The Foundation is Repaired!

When we began our house project on Washington Street, one of our major areas of concern was the pier and beam foundation. We could tell that the floors were somewhat sloping but we weren't sure if they could be leveled without spending an arm and a leg. Several foundation companies bid on the job and we received quotes from $3,000 - $11,000.

During the bidding process, we learned a bit about the existing foundation. First of all, the home was built originally on bois d'arc posts which was common for the 1950's. Bois d'arc is an extremely hard wood that lasts for decades. At some point in time, concrete piers were added in select locations under the home to provide added stability. On top of each of those piers, wood shims were used to level the floors. Over time, those shims had flattened which is what we assumed was causing our problems.

We chose GL Hunt Foundations out of Ft. Worth for our repairs because their bid was one of the more reasonable, they have an very strong rating online and we were quite impressed by the gentleman who came out to assess the job. Chris Chamberlain is a Senior Project Manger for the company. He is a former veteran, was very knowledgeable and we hit it off right away. He agreed that the foundation did not need major repairs but only a slight leveling with new steel shims.

The repair crew from GL Hunt arrived early on foundation day and went straight to work. It was amazing to watch as our former sloping floors leveled out and the whole house became right with the world. Foreman, Eduardo Estrada, and his crew of five used hydraulic jacks to carefully raise the floor, measure each pier and add shims as needed, driving them into place with a sledge hammer.

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In addition to a traditional builder's level, Eduardo checked the floor slope every few minutes with a hi-tech tool called a ZipLevel. This fascinating gadget uses pressurized fluid that triggers sensitive measuring devices, much like an altimeter functions on an airplane. The liquid is in a long tube which looks like an extension cord that Eduardo would lay around in each room – checking the level from one end to another on a digital readout. Some corners of rooms were as much as 2-4" higher than others when the workers started. By completion, the entire house was within a 1" tolerance from one end to the other.

As a souvenir, Eduardo presented us with some of the old wooden piers that weren't needed under the house any more. They are still in remarkable shape, nearly 70 years after they were first installed. I think that we will use them as landscaping accents and they will probably last another 7 decades - nestled in some lovely flowers in the garden.

We were very please with the work performed by GL Hunt Foundations. Here is Chris Chamberlain's contact info:

Chris Chamberlain G L Hunt Foundation Repair Senior Project Manger 817-880-1034

Please tell them that you heard about them from The Urban Greenie. We are proud to include them as a supporter of our blog!

The Pro's Tip: be sure to always get at least 3 bids for any job that you have done – and be sure to read online company reviews and check their references.

Full disclosure: Thanks so much to GL Hunt Foundations for working with us. After choosing them as our foundation repair contractor, GL Hunt opted to sponsor our house project – trading foundation repairs for a review of their services.