Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will foundation damage impact the value and resale of my home?
2. What is the impact on the resale value of my home after the foundation is repaired?
3. How can I choose a contractor that I can trust to repair my home?
4. Will the repair process tear up my yard and landscaping?
5. How do I know I might need foundation repair?
6. How do I know I need foundation repair now?
7. How much will it cost to repair my foundation?
8. How does foundation repair work?
9. Do I need to hire a Professional Engineer to design the repair of my foundation?
10. What can go wrong with foundation repairs?
11. What is tunneling?
12. Is there anybody else using Roger Bullivant?
13. What other repairs should only be undertaken after the foundation is repaired?
14. Measures of foundation damage - how much is too much?

Will foundation damage impact the value and resale of my home?

Un-repaired foundation damage will negatively impact the value of your home and make it more difficult to sell. Typical symptoms of un-repaired foundation damage, such as doors that wonít close, windows that wonít open, cracks in the sheetrock and tile and cracks in the exterior brick work will be pointed out to any prospective buyer by any savvy real estate agent or home inspector. Either your home wonít sell as quickly or you will not be able to realize the sales price that you might otherwise be able to.

What is the impact on the resale value of my home after the foundation is repaired?

In many areas foundation repair for your home is just as prevalent as football in the fall. While there have been no definitive surveys to answer this question, Roger Bullivant has informally polled many real estate agents and homebuyers. Roger Bullivant has determined that homes with foundation repair warranties from reputable foundation repair companies with properly executed cosmetic work have no discernible price difference from homes that did not require any repair. In some cases, a reputable foundation repair warranty was seen as a plus in a neighborhood with a history of foundation repair.

How can I choose a contractor that I can trust to repair my home?

Any foundation repair company that:

• Is providing a repair design from their engineering team and not from their commissioned salesperson
• Isnít offering a warranty longer than they have been in business
• Purchases required building permits and licenses
• Is in good standing with the Better Business Bureau
• Has workers' comp, automobile and general liability insurance

Will the repair process tear up my yard and landscaping?

Many repair providers must completely remove all landscaping surrounding the home, use heavy equipment and sometimes tunnel underneath the home. Roger Bullivant uses the patented RB Piling System which:

• Requires only hand carried equipment
• Typically requires a hole only 18î x 18î for each pile, leaving most landscaping intact
• Can easily repair interior foundation problems without tunneling underneath the home

How do I know I might need foundation repair?

Look for typical indications for foundation movement, such as:

Interior Indications

• Doors and windows that no longer easily open and close
• Large gaps between the doors and the door frames
• Cabinet doors that no longer close properly
• Cracks or ripples in vinyl or ceramic tile flooring
• Cracks in concrete floors or concrete foundation beams greater than 1/32 inch wide
• Cracks in the wall or ceiling sheet rock
• Uneven or sloping floors
• Bowed walls
• Cracks above doors or at wall corners
• Walls separating from floors

• Cracks in the exterior slab or brick work
• Mis-aligned outdoor wood trim
• Separation of wood and brick at sides of garage or at exterior corners
• Sagging or uneven brick lines
• Wood trim separation at corners

How do I know I need foundation repair now?

A Texas licensed Professional Engineer, experienced in foundation performance analysis, can make a determination of the extent of damage and estimate the likelihood of it continuing. Once differential foundation movement has caused distress to the foundation and finishes, further foundation movement can result in additional damage to windows, doors, brickwork, molding and sheetrock. In some cases, this can lead to severe water damage if the plumbing or the roof begins to leak.

How much will it cost to repair my foundation?

Foundation repair cost is dependent on:

• The area of the foundation that is affected
• The type of repair that is appropriate for the problem. For example, foundation upheaval can often be addressed with drainage improvements, while foundation settlement may be best addressed by installing a number of piles to stabilize the foundation. A Professional Engineer, abiding by the Texas Administrative Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics (Title 22, Part 6, Chapter 131, Subchapter I), can make a determination of the extent of the damage and the proper mode of repair.
• The depth of the pilings to be installed, if appropriate
• The experience and reliability of the contractor

How does foundation repair work?

There are four main categories of foundation repair technologies. These are:

• Pressed Piles
• Steel Piles
• RB Piling System®
• Simple mud-jacking, shallow spread footings and drilled piers

Pressed pile technology utilizes the weight of the home to press separate concrete cylinders into the ground. The weight of the home and the resistance of the soil determines the maximum depth attainable. In many cases this technology does not reach past the active soil layer.

Steel Pile solutions also utilize the weight of the house to press sections of steel pipe into the ground.

For proper repair and stabilization of the foundation the pile must be firmly anchored into stable soil. It must reach past the active layer of soil. If this doesnít happen the foundation has not been stabilized and foundation damage may continue.

Do I need to hire a Professional Engineer to design the repair of my foundation?

Improperly designed foundation repair may either fail or be overly expensive for the soil conditions and foundation damage. Foundation repair is expensive and should be done right the first time to avoid re-work and potential negative impact on the value of your home.

Many foundation repair providers simply have their commissioned salespersons develop their repair plans and designs. The larger the repair, the higher the commission. Using a Texas licensed Professional Engineer, abiding by the Texas Administrative Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics (Title 22, Part 6, Chapter 131, Subchapter I), will give you the benefit of the education, experience and testing required by the State of Texas to become a licensed professional.

What can go wrong with foundation repairs?

With improperly performed foundation repairs, the home can easily continue moving. In particular, when piers do not extend past the active soil layer the foundation may continue moving with the soil and the repair will only provide a short term band-aid.

What is tunneling?

Tunneling is a repair process used to install piers under interior walls of the house. It is used by a number of foundation repair providers that donít use the RB Piling System. Roger Bullivant never uses tunneling. Tunneling requires that the foundation repair team dig a tunnel completely under the house. It is done manually and typically generates a large hole under the affected areas of the house so that bulky drilling and piering equipment can be used under the foundation. It is unsafe for the repair team. It also generates a lot of excess dirt that must be removed from the site.

Is there anybody else using Roger Bullivant?

Roger Bullivant has repaired thousands of foundations for homes, offices, warehouses and other buildings in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and around the country. Roger Bullivant also is the primary foundation repair provider for many of the top ten homebuilders in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. If you would like to check our references click here.

What other repairs should only be undertaken after the foundation is repaired?

If there is any question that you may have foundation instability, it is always recommended to first have your foundation inspected. Foundation instability can cause further damage upon completion of other repairs, renovations or additions that you might undertake. This may mean you will have to repeat the repairs or, in the worst case, additional damage might be inadvertently caused.

Measures of foundation damage - how much is too much?

Foundation Failure In our experience, the surest way to start a seemingly endless debate in evaluating existing foundations is to ask them to define foundation failure. In our opinion, this debate is complicated by the differences between ěstructuralî failure and ěperformanceî failure.

From our perspective, ěstructuralî failure implies that a structural element (in this case, of the foundation) has failed to carry the load applied to it. We feel that ěperformanceî failure implies that a structural element (in this case, the foundation) has failed to perform as designed.

In the case of foundations, there are wide differences in opinion between what constitutes both ěstructuralî and ěperformanceî failure. On one hand, some engineers consider any crack a structural failure, while at the other extreme; some feel that as long as the structure doesnít collapse, the foundation has not failed to carry the applied load. Similarly, some engineers feel that very minor cracking of the house finishes due to foundation movement is a performance failure, while at the other extreme, some feel that as long as the house is safe, sanitary and livable, a performance failure has not occurred.

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In our opinion, clarification of these issues is best provided in ěGuidelines for the Evaluation and Repair of Residential Foundations, Version1î, by the Texas Section, American Society of Civil Engineers (available for purchase at texasce.org) in section 5 entitled ěEvaluation Criteria.î Section 5 avoids the use of the term failureî altogether, instead focusing on evaluating ěstructural integrity (strength)î and ěperformance (serviceability).î The guidelines outline a number of visual indications and conditions to consider when evaluating both structural integrity and performance. Specific reference is made to ědeflection (bending or angular distortion)î and ětilt (planar rotation)î. In our experience, the distress resulting from deflection are far more often noticeable than tilt. The reason for this is that a foundation that moves as a plane is generally ěstifferî and, therefore, does not cause significant cracking and distress in the foundation and finishes. As a result, tilting foundation only becomes a performance issue when floor slopes become noticeable. The guidelines state in section 5.7 that a floor slope greater than 1 percent is usually noticeable.

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Deflection or bending, on the other hand, often does result in noticeable cracking and distress. The guidelines, therefore, offer the more stringent criteria of L/360 (0.28%) as a reference for overall deflection, while cautioning that the engineer must consider more than just a single floor elevation survey in evaluating deflection.

In conclusion, in order to answer the ěhow much is too much?î question when it comes to foundation damage requires an experienced professional that follows accepted guidelines.