Your Trusted Salem Foundation & Crawl Space Experts

    Interior settlement can be the result of a few factors. The moisture level and air quality in the crawl space is usually a good evaluation starting point. In many cases, like this on, the moisture levels have eroded the wood load beams to the point where the floors are sagging. Home owner TJ Hafner of Salem, OR searched the internet for a foundation stabilization company and found TerraFirma.

    Upon inspection by System Design Specialist, Ryan Lahley, the main load beam had began to soften due to moisture and humidity levels, and the floors were sagging. By installing a series of 4 Smart Jacks directly underneath the load beam, we were able to re-support the structure and restore strength to the floors. Smart Jacks are easy to install and easy to adjust allowing you to permanently maintain a sturdy interior foundation year round.

    Whether your home is 10 years or 50 years old, settlement can just as likely occur. In fact, recently we have noticed more and more new homes experiencing settlement issues. This could be for a combination of reasons, the main two are that builders are cutting corners and not properly installing the foundation, or the soil in which the house is built, is simply prone to settle. Albany home owner Rick C. noticed a large crack in his foundation and after searching the internet for a capable foundation repair specialist, he called TerraFirma for a free inspection.

    In this 8 year old home with the cracking and settlement all on one side, push piers are a perfect solution permanently stabilize his foundation. Push piers are hydraulically driven into the ground to load bearing soil or bed rock. After sufficient capacity is reached, the weight of the home is transferred on to the piers and, presto, Rick's home is now permanently stabilized.

    Regardless of the age of your home, it is massively important to check for the warning signs of foundation settlement: Foundation cracks, drywall cracks, sticking doors and windows. The problem doesn't fix itself and only get worse.

    Sherwood, OR home owner Doug K. had some unexpected visitors and has for quite some time. Mice have infested his crawl space, entering through the garage, chewing away at the insulation around piping and nesting in the ceiling insulation. After searching online for a company that could help him with his visiting varmints, Doug called TerraFirma to help.

    To vacate the unwanted company, a complete crawl space encapsulation system was proposed by System Design Specialist Kevin Miller. By isolation the house from the earth with Cleanspace, insulating the walls, and blocking off vents, there is now zero way any mouse can get in or out of the area.

    In completing Doug's encapsulation project, the mice are nowhere to be seen, and he enjoys the added benefits of encapsulation including lower energy bills, less energy consumption, cleaner air circulation and added comfort. 

    Home owners Rich and Jill of Mcminnville, OR are experiencing some sagging on the first floor of their home. The reason was that after construction, the weight of the furniture was just too much for the flooring and load beams to handle. After an inspection by Adam Lounsbury, there was no sign of mold or rot in the load beams, just simply too much weight. To restore structural integrity, a 3 Smart Jack system was installed.

    Since there is a basement to this home, 6' Smart Jacks were needed and will be installed under the first floor pads that have sunk. Smart Jack Post Replacements were installed at 2 of the Smart Jack locations to provide optimal strength. This project took no longer than half a day and we were finished before Rich and Jill knew it.

    After completion of this quick fix'er up, Rich and Jill are no longer bouncing in their house while walking through, and they are confident it will be like this for time to come. 

    There are many different ways, systems and products that can aid in foundation stabilization. Some solutions are better than others taking into consideration weight of the structure, soil conditions, severity of settlement etc. Helical piers can be applied to both heavy and light weight structure such as stoops, decks, wing walls, and in this application a settling barn.

    There are four steps to successfully installing a helical pier or helical anchor: Excavation of the foundation. Advancement of the helical pier shaft in which the piers are mechanically screwed into the soil. Once appropriate depths and capacities have been achieved, the pier system in mounted to the foundation bracket, which is secured to the foundation footing. Lastly the weight of the home is transferred to the piers.

    Four simple steps to permanently stabilize heavy and light weight structures. 

    Salem home owner Richard S. was concerned with the amount of water beginning to accumulate in his crawl space. His main concern was that the water vapor would be soaked up by the wood load beans weakening his foundation. Also he wanted to cease any possibility of mold development. Richard saw our booth at the Albany home and remodel show and scheduled a free inspection.

    Richard's single goal was to control the water issue. He wanted to keep his crawl space dry all the time. By installing drain tile and smart pipe, all water entering the crawl space is collected and drained towards a Smart Pump sump pump for mechanical removal.

    This is the first step in total crawl space encapsulation, which is Richards ultimate goal. He has step 1 of 4 complete by controlling all groundwater seepage.

    After noticing a large gap between the interior wall and floor around the front corner of their home, owners Cleora and Elaine figured they had some sort of soil or foundation settlement. After seeing a commercial for TerraFirma and how they could solve foundation settlement issues, Cleora and Elaine called immediately to schedule a free appointment out of the fear their situation would become worse and more expense to fix over time.

    Adam Lounsbury was sent out by TerraFirma to inspect the settlement. After examining the area and presenting the facts to Cleora and Elaine, a solution was agreed upon that would not only permanently stabilize the foundation, but lift it as well, closing up the gap between the wall and floor. A series of 5 push piers were installed around the front corner of the home to achieve this goal.

    Cleora and Elaine now have a permanently stabilized foundation that will stay that way for many years to come.

    As found in many Salem, OR homes, the area underneath the living potion of the house is sometimes a crawl space and basement hybrid. When moisture issues arise in these types of houses the problems can be very complex depending on how the space is being used. Storage? Spare room? Bonus room? Bedroom? And how would you feel if mold was getting in to all of your things including the air you breathe? TerraFirma and their professional Design Specialists and Installers tackle crawl space and basement issues like this every single day. After Salem, OR home owners John & Ellen R. stopped by our booth at the Salem Yard, Garden and Patio Show, they scheduled a TerraFirma representative to visit them for a free estimate immediately. 

    Bryan Cantrell from TerraFirma helped design a system for John and Ellen's basement/crawl space that achieved their goals. What they wanted to do was to keep their basement and crawl space dry ALL the time. Waterguard was installed throughout the area perimeter to collect ALL of the water entering the home seeping through the walls and coming up from the ground. Waterguard rests on top of the foundation footing and drains into a sump pump for mechanical removal. Discharge lines were directed far away from the house to ensure the water didn't re-enter the foundation. 

    After removing the existing mold from John and Ellen's home and installing an efficient waterproofing system throughout under their home, they can be confident their basement/crawl space will stay dry ALL of the time and their mold problems are a thing of the past.

    There is an added level of home comfort that comes with encapsulating your crawl space. It could be the money your save on heating bills, could be the cleaner air you breath throughout the home, or it could be the warmer, more consistent temperatures in the living areas. Any one you pick, you can be sure to be happy just like Lou and Joyce M. of Salem, OR are now.

    By installing a proper drainage system, Smart Pump sump pump, Cleanspace liner and a dehumidifying unit, Lou and Joyce enjoy all three of the benefits above just as any home owner should. By solving their crawl space issues sooner rather than later, they can enjoy these benefits themselves before they sell the home which now has higher value. An all around win-win.

    Margie K. and her husband in Salem, OR have lived in the same home for nearly 15 years. Her and her husband are ready to move and want to get the property in the tip-top shape for highest value on the market. As their foundation and home is still in great shape, the next step was to fix cosmetic issues. Their first step was to level various sinking slabs around the home.

    After learning about TerraFirma Concrete Leveling from System Design Specialist Jason Klein, they decided this was the best solution for the issue. Our concrete leveling solution is a lightweight Polyurethane that is injected under sinking slabs providing support and lifting them back flush with their surroundings. A penny sized hole is drilled into the sinking cement slab above the voided area and polyurethane is injected. The polyurethane foam expands to raise the slab evenly and cures within 15 to 20 minutes after application. This process was done on three slabs around the property.

    This is a great solution to raise and support sinking slabs around the home back to new without the destruction and price of completely replacing them.

    Thinking about the original construction of a home there are some major flaws. It starts with the dig out for the initial foundation. Soils, compacted over hundreds or even thousands of years are dug up and disrupted. Fast forward to after the home is constructed and soil is filled back in around the home. This new, loosely compared soil has completely different properties and characteristics than the original packed soils and can pose a threat to your home.

    Water fills in to these areas of loose back fill, increasing the hydrostatic pressure on the exterior of the foundation wall as volume increases. When these pressures are too much, the structural integrity of the foundation wall fails and begins lean, twist and bend. For home owners Jerry and Mary B. or Salem, OR, we were able to help them straighten and restrengthen their foundation with Geo-Lock Anchors.

    By attaching one end of the anchor to the interior side of the foundation wall and connecting it with rod to the anchor plate secured a distance out from the home, the foundation walls are literally able to be screwed upright. Gradually over time, and by increasing the tension of the connection rod, your foundation falls will be straight with restored structural integrity just like Jerry and Mary's.

Settling soils don't care if your home was built in 2000 or 1900. In fact many new houses are experiencing settlement issues, both interior and exterior, because all the good, stable soil has already been built upon. This 1997 home in Dallas, Oregon was experiencing interior settlement causing wall cracks in the dry wall and the front end of the home to slip.

As diagnosed by Ryan Lahley, there were two reasons for this interior settlement. The first was obvious, in that simply, the soil was settling in the middle of the house causing the floors to sag, the cracks to form and the front end of the home to slip. The second reason was due to improper water drainage in the crawl space creating pools which ate away at the wood supports.

The solution, to permanently fix both of these issues, was to install a series of Smart Jacks and a new waterproofing system. By securing Smart Jacks under the main wood supports, we were able to restore strength and stability to the inner sagging floors. Next, by installing a crawl space perimeter drain tile and smart drain to collect water and a sump pump to remove the water, we were able to manage the water levels.

We have done work for these homeowners in the past and they continue to be pleased with our services. Their foundation is now permanently stabilized around the perimeter, throughout the interior and waterproofed under the home. A comprehensive solution to restore piece of mind and value.

Complete wall failure is the result of not paying attention to the symptoms and signs your house if giving off that soil settlement has occurred and is currently happening underneath the house. Home foundation issues unfortunately, don't fix themselves. In fact they worsen and become more expensive to repair over time. What occurred in Salem was just this, vertical and horizontal settlement, which caused the house to shift, cement patio slabs that sunk and shifted out of place and 15 years of neglect to fix. As foundation experts, we provide services to permanently stabilize the effects of soil settlement, restore strength and integrity to failing walls and repair unsightly slab cracks and voids.

As designed by System Design Specialist Ryan Lahley, this home needed some serious stability work done before the entire perimeter foundation failed. 20 push piers were evenly spread throughout 2/3 of the foundation. By evenly spacing 20 piers, we can achieve uniform stabilization and potential lift easier. 2 lateral support piers were installed along with the push piers to give the walls added support, and Carbon Armor interior wall strips were installed to provide extra lateral stability. Lastly, to "face-lift" the property, a lightweight polyurethane concrete leveling product was installed under all sinking cement slabs to close up cracks, fill voids, and raise slabs level with the rest of the area.

After a successful installation, this house in permanently stabilized and looking new again. Stabilization projects to this magnitude are always amazing to see the before and after results. It's like getting a new foundation and patio for a small fraction of the price.

Water loves to collect in basements and finds it's unwelcome way through joint cracks, cold cracks, even up through the basement floor. Since concrete is relatively porous, water will find the path of least resistant and is forced into the home by external hydrostatic pressure. Salem, Oregon sees a significant amount of rainfall, meaning saturated soils and higher levels of hydrostatic pressure. The result, more water entering your home.

Patricia H. was experiencing these effects in her family built 1975 home. She was really concerned about the excess amounts of water getting into her basement that was mostly getting through the cold joints around the entire perimeter of the basement. She was also concerned with dehumidifying the air and improving the air quality throughout the entire home. Upon inspection, we confirmed her notion and was able to install three simple products to take care of all Patricia H.'s concerns. 

Waterguard was installed around the perimeter of the basement which drained to a sump pump for water removal and a dehumidifying unit to control the air. A very simple project which accomplished two goals. The basement is now a livable space, and the air throughout the entire house in healthier. Patricia H. is much happier with her home and is much comfortable living in it.

Frequently we are approached by home inspectors or realtor groups with homes that need immediate attention. We are able to provide that immediate attention and help our home inspector and realtor partners get homes in the best possible condition for purchase. Gorilla Capitol is actively engaged in the revitalization of local neighborhoods and increasing neighborhood property values. We at TerraFirma couldn't agree more with this statement and  are always happy to help.

In the back bedroom we found some water intrusion but mainly black mold at bottom of walls. We are going to waterproof the bedroom and bathroom with Waterguard and tie it all to a sump pump located in closet with feed line cut out of the bedroom and diagonal across the hallway to the closet. We will also install SaniDry ducted in this same closet. SaniDry will be ducted to the basement. We installed both of these units away from the normal foot traffic of the house and out of sight.

Gorilla Capitol is happy to have improved a local neighborhood and house, which they and we know the new homeowners will be very happy with for a long time.

New home science and system, thinking and technology has taken the forefront of homeowners minds. There are many ways to improve the health and quality of your home, but there are very few who have the right technology and the expertise to install it correctly. Each aspect of your home plays a crucial role in your total home health, and it starts with the crawl space.

New air flows in from the bottom of the home and out through the top. A crawl space that has not been encapsulated and conditioned properly has unwanted air continuously entering the home, and wanted air leaving. A little backwards if you ask me. The Mann's home was experiencing this dilemma and their energy bills and comfortability were the victims. After installing Cleanspace liner, SilverGlo wall insulation, blocking off the vents and installing and sump pump and dehumidifier, the Mann's have not only seen more consistent temperatures and comfort in their home, but their energy expenses are much lower and efficient. In due time, this new home system will pay for itself. This is a project every homeowner should have done sooner rather than later.