Cracked Block Foundation Wall Repair Northern Virginia

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Cracked block foundation wall repair Northern Virginia or crawl space foundation walls, what are the remedies to repair this problem? If your basements or crawl space cinderblock foundation wall is cracked, it can lead to many problems in your Northern Virginia home. There are two main methods to repair a cracked CMU block foundation wall in your basement. The first and easiest is to repair the crack from the inside, and the second is to attack the problem from the exterior of your home. There are inherent problems in both of these methodologies to repair a cracked block foundation, and also advantages to each of the methods. The main advantage to repairing a cracked block basement foundation from the inside is that it tends to be much less costly. The main disadvantage of repairing a cracked block foundation from the inside is water is still able to leak into the cells of the block. Likewise, repairing your basement foundation from the outside will stop any water infiltration into your basement and into the block itself. The disadvantage of repairing a block foundation wall from the outside is it tends to be much more expensive. Fairfax Contractor has experience in performing interior and exterior basement block foundation repairs. We would be happy to come out and evaluate your particular situation and offer a free estimate and evaluation.

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Why Be Concerned About A Crack In My Cinder Block Foundation?

There are many reasons to be concerned if you have a cracked block basement foundation wall. Cracked Block Foundation Wall Repair is a specialty of Fairfax Contractor. The first , having cracks in your basement cinder blocks is an open invitation for water infiltration into your basement or crawl space. If your Northern Virginia homes basement is finished you may never know about the severity of the damage that has already been created. With the many snow and rain storms we experience in this area the ground becomes saturated with water and can slowly leak into the walls of your basement. It’s imperative that you fix these problems before major damage is created. If your basement is unfinished, you may notice when it rains you have water leaking into cracks in your cinder block basement foundation. In the worst case situation you may be experiencing flooding into your basement. At any rate both scenarios can ultimately cause damage to your household belongings, drywall, insulation, and carpeting. Left unchecked this can lead to the creation of toxic black mold. Fairfax Contractor is a expert in fixing in fixing interior basement water proofing issues, that are caused by having crack in your cinder block basement walls.

Exterior Basement Block Foundation Repair

Exterior block foundation repair can certainly be performed on the exterior of your Northern Virginia home, with outstanding results. The problem with repairing a foundation made a block from the outside is, there may be a driveway, stoop, and expensive landscaping that will have to be removed to get to the root of the problem. Sometimes if your foundation is cracked and you have basement flooding it’s time to bring in a licensed Virginia civil engineer to evaluate the problem. But if the problem is minor, and the repair can be made from the outside of your home, this is sometimes the best solution. No one wants to deal with a flooded basement, and the nature of hydro static pressure on the outside of your home can certainly force water through the cracks of your block foundation. If Fairfax Contractor or a civil engineer decides to explore solving the cracked block foundation through exterior methods, excavation of your property will be required. You may have an expensive landscaping scheme around your house that will have to be removed, hardscapes such as patios may need to be demolished, and even your stoop to get to the problem area, that needs to be repaired. The repair process of the exterior block foundation is to excavate down the level of the crack in your block basement foundation. Once we have located the crack, we will thoroughly wash down the wall to remove any dirt and debris. The crack in your basement foundation should first be sealed with hydraulic cement. Then according to Virginia code a 3/8 inch of parging consisting of 5050 mixes of fine masonry sand and Portland shall be placed over the crack area. A damp proofing coating is then applied to the to the foundation, there are many different types of waterproofing products on the market, and we utilize some of the cutting edge membranes and sealants to assure that no water will enter into your basement block walls. Once the cracks have been repaired, and damp proofed we will either back fill the area that has been excavated or install an exterior foundation drain system.

Interior Block Foundation Repair

Interior basement block foundation repair is another option to repairing a cracked block foundation wall in your Northern Virginia home. Fairfax Contractor as a unique methodology for fixing cracked basement block foundations internally. Often times the crack in your block wall can be sealed with hydraulic cement. Utilizing this technique will avoid the expense of moving landscaping, your stoop, or perhaps your driveway to get to the problem. Almost 90% of the time this method can stop water infiltration from a cracked block foundation wall without the expense. The step we utilize is to cut out the cracked mortar in your failing block foundation. Once the crack has been cut out, we then re-joint the crack with hydraulic cement. Hydraulic cement is a Portland-based mortar that sets up in 3 to 5 minutes, even with active water flowing through the cracks in your basement walls. After the cracks in your basement walls have been repaired, we will then Parge the entire area with a modified interior Portland waterproofing product. The last step in the process is to paint your basements block walls with Drylock waterproofing latex paint. This should alleviate almost all of the infiltration of water into your cracked foundation basement walls. This interior basement waterproofing process is time tested and can alleviate many flooding basement problems.