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Terre Haute, IN

Terre Haute, IN, has soil that can be problematic, so watching out for moisture issues and concrete and foundation settling is a must for homeowners in this city.

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Basement and Crawl Space Waterproofing in Terre Haute

A little rain here and there never hurt anybody. However, many basements or crawl spaces are not capable of handling even a small amount of rain. In comparison to other cities, Terre Haute, IN, doesn’t get a whole lot of rain. Still, crawl spaces and basements cannot drain water out themselves. Because of this, even the slightest bit of water that finds its way into your basement or crawl space will cause problems.

Humidity seems as harmless as the rain outside, but because it encourages mold growth, it is the most dangerous thing that can fall upon your Terre Haute home. Mold in wood is called wood rot, and it completely destroys your wooden floor support joists. Without solid support, your floors will sag and feel bouncy whenever you step on certain spots.

Because of the stack effect, 50% of the air you breathe in your Terre Haute home comes from your basement or crawl space. Mold loves damp, dark places, which is why it’s so common to see mold in basements or crawl spaces that have not been waterproofed. The mold spores in the air rise into your home and trigger allergies and irritation after long-term exposure. To protect yourself and your home’s structure, your basement or crawl space needs to be completely waterproof.

Basements or crawl spaces are constantly getting wet and humid, yet they cannot drain water or moisture without outside help. This is where our AquaStop sump pump series comes in. Whether it’s a basement or a crawl space, our sump pump units can drain water that gets into the crawl space itself.

It’s also essential to have a way to collect this water in the first place. Interior drainage systems like AquaStop BasementGutter™ for the basement and AquaStop CrawlDrain™ for the crawl space intercept leaking water and direct it to the sump pump system. Vapor barriers stop water vapor from seeping in through the concrete walls. They are a necessary part of moisture control and an even more important part of thermal control. To prevent humid, moldy areas from reaching the upper portions of our home, we recommend AquaStop ExTremeBloc™, a reliable insulation product for crawl spaces or basements.

Terre Haute Foundation Repair

helical pier with gram and concrete on soil

When was the last time you inspected your Terre Haute home’s foundation for damage? Foundation settling and bowing basement walls can creep up at any time, so it’s important to check the status of your basement or crawl space every once in a while. These structural problems advance so severely that your entire house gets affected. Before you know it, you don’t only have to repair your basement or crawl space, you have to repair something in every room in your house.

For the homeowners in Terre Haute, IN, Indiana Foundation Service has the best solutions on the market for foundation problems. Settling can be stopped with push piers and helical piers, which are permanent support systems that stop settling and even can lift your foundation. Even if your walls are bowing inward, we have a solution for that too in the form of wall anchors, wall beams, and carbon fiber supports.

Concrete Lifting in Terre Haute

The soil in Terre Haute, IN, is a bit deceptive. The topsoil is silt loam, which is one of the best soil types out there for both agriculture and buildings. However, the further down you go, the more clay you’ll find in the soil. Clay soils are disruptive because of the way they erode. When they are saturated with water, they expand, but when dry, they come closer together and lose surface volume.

Even though we cannot see this process happen, it is incredibly disruptive for the concrete slabs around your Terre Haute home. If the soil under a slab shrinks and leaves a gap, then the next time the slab has to withstand weight, it will settle against the compacted soil. Concrete settling is dangerous because walking on an uneven path puts you at risk of tripping. This danger is amplified if the settling is occurring on concrete steps.

At Indiana Foundation Service, our solution to this problem is SettleStop PolyRenewal™. Our installers drill holes into the slab and inject polyurethane foam. Once the gap left by the soil has been filled and the slab has been lifted, the crew fills the holes back up and the foam is left to harden for 15 to 30 minutes. After the job is done, your Terre Haute property’s slab will be supported by the secure polyurethane instead of the unstable soil. SettleStop PolyRenewal™ can be used on patios, pool decks, sidewalks, garage floors, and driveways.

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FAQs

About Waterproofing, Crawl Spaces & Foundation Repair in Terre Haute

Concrete flaking (also known as concrete spalling) refers to a type of surface deterioration that can occur on a concrete structure. Concrete flaking is caused by exposure to things that can displace the concrete’s particles, like water. Like the name implies, concrete flaking looks like the surface of the concrete is flaking off like paint. You can test to see if your concrete is flaking by dragging a sharp object across the surface of the concrete. If it creates a white line, then the concrete is structurally sound; but, if it flakes off, you know you have a problem.

Concrete flaking is different from concrete pitting, which is another form of deterioration. With concrete pitting, the concrete forms craters along the surface because the concrete itself is structurally weak. Concrete flaking, on the other hand, occurs because of external forces, not because of the strength of the concrete. Concrete flaking can occur on any kind of concrete around your Terre Haute home, but it’s more likely to happen on the concrete outside. For example, if you have concrete slabs near your garden, any chemicals you use for your plants can fall on your concrete and displace the particles, causing flaking.

Flaking is problematic because it makes your concrete look ugly. Not only that, but it also accelerates concrete settling. A deteriorating slab is a lot more porous than one that is structurally intact, so water is able to reach the soil a lot more easily. If your concrete is flaking, then you need to minimize its exposure to moisture and chemicals as much as you can, or you’ll be dealing with more than just surface deterioration in the future.

Having a chimney can sometimes be useful when trying to spot structural problems. If your chimney is cracked and leaning to the side, then it means that your home is experiencing some form of settling. There are three ways a house can settle, but only two ways can result in a cracked or tilting chimney. With uniform settling, the house is sinking straight down and minimal tilting is present, but with tilting and differential settling, the house shifts to the side.

The moment you notice something wrong with your chimney, look for other signs around your Terre Haute house to take action and prevent further damage. Settling occurs when a soil layer under your home erodes. The foundation settles against the eroded layer, resulting in an uneven home. Tilting settlement and differential settlement both describe how the house shifts to one side when settling. Tilting settling is pretty straightforward, and it’s just the house sinking on one side, so the chimney leans as the house sinks.

Differential settlement is a little more complicated. Because the house is sinking to one side, the weight of the home is unevenly distributed, so a part of the foundation begins to break away from the home. This puts a huge strain on the walls, columns, and the chimney itself. When this happens, not only is the chimney tilting, but the weight of the uneven house is also causing it to break apart, which is why chimney cracks are a good indicator of foundation settling.

Push piers are rods made out of galvanized steel. They are used to repair settling foundations and provide support in a way that soil cannot. Push piers are similar to another type of foundation pier system, helical piers, except that they rely on different things to get the job done. While helical piers need to be drilled into the ground to reach load-bearing soil, push piers are hydraulically pushed in. Push piers work best under certain conditions, so not everyone can get them installed.

Before you ask yourself whether push piers can lift your Terre Haute home, you need to know if push piers are right for your home. That’s where the expertise of local foundation repair professionals comes in. These experts can perform a thorough evaluation of your home and its foundation and then determine whether push piers are an appropriate solution.Here are some things experts consider. Push piers support your home by applying an incredible amount of pressure up onto your home. However, because of this upwards pressure it supplies, it needs to be held down by something that provides equal force. Because of this, push piers are recommended for bigger homes capable of providing that force and keeping the piers in their place. If your home isn’t heavy enough, then you might need helical piers instead.

If push piers are installed on your property, then the upwards force they exert just may be able to lift your foundation. This is more than what can be said for other foundation pier systems, like concrete piers. Concrete piers only stop the foundation from settling further and cannot exert any kind of force to lift the home. Not to mention, they are short-term solutions because they crumble due to the pressure; so, push piers are recommended as a permanent solution.

Bowing walls can be recognized by spreading cracks, cosmetic damage, and visible unevenness in the surface of the walls themselves. This issue can be caused by a number of different factors, but the most common and likely are issues with a property’s foundation and issues in the soil.  

Foundation Problems 

Your property’s foundation is hugely important to its entire structure. Any damage to your foundation, no matter how slight, can cause serious issues throughout the structure, health, and safety of your home. As such, bowing walls are just one example of secondary damage which can occur as a result of foundational issues.  

The most common foundational problems are subsidence and settlement. Both issues include sinking of some kind, either widespread (the entire home) or localized (just one portion of your home). Subsidence, for example, is a process by which the whole property, or a large portion of it, sinks into the ground while settlement is a process which causes chunks of a foundation to break away and sink into voids beneath the property. Either way, the main issue tends to be in the soil.  

Soil Problems 

Most of the main structural issues in a property tend to be caused by problem soil in some way or another. Expansive soils, for example, contract and expand depending on their water content. Settlement is most often caused by dehydration of expansive soil, but can also be caused by soil washout and erosion.  

Bowing walls, however, can also be caused by excessive soil saturation and the hydrostatic pressure which this can cause. The weight and pressure exerted by very wet soil, especially expansive soil, can overwhelm any wall over time, especially if it is made of poured concrete which has very low tensile strength in comparison to its compressive strength.  

A humid basement or crawl space may not seem like a big deal compared to flooding, but it can actually lead to multiple health and structural problems. Terre Haute’s subsoil is rich in clay, so it retains water easily. All that moisture that exists around your foundation makes its way through in the form of water vapor via your concrete walls. Humidity causes mold growth and wood rot, and it promotes pest infestation. While many would think that waterproof paints would be the answer, Indiana Foundation Service can give you better results with a vapor barrier.

A vapor barrier is an impervious, thick plastic that is meant to keep water vapor from getting into your basement or crawl space. Unlike waterproof paints, vapor barriers never peel or flake, and they are so durable that they cannot be torn apart in the same way a regular plastic sheet could. They have anti-microbial protection, so you won’t have to worry about them harboring any mold or bacteria. Because these vapor barriers keep your basement or crawl space dry, they can actually reduce your energy consumption by 20%. The barriers are completely white, so they make your basement or crawl space look clean and bright.

When a vapor barrier is applied to the walls of a basement, it’s meant to be there for a long time. The entire process takes one day or less, and it’s a completely non-intrusive procedure. The sheets are applied to the wall in an overlapping fashion as professionals fasten the seams by drilling plastic fasteners. Vapor barriers can work with interior drainage systems to help direct the moisture towards the drain. While a dehumidifier gets rid of the moisture in a basement or crawl space, a vapor barrier makes sure it doesn’t get there at all. In a crawl space, the vapor barrier is used throughout the entire area to encapsulate it and isolate it from the earth.

Something incredibly important to your crawl space health is insulation. Insulation is any material that is used to control temperature and air circulation in a space. Crawl spaces are often built with terrible insulation materials, resulting in many thermal control problems within a home. If your crawl space isn’t properly insulated, then the air that’s in your crawl space can infiltrate the upper portions of your Terre Haute home and cause mold growth, increased levels of humidity, and higher energy bills. To prevent these things from happening, we recommend AquaStop ExTremeBloc™, one of the best crawl space insulation products in the industry.

AquaStop ExTremeBloc™ is made of polystyrene and is embedded with graphite particles for maximum thermal insulation. It has an R-value of 11, which is higher than many other standard insulation materials, providing your crawl space with impenetrable panels capable of working efficiently under any kind of weather. The polymeric film that faces both sides of the panels ensures its durability, and its integrated termiticide guarantees termites will not damage the material. It also has a class A fire rating, so you won’t have to worry about keeping a flammable material in your crawl space, unlike other insulation products.

AquaStop ExTremeBloc™ is a reflective insulation, so it won’t absorb and retain any moisture that makes its way into your crawl space. Having AquaStop ExTremeBloc™ in your crawl space can help reduce your energy usage by 15 to 20%, since your HVAC system will no longer work as hard to keep the temperature in your home comfortable. Your home will feel cool and fresh during the summer and warm and cozy during the winter. You also will find that you’ll have less allergy symptoms, since the dusty, moldy air from the crawl space can no longer rise up into your home.

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Doug came to inspect the leakage and done a wonderful job finding the issue and share his expert opinion. I highly recommend him.

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They were professional and worked steady to complete the job.

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Mary Brock

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They were very courteous and professional and explained everything they were doing. We Highly recommend!

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Very satisfied with the basement inspection and final presentation provided by Doug Caister. Very professional and informative!

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Find Your Service Area

Terre Haute, IN

Whiteland Local Office

Indiana Foundation Service

624 North Front Street
Whiteland, IN 46184

Hours of Operation

Monday – Thursday: 7 am – 9 pm
Friday: 7 am – 7 pm
Saturday: 8 am – 2pm

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Foundation Repair, Basement Waterproofing & Crawl Space Repair and Encapsulation, Serving Central Indiana & Indianapolis

INDIANA FOUNDATION SERVICE, WHITELAND, IN

624 North Front Street
Whiteland, IN 46184