Frequently Asked Questions

Foundation movement is directly related to the type of soil your home sits on. Depending on the soil, foundation damage can be hard to prevent.

All of our crews are FSS employees.

Your home is likely your largest investment. Everything inside your home sits and depends on your foundation being stable and as level as possible. In our experience, the longer you wait to repair your foundation, the damage will worsen and become more expensive the longer you wait. There's no time like the present to schedule a free, no-obligation inspection.  

While foundation settlement is almost inevitable, there are a few ways you can prolong the life of your foundation. 

• Eliminate standing water. If you have gutters that empty near your home's foundation, consider having a French drain installed that will divert water away from your foundation. 
• Install gutters. Without gutters, water running off your roof will deposit usually within a foot of your home's foundation. Installing gutters and their downspouts will help direct the water towards a spot further away from your foundation.
• Include mulch in any landscaping near your foundation. Mulch is great for retaining water and moisture which will help keep the soil around your home from drying out in our Texas drought. 
• Inspect your home annually. There are a few obvious signs of foundation settlement that you can spot on your own. Set some time aside annually to do a walkthrough both inside and out using our signs and symptoms as a guide. 

Any cracks in basement walls, warehouse floors or concrete around a property could be a sign that your foundation needs attention. Take our foundation quiz for a more in-depth analysis into issues your foundation may be facing, or schedule your free foundation repair consultation with us today!

The age of the building, soil shifting, exposure to water and direct sunlight, erosion and shoddy construction can all lead to foundation issues.

Experts recommend having repairs done within a month or two of when they are first noticed in order to prevent larger, more expensive issues from occurring. 

There are a number of factors that go into a foundation repair estimate: how much your home has settled, how long you've been putting off these repairs, square footage of your home, and more. A rough estimate on the cost of repairs could be $5,000 to $30,000+. To get an accurate estimate, we encourage you to sign up for a free inspection. In San Antonio, call or text 210-267-8828; for Austin, 512-971-2011.

Yes you can! FSS offers multiple financing offers that can be discussed during your inspection. 

*All of our financing is subject to credit approval. 

As trees grow, their root systems grow as well. Trees close to a home or building can have roots that grow into their foundations causing cracks and shifts.

Some pros to this type of foundation include: 

• Homes are more protected from flooding since they are elevated.
• They offer easy access to plumbing and electrical systems that can be housed underneath the home.

Some cons to pier and beam foundation include:

• Can attract vermin and rodents.
• May gather moisture that is hard to control.

We’ve found that concrete piers just don’t last as long as we think they should. In many cases, property owners end up having to get their foundation repaired again when they use them initially. In addition, concrete piers cannot go as deep as steel piers and therefore are comparatively less stable.

The repair methods we use depend on the condition of the foundation, size of the property and other factors relative to the space. We use a variety of different solutions, including push piers, helical piers, sonotubes, shoring and crawl space support jacks for foundation repair and stabilization.

Concrete lifting is a process by which polyurethane foam is injected into voids under concrete to lift slabs back to their original position and stabilize them for good. Ask us about our POLY PRO X!

Mudjacking refers to filling gaps in spaces with a slurry of cement and mud. Poly Pro X is a polyurethane foam that is pumped underneath sinking slabs to fill in voids and has gained in popularity due to how fast-acting and cost-efficient it is.

Typically, a leaning chimney is due to the fact that the masonry work has shifted because of foundation damage below.

They can cause damage if:

• Water collects around plants and penetrates into the foundation.
• Roots grow into the foundation.
• Vermin living in the greenery gains easy access to a crawl space.

Yes, uneven floors are a common sign of foundation damage in a pier & beam home.

A push pier is a popular long-lasting foundation repair solution consisting of a hollow steel beam that is driven deep into the earth until it reaches bedrock. The top of the pier is connected to the structure above, allowing the push pier to take on the load-bearing duties of the foundation. At Foundation Support Specialists, we only use hot-dipped galvanized steel for our piers and brackets. 

A foundation inspection typically takes 1 - 2 hours. A trained technician will thoroughly inspect the foundation, property and any other factors affecting the space. They will look inside and outside of the home or business as well to ascertain any damages.

Some signs of a settling foundation include:

• Cracks in the foundation walls.
• Diagonal cracks in your drywall.
• Separation between your wall and ceiling/floor.
• Doors and windows that won’t close flush or are hard to open.
• Uneven or sagging floors.
• A chimney pulling away from your home.

The cost of crawl space encapsulation varies depending on the size of your home's crawl space, and whether you need additional solutions like a dehumidifier. An average range of the cost to encapsulate your crawl space is $3,000-$12,000.

A basic crawl space encapsulation usually takes 1-3 days to complete. Additional time could be added on if your crawl space needs excavating, if you have numerous vents that need covering, or any other unforeseen issues. 

Excessive moisture can penetrate from below your home, causing problems that can affect the structure of a building as well as the comfort levels and health of your family. One way to make sure that crawl space moisture levels and humidity is under control is through the use of our crawl space dehumidifiers.

Plumbing must be fixed first before your foundation can be repaired.