Tilting Chimney Fixed in Green Village, NJ

Monday, January 18th, 2016 by Sarah Gozick

Challenge

A Morris county, NJ homeowner noticed something startling about his home. His chimney was tilting away from the house and there was a steadily growing gap between the side of the wall and the chimney. He looked up the problem online, worried that he would wake up one morning to the sound of the chimney falling off the house. He found a video of Quality 1st Basement Systems restoring a tilting chimeny that looked similar to his and was impressed with the immediate, permanent results. Right away, he gave Quality 1st Basement Systems a call.

Solution

Foundation specialist Collin Peare visited the Green Village property to inspect the tilting chimney. He knew right away that the best solution to fix a tilting chimney are helical piers. Collin explained to the homeowner that the tilting chimney is a sign of a larger foundation settlement problem. When foundation settles, the soil below the home cannot support the weight of what is above, causing sinking, bowing, or tilting. Just attaching the chimney back to the wall would only hide the problem temporarily and would not fix it. Foundation problems only get worse over time, but a solution is available and possible. The installation team went to work to fix this home's settling foundation!

The crew removed the soil around the installation area to prepare it for the helical piers. Then, they advanced long piers deep into the soil and attached a bracket against the footing of the foundation. The weight of the chimney is transfered to the piers, allowing the piers to move the chimney back into position, close to the house. After installation, the soil was replaced and covered up. Helical piers are hidden from view and don't cause any unsightly damage to the property. Installation was fast and the fix was noticable right away. This Morris County homeowner is impressed with the work done! He is thankful that he called Quality 1st Basement Systems and fixed his problem the best way possible, keeping his family safe and secure.