Arlington, TX · Slab Foundation Repair
Slab Foundation Repair in Arlington
The single-story brick ranch on a concrete slab is Arlington's standard house. When one side of the slab drops, the fix is a set of piers under the low area, installed to firm ground and used to lift the house back toward level.
01 — What this covers
The work itself
- Elevation readings over the whole slab, with a drawing of the high and low areas
- Piers along the edge beam where a side or corner has dropped
- Interior piers when the settlement is under the house
- Pressed pilings, steel piers or drilled piers, matched to the soil and the load
- Staged lifting with shimming at each pier
- Plumbing pressure test before and after
- Brick and drywall notes: what usually closes and what needs patching
- Pier diagram, final readings and a transferable written warranty
02 — Detail
How a slab in Arlington gets out of level
A slab foundation is a flat plate of reinforced concrete, thicker at the edges where the walls sit. It floats on clay, and clay changes volume. After a wet spring it swells, and after a hot summer it shrinks. The change is biggest at the edges of the house, which is why corners and sides are the first to drop.
On a typical Arlington lot, the culprits are familiar. A gutter that overflows at one corner. A downspout that empties onto the flower bed beside the slab. A big tree a few feet from the wall that drinks the soil dry in August. A low spot in the yard that holds water after every storm. Any of these gives one part of the slab a different moisture history from the rest.
The slab bends to follow the soil. The brick above it cracks because brick can't bend, the doors rub because their frames are no longer square, and the floor slopes because part of it has dropped.
03 — Detail
What brick tells you
Most Arlington houses are clad in brick veneer, which makes it easy to read. A stair-step crack following the mortar joints runs from the top of the wall down toward the area that has settled. A crack that is wider at the top than at the bottom shows the wall dropping on that side. A gap between brick and a window frame shows the opening has moved.
That doesn't replace measurement, but it helps the inspector decide where to take extra readings, and it helps you decide when to call. A single hairline crack in the mortar isn't a verdict; several stair-step cracks near the same corner, growing over months, are.
04 — Detail
Piers: what's under the house after the repair
Piers work by passing through the layer of clay that moves and bearing on soil that doesn't. In the Arlington area three types do most of the work. Pressed concrete pilings are short cylinders pushed down one on top of another with a hydraulic ram until they refuse to go further. They're the most common choice for ordinary single-story houses because they're economical and quick.
Steel piers are driven deeper, often to very firm ground, and are used for heavier houses or deeper clay. Drilled piers are bored, reinforced and filled with concrete, and are chosen where the load or the soil calls for it.
None of them is automatically the best. The question to ask is why a company picked one for your house, and how many it plans to use. The count is the biggest driver of the price.
05 — Detail
Plumbing under the slab
Plenty of Arlington houses have original cast-iron drain lines under the floor, and cast iron corrodes. A leak under the slab keeps the soil beneath it wet, softens it and washes it out, and the slab drops. Lifting a slab without fixing the leak gives a repair that doesn't last.
That's why a pressure test of the drain lines is a normal line in an estimate. Testing again after the lift also protects you: it shows that the pipes were fine when the work began and weren't damaged by it.
06 — Detail
What to expect afterwards
After a successful lift, many cracks narrow or close and doors that rubbed work again. Some patching of drywall and brick is normal, and a good estimate says what's included. The slab won't be perfect, and shouldn't be forced to be: a fifty-year-old house has adapted to its shape, and pushing it too far can crack walls that were fine.
You should receive final elevation readings, the pier diagram and the written warranty. If you sell or refinance, a buyer's inspector or a lender will want to see them.
07 — Detail
Reading the estimate
A solid estimate lists the pier count, locations, type and depth, the work inside the house, the plumbing test, what happens to landscaping and flatwork, permits and any engineer's letter, and the warranty, including whether it transfers. If two estimates differ a lot, compare the pier counts before the prices: one company may be supporting a corner while another is supporting a whole side.
How we work
Step by step
- 01
Free inspection: elevation readings, crack map, drainage and trees, plumbing clues.
- 02
Written estimate with a pier diagram, type, count and warranty terms.
- 03
Scheduling, utility locates and any permit.
- 04
Installation, lifting and shimming, then plumbing re-test.
- 05
Final readings, cleanup and the paperwork for a sale or refinance.
What it costs
The pier count and any interior work set the price. A repair for one corner is a different job from supporting a whole side, and the estimate should show which one you're being quoted.
Questions
Slab Foundation Repair — asked and answered
How long does the repair take?
Many slab jobs finish in one to three days of on-site work, after scheduling and any permit or plumbing test.
Will the cracks in my brick close?
Often they narrow or close once the slab is lifted, but some patching is normal and should be described in the estimate.
Do I need to move out during the work?
Usually not for exterior piers. Interior piers involve cutting the floor in the affected rooms, which need to be cleared.
Is a small repair possible?
Yes. A single dropped corner may need only a few piers. The readings decide how many.
Also
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