I-70. It’s a lot more than that to the people who live there, however, and it has the advantage of being mostly the same for decades or even longer. That’s a lot of living history to have in your daily life, but there is a catch to go with it: it’s also a lot of repairs that need to be made on old buildings and old foundations.

The Power Of Time

According to the experts, there are exactly two kinds of foundation: those that haven’t cracked yet, and those that have. A well-made foundation can last for decades easily, but between soil pressures, the effects of water, and the simple passage of time, it will eventually start to buckle, break, and fall apart.

Many foundation specialists offer 50 years as the time when foundations start to fail, but then that’s only a guideline for when to really start paying attention. A solid construction can keep going for decades more, especially if you keep on top of foundation repair in Monrovia and every other town and city with old buildings.

The Difference 100 Years Makes

There are also a few other factors that can affect how long a foundation will last. Just 50 years ago, home construction involved certain practices we would consider completely unacceptable today. Things like asbestos insulation and lead paint are standout examples, but that’s not the complete list.

Our understanding of concrete and curing methods has advanced, too, not to mention the waterproofing methods we use to keep basement walls clean and dry. As a result, century-old foundations are more likely to break and fail, and not just because it’s gone through more years of service.

There’s also the fact that not every building gets a top-of-the-line foundation. Sometimes, people cut corners, or else they go with a cheaper option to save money. However, when it comes to foundations, paying less up front means having to pay more for foundation repair in Monrovia and other communities later.

For instance, many basements built on a budget or built during housing booms use mortared concrete blocks instead of solid concrete for the walls, since concrete blocks are easier to transport and cheaper to install. But there’s a downside: the mortar seams are weak points that tend to crack and let water in or else bow inwards thanks to the lateral earth pressure produced by the surrounding soil.

The Benefits Of Foundation Repair

Foundation repair in Monrovia doesn’t have to lead to a second mortgage. Replacing an old, rotten foundation can cost an arm and a leg, but even in most serious cases you don’t have to go that far. Instead, you can repair cracks, reinforce bowing basement walls, and prop up a foundation that’s starting to settle unevenly. Most of these repairs are still expensive, but fixing foundation problems is a direct investment or reinvestment into the property value.

For instance, if water is seeping in through a crack, AA Action Waterproofing can solve the problem by finding the source of water and redirecting it, and then by cutting out any damaged or weakened concrete and replacing it with fresh concrete. If we notice any bowing walls, we can stabilize them by grinding the bowing area flat and then reinforcing the wall with steel or carbon fiber. If the situation calls for something more serious, we can drop anchors into the solid soil or solid rock beneath the top layers and connect them to the walls with steel rods.

Stabilizing a settling foundation can be tricky, but the concept is simple enough. One way is called slabjacking, and it involves pumping a concrete grout underneath parts of the foundation until the slab becomes level again. The other major method is called piering, and it involves driving steel or concrete posts directly into the ground to support the foundation’s weight.

And if you’re looking for a foundation repair in Monrovia or in any other part of Maryland, or even if you live in a nearby state, you can contact AA Action Waterproofing to set up a free initial inspection and a no-obligation estimate where we tell you what work you probably need to do and about how much our services will cost you. We’ve had just about 30 years of experience at this point, and thanks to our policies it won’t hurt you a bit to ask.