Foundation heave

[greensmith]

I have inherited a house with a heaved foundation. I've had a foundation repair company examine it and who recommended I install hydraulic jacks to lift the perimeter for a hefty sum. Is this my only option? Or will the heaving self-correct after the broken water pipe under the slab is fixed? Can the floors just be floated out in the interior? Does anyone have any insight into this issue?

[Richard A Hetzel]

It sounds like you may be in an area which has expansive clay soils. We in the northeast are not familiar with their behavior. Has the entire foundation heaved, or just the floor slab? In any case, your best source of advice is from someone who has nothing to sell...a local architect or structural engineer who is familiar with the behavior of local soils, for example.

[Michael Olding]

Rich is right but I would lean toward the structural engineer. They understand the load problems better than architects and know the soils in every neighborhood of your local so they can give you best remedy for this problem.

Leaving the foundation as is and doing something with the floors would have to be engineered anyway I would think but could cost you money when you go to sell because a potential buyer will still see the sunken foundation.

This isn't an area to scrimp.

[Richard A Hetzel]

Better than SOME architects, please!