Foundation Services Overview
We Provide Services for Home and Building Owners, General Contractors, Realtors, Property Managers, Investors and Plumber
Steel Piers - We level slab foundations by driving steel piers through the problem layers of soil and rock until the piers are anchored securely against bedrock. In Austin and surrounding areas, the average bedrock depth ranges from 10 - 30 feet. To meet our rigorous specifications and expectations, we use steel that is certified and individually tested to ensure its strength and rigidity. We regularly test our materials and welds for strength and performance, our equipment is continuously maintained and serviced. We use the latest technology and the best available materials.
Concrete Cylinder piers - Concrete cylinder piers rely on unstable soil as a base to support the foundation of structures. They almost never reach bedrock. CastleRock Foundation Repair does not use concrete piers as a first option to support slab foundations. That said, we do use concrete piers in cases where steel piers are not an option.
As compared to concrete piers, our steel pier system is minimally invasive and disturbance to the home interior is minimized. Our steel piers are guaranteed to stand the test of time and level your home permanently. At CastleRock our primary goal is to provide our customers with a permanent solution to their foundation problem.
Block and Base Piers
Block and Base piers consist of beams / girders (wood) that sit on concrete blocks. The Base of the pier sits on or beneath the surface of the soil. Blocks of concrete are stacked on the base to support the beams. Repairs are done by removing and replacing either the base, concrete blocks or both.
traditional Pier & Beam Foundation
Prior to 1940, most homes were built on cedar posts. The life expectancy of these posts are coming to an end and will need to be replaced with a modern pier and beam foundation.
Modern Pier and Beam Foundations
Modern pier and beam foundations are elevated beams or girders (wood) that rest on concrete piers and are positioned about 18-24 inches off the ground. The cheapest and easiest repair to a pier and beam home is “shim and level”. Shim and level consists of installing or removing steel shims from the beams / girders to level the interior floors of the house.
If a pier is defective, it must be replaced. The type of pier installed will depend on the existing piers as well as the size of the home and other weight load considerations. The two most common piers for a pier & beam foundation are block & base pier and poured concrete pier (piling).
Concrete Piers
Concrete piers (or pilings) are constructed by using forms called sonotubes that are cut to size and set on a previously poured footing. Rebar is tied together inside the sonotube to provide strength and rigidity, concrete is poured into each form by hand. After the sonotubes have set, the forms are removed. The small gap between the sonotube and beam is filled with steel shims
Damaged Beams/Girders
Wood replacement: In any pier and beam foundation, it is sometimes necessary to replace wood situated underneath the floor. Floor joists, beams, or sill plates may be broken or weakened as a result of moisture and/or insect damage. CastleRock will replace any wood under the home using only “pressure treated” wood.
Foundations for Additions
CastleRock offers foundation construction for both slab and pier & beam foundations. We construct foundations for additions, detached garages, pads for rain harvesting and other structures. We work with homeowners, contractors, general contractors, engineers and custom home builders.
Foundations interact with the ground beneath it making it one of the most important aspects of construction. All slab and pier & beam foundations rise and fall with weather. Designing a second foundation next to an existing foundation is a tricky endeavor, it takes a team of foundation experts and engineers to design a successful addition. At CastleRock, we understand Central Texas soils, foundations and the catalysts that cause foundation failure. We will work with your plans, engineers and contractors to construct the best and most suitable foundation for your project.
Warranty
CastleRock Foundation honors its warranties. If your foundation fails, we repair it !!!
Our transferable warranty protects your house in the event that it needs future foundation repair service. Our Foundations’ warranty applies to those specific areas of your concrete slab foundation or pier and beam structure where piers were installed by our company.
A foundation will not move unless forced to do so. The force causing foundation movement on expansive soil is generally water - too much or too little. Your foundation contractor has no control over the availability or lack of water to the foundation. A quality contractors standard warranty should include a term of “lifetime of the slab”, the warranty should provide the transfer to new owners and cover differential movement in excess of one inch in a 20 foot span. Lower ranges of movement are allowed because virtually all foundations on expansive soils will move. In fact, slab foundations were originally designed to accommodate soil movement and have been referred to as floating slabs.
We recommend that you wait two months before making repairs to the interior of your home. Waiting will allow your home to adjust to its new position. However, we recommend sealing all exterior voids immediately following the foundation repair.
