Basement Waterproofing, Foundation Repair Contractor in Annandale, New Jersey | Crawl Space Encapsulations

Jake from Annandale, NJ had multiple signs that his foundation was settling. He noticed wall cracks in the exterior brick and changes in the way the doors and windows of his home opened and closed. Down in his basement his foundation walls had stair-step cracks with one specific wall starting to bow inward. Looking for a local Foundation Specialist to save his investment and give him peace of mind again, he contacted Quality 1st Basements. Senior Design Specialist, Ken Peare went out to meet with Jake, run a full inspection of his foundation and design the best solution possible for what he was experiencing.  

Most homeowners don't know too much about foundation settlement and so it's important to us that we educate each homeowner with enough information to understand why they have this issue and why we recommend our solution. Ken explained to Jake that when a house is built compacted soil is then back filled around the foundation to fill the hole. That compacted soil is not as strong as the virgin soil that was once there. Over time that soil can no longer hold the weight of the home causing the home to shift and settle. In the process, cracks form, doors stick, walls bow and your foundation is now compromised. 

Ken Recommended Push Piers for they stabilize the home's foundation. This solution can also lift the home back towards its original level, closing cracks and improving the operations of the doors and windows. The soil is removed from around the foundations footing, where the pier will be installed. Each Push Pier is hydraulically driven into stable soil. The weight of the home is transferred from the concrete foundation, through the steel bracket and piers, to the deep load- bearing soil. Next the team will attempt to lift the home back towards its original position. Once completed and foundation is stabilized the soil is back filled, the entire system is hidden in the  ground and your home is in its new position. 

With the help of Ken Peare and Quality 1st Basements, we were able to give Jake peace of mind that his family is now safe in their home and he has peace of mind that his biggest investment, his home is now stabilized! 

Quality 1st Basements received a call one day from Jean H. in Annandale, NJ. When speaking with our customer service representative, Kelly, she stated that her crawl space hadn't been checked on in over 10 years. Crawling inside our System Design Specialist, Laszlo Lenkey, noticed possible mold all over the walls along with efflorescence. There was about 3 inches of water and signs that pests had been living in there for quite some time. The musty odor was a sign of high humidity and Laszlo also noticed moisture on the pipes as well. Once he completed the inspection, Laszlo sat down with Jean to discuss the cause and of course, the solution. Lazlo explained that over time when the crawl space vents are not tightly sealed, water, pests and humidity find their way into the crawl space.

Remember most crawl spaces have dirt floors like Jeans and so the earth contributes a lot of water vapor into the crawl space air. The groundwater seeps and leaks into the crawl space and creates puddles that slowly over time evaporate upward into the house. This means that the nasty air that was inside Jeans crawl space was now the air she was breathing in her home. Now all the condensation in her crawl space made everything damp and wet which resulted in the rooting of her wood. This caused sagging floors because her crawl space beams were no longer strong enough to hold the structure. Overall this crawl space need some major TLC! Laszlo recommended a full encapsulation system along with our Heavy-Duty SmartJack Sytem. 

 Quality 1st Basements installed our SmartJack System which consisted of 8 total SmarkJacks. SmartJacks are used to stabilize and level the girders and floor joists in the crawl space. Once installed, the beams are stabilized and level immediately. Next CleanSpace, our moisture vapor barrier liner is installed on the walls and floor to block future water leaks and moisture that could cause rooting or mold growth This liner is a strong bright white liner making the space look brighter and clean. Our WaterGuard drainage system was installed along with our specially designed Crawl Space Sump pump known as SmartSump pump. Both together to collect the water seepage and direct it straight to the sump pump to be removed from the crawl space, keeping it dry and therefore healthy! Laszlo also recommend our Sedona Dehumidifier to prevent moisture and mold from growing, creating cleaner air inside the crawl space. Lastly the crawl space vents were tightly sealed to prevent pests, humidity and cold drafty air from traveling inside. Jean was amazed at the transformation of her crawl space and has now recommended Quality 1^st Basements to her grandchildren with homes!

It was one morning after Jane put her kids on the bus when she sat down to drink her morning coffee and noticed sections of her front porch had begun to sink and settle. Worried that the porch would continue to sink, Jane contacted Quality 1st Basements for a free estimate to have one of our Concrete Repair Specialists out to inspect the concrete settlement and offer a permanent solution. Customer Service Representative, Christine, set an appointment for Jane to meet with Jeff. She informed Jane that a packet would be set to her home with customer reviews from her local area, a profile of Jeff so she could learn a little bit more about him and also know what he looks like. Christine also sent Jane our Concrete Lifting & Leveling book that had everything she needed to know about why her porch was sinking and how Quality 1st could help.

At the time of the inspection, Jeff measured the settlement of the porch to be roughly 2 inches in one section and a little over 3 in another. He explained that because concrete is heavy and sometimes the soil underneath can no longer support the weight of the slab that the slab sinks. He then recommend PolyLevel, a polyurethane foam that is injected through penny-size holes, down underneath the slab. The foam then expands, raising the slab back to level. Once the slab is at its original state the foam begins to harden to permanently stabilize the slab. Jane was amazed that within 15 minutes of Foreman Arturo raising the porch, she was able to not only stand on it but put all her furniture back. 

It was the end of spring and summer was approaching. Kim's husband had been outside one afternoon checking the pool to make sure no damage was done over the winter since he was considering opening the pool early. When he removed the pool cover he noticed that he had two large slabs that had settled around the stairs. It not only created a gap but a big trip hazard. Knowing Kim would probably trip he googled tripping hazard removal and discovered an ad for Quality 1st Basements. Giving the number to Kim, she decdied to call the next day for a free estimate. 

Concrete Repair Specialist, Andy Gagliardi did a full inspection of the pool area to make sure those slabs were the only ones experiencing settlement. The first slab was settled about an inch or so but the second slab had settled almost 4 inches. Andy told Kim and her husband that the best way to remove the tripping hazard would be inject PolyLevel underneath the slabs. PolyLevel is a foam that once underneath, expands and hardens raising the slab back to level. Not only is it cost efficient but the foam would permanently stabilize the slabs to prevent further settlement.  

Our team came in raised the slabs back to their original level and within 15 minutes after the crew was done, Kim's husband was able to remove the pool cover and begin cleaning their pool.