Bad Weather Warriors and Concrete Repair

Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge destroyed foundation walls along the Jersey shore. But foundation repair contractors like Quality 1st have engineered products to rebuild foundations stronger and (in some cases) higher to better withstand future storms.

Quality 1^st Basement Systems is no stranger to natural disasters that damage homes. Since 1987, the Perth Amboy company has built a reputation for all kinds of concrete and foundation repairs, including waterproofing systems to protect basements and crawl spaces from water seepage. Their role in coping with the devastation wrought by hurricane Sandy began even before the storm arrived.

“In the run-up to Sandy, we installed about 100 sump pumps in just six days,” recalls Bob Cherry, general manager at Quality 1^st. “People remembered losing power after hurricane Irene, so they wanted battery backup systems to keep sump pumps operational in the event of a power failure,” he explains.

Of course, even a state-of-the-art sump pump couldn’t protect beachfront houses that were hit by Sandy’s storm surge. But Quality 1^st began addressing these major concrete repairs even before they had power restored to their headquarters on State Street.

Jazz Pared, marketing coordinator for Quality 1^st, helped organize volunteers to clean up Perth Amboy’s storm-ravaged waterfront over the weekend of Nov. 3. –an effort that included mayor Wilda Diaz, state senator Bob Menendez and dozens of local high school students.

Although Quality 1^st was without electricity for two weeks, crews were able to get out, assess foundation damage, and schedule restoration work. Normally, contractors can’t begin to reconstruct foundation walls in sandy soil that’s still wet and loose. But Quality 1^st has access to steel helical piers that can be driven into the soil like giant screws, providing solid support for footings and foundation walls.

“In our concrete repair work, we’ve used these piers extensively to overcome weak soil conditions,” Cherry explains. “They’ll definitely help to speed the reconstruction process, while also increasing the wall’s strength and stability.”

Some homeowners aren’t just rebuilding their foundations; they’re also raising and reinforcing them, according to Cherry. “In addition to helical piers, we have other engineered products that enable us to make foundations stronger,” he says. “And we’ve been building and repairing houses long enough to know what works and what doesn’t.”

For additional information, visit Quality 1st Basement Systems online.