St. Petersburg foundation repair essentials: how to protect your property investment
As many Gulf Coast residents know from personal experience, foundation components in the St. Petersburg area are continuously exposed to the combined forces of storms, tides, and erosion. In the Pinellas County region, slabs and bulkheads are especially vulnerable and need specialized repair and maintenance to prevent costly deterioration or collapse.
Several regional geological conditions contribute to these kinds of property risks.
- First is the predominantly sandy soil in the area which offers poor support. Even in the best conditions, foundations can settle or shift, especially after heavy rains.
- Second is soil erosion resulting from tide action or storm activity. This can leave slabs unsupported or significantly weaken the land side of bulkheads.
- Third is elevated ground water levels resulting from proximity to the Gulf. The high water table can increase what engineers call “hydrostatic pressure” which can cause foundations to crack or shift.
- Fourth is the risk of sinkholes resulting from the properties of limestone bedrock beneath the sandy surface. Natural subterranean drainage features in the St. Petersburg area increase risk of sudden localized collapse that can lead to sinkhole formation.
Any or all of these factors (in addition to the age and location of your property and how it was built) can weaken your foundation and create structural problems that worsen over time.
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Given all the environmental risks in the St. Petersburg area, it makes sense that even the best-built foundations will naturally settle over time. If the right preventive measures are in place, the changes may only be minor or cosmetic. Problems start when settling happens suddenly or unevenly. Cracks can form and spread in bulkheads leading to more serious damage. Slabs can tilt, separate, or lose their load-bearing capacity under critical parts of your structure.
Olshan Foundation Repair has been protecting residential and commercial properties since 1933. Florida homeowners trust Olshan’s free expert evaluations, transparent estimates, budget-friendly payment plans, and industry-leading warranty programs.
Call Olshan when you have questions about foundation repair, slab restoration, bulkhead repair, exterior water management, or concrete leveling (also known as slabjacking).
Slab foundation repair and leveling
There are several things that can go wrong with slab foundations, especially in St. Petersburg and along the Gulf Coast region of Florida. Slabs are continuous pads of reinforced concrete that are supported by compacted soil and/or gravel. Based on precise engineering calculations, concrete slabs will vary in thickness depending on the local soil conditions and the weight of the buildings they support, which is distributed across the entire surface of the slab.
What are some of the factors that can cause slabs to deteriorate or fail?
- Small cracks that expand and spread over time
- Erosion of the supporting soil
- Extreme weather or tidal events
- Improper installation or curing
- Grading or compaction issues during construction
- Improper groundwater management or runoff from neighboring properties
- Hydrostatic pressure from cyclical ground water changes
Problems that can result from these factors include cracks, separations, tilting, sinking, and shifting. Unlike with even, slow, and natural settling, these kinds of sudden or extreme changes can put excessive strain on other parts of your home. Trouble like this never goes away by itself and tends to get worse over time, leading to cumulative and costly property damage.
Fortunately, Olshan has restoration technologies that can affordably and accurately restore your slab foundation to like-new condition. Our trained technicians can evaluate your property and let you know where the problems are. They’ll explain all your repair options and help you choose a solution that’s best for your home and budget.
One of the most popular concrete leveling solutions is Olshan’s PolyLift™ method. This industrial-strength, minimally invasive, and environmentally safe approach injects a stable and long-lasting polyurethane mixture that gently lifts and stabilizes the compromised parts of your slab back into alignment. This is a modern, affordable, and more reliable alternative to older slab repair methods you may have heard of such as “mud jacking” or “slab jacking.”
Bulkhead repair
Bulkheads, a kind of seawall that’s common in the Gulf Coast region, need frequent upkeep to stay in top condition. Bulkheads are not water tight structures. Their purpose is not to keep water out of your property, but rather to keep soil in place on the land side of the wall. Tidal, wave, and wake action are constantly forcing water into small voids in your bulkhead. When the action reverses, water is drawn back out of those voids, carrying increasing amounts of soil with it. In extreme cases, this natural process can eventually lead to sinkholes on your property.
Another common bulkhead problem to watch out for is “toe slippage” where the bulkhead contacts the natural bottom of the waterway. Usually the toe of the bulkhead is supported by a berm of earth, often reinforced by manufactured material called riprap. Erosion or extreme water events can gradually loosen or wash away this support, causing the toe of the bulkhead to sink and slip outward. This puts strain on interconnected parts of the bulkhead that can eventually lead to separation or collapse.
It’s a good idea to have your bulkhead inspected regularly by a qualified technician. Reputable companies like Olshan can help you identify problems before they become big and expensive and recommend affordable routine upkeep. When repairs are needed, Olshan has a complete range of environmentally safe restoration methods to get your bulkhead back in top condition. One popular solution is polyurethane high density closed cell foam (in combination with other polymer resins) that can be injected directly into problem areas for a complete and reliable seal.
Exterior water management
St. Petersburg homeowners know better than most about the risks that extreme weather and tidal events pose to coastal properties, and that they can extend will inland. This reality makes it especially important to pay close attention to exterior water management. Fortunately there are low- and no-cost do-it-yourself ways to manage water on your Florida property.
Even small amounts of unwanted water, if left unaddressed, can open the door to foundation problems. Whether it’s standing water from a heavy storm, runoff from neighboring property, or groundwater seepage around your concrete slab, water must have somewhere to go to prevent damage to your property. Here are some things you can do on your own:
- Check the grading around the perimeter of your house. Make sure the ground gently slopes away from your foundation, not toward it, anyplace where water can collect
- Inspect your gutters and down spouts to make sure they’re in good repair, free of clogs and debris, and direct water well away from your foundation
- Consider installing perforated pipe or gravel drain channels in areas where water tends to collect to prevent standing water and minimize soil erosion
- Make sure your sprinkler system is free of leaky pipes and broken heads or missing emitters. Sprinkler faults and overwatering are common causes of hidden water damage
From chronic standing water to correcting larger grading issues on your property, Olshan can help. Olshan offers advanced drainage solutions and water management products such as the Olshan Pipe and Rock solution or gravity discharge systems to redirect unwanted water. Many can be installed almost invisibly to improve curb appeal while protecting your home.
Crawl space repair and encapsulation
Not many coastal homes have them, but if you have a crawl space under your house, as some inland Florida homeowners do, you may have a “pier and beam” foundation instead of the more common slab-on-grade type. As the surrounding soil settles over time, some of the supporting piers can shift out of alignment, causing floors to sag and putting extra loads on beams and joists that they weren’t intended to bear. In humid environments, mold and pests can also cause wood structural parts and subfloor materials to decay and lose their load-bearing capacity.
As with most foundation types, trouble signs include sticky doors and windows, floors that creak or feel spongy, and indoor humidity problems. Olshan inspectors and technicians can help you assess the damage and recommend the best restoration solutions to get your pier and beam foundation back in shape. Piers can be adjusted. Decayed wood can be replaced. Pest and drainage issues can be corrected. Olshan’s crawl space restoration options include:
- Interior waterproofing with EZ Drain Plus
- Pipe and rock drainage or sump pumps
- Structural repair with SafeAdjust™ support columns (works with Cable Lock™ ST Plus)
- Lumberkote spray-on polymer seal for beams, joists, and subflooring
- Crawl space encapsulation with water-resistant liners and dehumidification
How to choose the right foundation repair partner
Olshan Foundation Repair has been an industry leader for over 90 years, and we uphold the same principles of integrity and professionalism that made us successful in the beginning. We utilize the most innovative slab leveling and bulkhead restoration technology available, but we also provide quality service and stand behind our work on every single project. That’s our promise to you, our customers, and we intend to keep it.
When you call on a foundation repair and restoration expert, make sure they can offer:
- Free, no-obligation evaluations
- A fully transparent estimate of your repair options
- Fair pricing and reasonable warranty protection
- Affordable payment plan alternatives
- Qualified technicians and crew members who stay with the company
- Trustworthy customer service after the job
- A positive reputation in your local community
Call our St. Petersburg regional office today to schedule a free evaluation that will put your foundation repair worries to rest.
For concrete slab repair & solutions in Tampa, Gainesville, Williston, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Ocala, Orlando, Palatka, Lake City, Kissimmee, St Petersburg, Sarasota, and Palm Bay, schedule a free assessment by filling out the contact us form online.
