Is it ever a good idea to try DIY foundation repair?
There are many obvious reasons most homeowner foundation repair is an entirely bad idea, if not downright impossible. There are only minor cosmetic issues you may be able to address by yourself.
Nevertheless, we still get lots of questions about the potential for in-house solutions for wall cracks and other foundation damages. We’ll explain the best way to approach these issues.
Hire a Pro – Skip DIY Foundation Repair for Best Results
You should absolutely hire a professional foundation specialist or evaluator; someone who knows what they’re doing rather than gamble with something so important. Every once in a while, we’ll hear from a poor homeowner who’s desperate to fix the DIY work of the previous property owner. The trouble begins when folks think they can do foundation repair by watching YouTube tutorials and purchasing repair kits.
Structural DIY repairs fail about 99% of the time. This means that homeowners spend money on products they don’t know how to use, only to make things worse and much more expensive. There’s a better approach to this because Olson Foundation Repair can give you a free inspection, and actually try to save you some money.
Yes, there are ways to address small measures the DIY way, but they’re fewer and far between, especially if you do something wrong. It’s easy to waste money when you don’t have the right expertise for this work.
It’s possible to fix a few hairline cracks with some silicone or epoxy sealing solution. That’s about all the mileage you can expect from DIY methods. For anything more advanced, you’re way better off hiring a licensed contractor.
Don’t Hire Just Any Contractor Though
Of course, many homeowners don’t need to be told to avoid doing foundation repairs alone. Most folks know that this work requires expertise, skill, equipment, and experience to do properly. If, for example, you need to install piers or beams to stabilize your home, that involves expensive and difficult-to-use tools and machinery.
Then again, you can’t just hire any handyman for this work. It’s essential to find an outstanding contractor with the requisite qualifications to do the job. This includes things like:
- They’ll show you the root cause of the problem, what they would need to do, and offer a thorough cost estimate.
- The company has a strong reputation in the Kansas City area and plenty of examples of previous good work.
- When you meet with them, they’ll be forthright about warranty guarantees. Then after the repair is done, they’ll honor them if you encounter any subsequent issues.
- They have satisfied customers who leave glowing testimonials and reviews regarding their high-quality efforts.
How Do You Know Your Foundation Needs Expert Attention?
It also helps for homeowners to know whether they have a problem that requires the attention of a foundation repair expert. This is a short list of problems you might hire us to resolve.
- Deep vertical, horizontal, or diagonal cracks in the drywall.
- The walls are bowing.
- You’re experiencing lots of basement leaks.
- Your floors are uneven, sagging, or heaving.
- Even your windows and doors may stick or have gaps.
Again, when in doubt, our inspections and evaluations are free with no obligations. We can do things that way because when we find serious problems, and explain things to folks, they almost always agree to let us address them with professional solutions. That’s much more than what you can say about dubious foundation repair kits.
Call Olson for a Safer and More Effective Alternative to DIY Foundation Repair
Olson Foundation Repair serves all the communities around Kansas City with foundation repair, drainage solutions, and other critical tasks. Our service is available for folks in Olathe, North Kansas City, Shawnee, Liberty, Lee’s Summit and more. Now is a fine time to find solutions to all those cracks and uneven floors that seem to always get worse.
So, if you’d like a better solution than DIY foundation repair, then contact Olson anytime for the best service in Kansas City.
