Foundation repair in Palm Beach Gardens FL - floors and doors set right again

A crack across the wall or a door that suddenly sticks? We find what's moving under the house and fix that first.

Brick chimney on a stucco house with dark shingle roofs, a black cap, and shrubs in the foreground.
Service
Foundation repair

How can you tell your foundation might be moving?

  • Doors that stick or swing

    A door that used to latch fine now drags on the floor, or it drifts open by itself. That usually means the frame has shifted along with the slab under it, and planing the door only hides the problem while the gap keeps growing.

  • Stair-step cracks in the walls

    A crack that climbs up through the mortar or block from a window corner usually means one part of the wall is settling faster than the rest. If you patch it and leave the settling alone, it tends to open again, and rain works in behind it in the meantime.

  • Floors that slope or crack

    Tile that cracks in a straight line or a floor that feels downhill toward one wall can point to slab movement, though some floors were a little off from the day they were poured. It's worth sorting out early, because a slab that keeps dropping takes more work to set right later.

What does foundation repair in Palm Beach Gardens involve?

Foundation repair in Palm Beach Gardens is work on the foundation your house already sits on, either setting helical piles, steel shafts screwed down to firmer ground, under the house, or lifting a sunken slab with polyurethane foam or mudjacking. Done right, it ends with your doors and windows working the way they should and the cracks repaired and sealed against water.

Most folks call me once a crack shows up that wasn't there last year, and the first thing they want to know is how bad it is and what it's going to cost. The price turns mostly on where the movement is, what's causing it and what it takes to fix that cause, so lifting a sunken patio is a much smaller job than supporting the rooms you live in, and the schedule comes down to the method, how much digging there is, the weather and whether a permit is involved. When a job needs one, we pull it with the Palm Beach Gardens Building Department, which handles building permits for the city, and we're licensed and insured. Your own figure comes in the written estimate after I've seen the house with you.

Details to note before an estimate

  • Where the cracks show, inside and out
  • Doors or windows that stick or won't latch
  • Which slab, living area, patio or driveway
  • Where water puddles after a hard rain

How we handle foundation repair

I came to masonry late, after years behind a building supply counter, and the old mason I worked under taught me to find out why a crack opened before touching it. So I want to know what's going on under the slab before I suggest a fix, which means walking the house with you, reading the cracks and the doors, and checking where the water goes. Then we match the method to where the movement is. For settling under the house, one pile maker's design manual points out that helical piles suit repair work because small, portable equipment can set them in tight or indoor spaces, with none of the shaking of driven piles and no heavy machines beside your foundation. For a sunken patio or walk, lifting the slab from above can be enough, and I'll tell you plainly if a quick lift suits your patio but not the floor you live on. A polyurethane lifting company notes that mudjacking uses heavier material and bigger holes than foam, so it can mean more mess to clean up. Once the house is where it should be, we repair and seal the cracks, check the doors and windows with you and clean up, and it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job.

Foundation movement doesn't always stop at the slab. When a house settles, the brick above it takes the strain, so cracked joints often need tuckpointing, where we clear out the old mortar and pack in fresh, once the house is steady. A chimney often sits on its own footing, and if it's leaning or pulling away from the wall, chimney repair usually belongs in the same conversation.

  • Tuckpointing

    Once the house stops moving, cracked mortar between your bricks still lets rain in, and fresh joints close those gaps before water gets behind.

  • Chimney repair

    A chimney that leans, cracks at the roofline or pulls away from the wall can share the same settling problem, so it's worth checking together.

What happens when you call about foundation repair in Palm Beach Gardens?

  1. Call or send a message

    Tell us where the cracks are and which doors are acting up. We'll set a time for me to come out to the house.

  2. I look it over with you

    I check inside and out and show you what I think is moving and why. Then I send a written estimate, so you have the price in hand before you decide anything.

  3. We do the work together

    Any permit gets handled first, then our lead mason, the crew and I do the repair and clean up. Before we leave, I walk the finished job with you and we try the doors and windows together.

What people ask about foundation repair

What does foundation repair cost in Palm Beach County?

Foundation repair in Palm Beach County usually costs about $500 to $14,000 per job. That spread is wide because a lifted patio slab and a row of piles under a house are very different jobs, and fixing drainage or soil under the slab can add to it. Your own number comes in the written estimate after I've seen the house.

Is slabjacking enough under my living room?

Probably not, at least in one Florida cost guide's view. It calls slabjacking fast and cheap but says it leaves the foundation unreinforced against future movement and suits driveways and patios best, so if the movement is under rooms you live in, it's worth weighing a method that adds support.

What causes a concrete slab to sink or crack in Florida?

Usually it's the ground under it, such as poor drainage, erosion, fill that was never packed well, soil that swells and shrinks, or deeper instability, and any repair may need that fixed to hold up the way it should. Sinkhole risk here depends on geology, water and weather, and also on things people do, like pumping water, reshaping land and loading the ground. That's why I ask what's happening under the concrete before I talk about a fix.

When is the best time of year to dig for foundation piers in Palm Beach Gardens?

One Florida cost guide says the dry season, November to April, is best for excavation, because heavy rains from June to October can flood trenches and hold up the job. The same goes for the cities around Palm Beach Gardens where we work, in Palm Beach County and up into Martin County, so if piers look likely, it helps to get the estimate done ahead of the dry months.

How do I know if my floor is really out of level from foundation movement?

One set of floor-level readings can't prove your foundation has moved too much unless it accounts for how out of level the slab was when it was built. If someone shows you a survey, ask how they told old unevenness apart from new movement. I weigh it alongside the cracks and the doors before I call anything movement.

Do you have to dig up my yard for helical piers?

There's some digging, but usually not the whole yard. Outside prep for helical piers is either one long dig along the foundation or a separate hole at each pier spot, and we put the soil back and clean up when we're done.

Get a written foundation repair estimate for your house

We respond within one business day to set a time, and I come out myself to look the house over with you. The estimate is free, done on site and in writing, with no obligation. If you go ahead, any permit comes first, then the crew and I get to work.

Book a look at your foundation

Jot down where the cracks show and which doors or windows won't close right, then call (561) 268-0530 or send the form, and I'll know where to start.