Quality1stbob's Weblog

quality1stbob — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 02:31:45 +0000

As much curb appeal an old home may have there is always the downside to a historic looking older home. One of the major problems with older homes is foundation cracking, settling and failure. Foundation problems new jersey are something no homeowner wants to deal with; the idea that your secure home is falling apart is a story many do not want to hear. But lets say that foundation failure is a reality for you and your family, what do you do?

There are many ways to fix foundation problems in a home however that does not mean they all work. basement waterproofing new jersey. Many contractors will sell you a solution that may just cause you even more problems. Some of the not so reliable quick fixes to foundation failure nj are concrete piers, concrete underpinning and total foundation replacement. These methods are expensive, intrusive and only fix the foundation problem temporarily.

So what methods actually work? Well here at Quality 1^st FoundationSupportworks we like to promote Steel Push (or Resistance) Piers or Helical Piers. Both of these solutions not only fix foundation failure instantly but also last a lifetime. Push Piers are made of steel and are driven deep down into the soil underneath your home until it reaches stable soil. basement new jersey. This method works because the weight of the house is transferred through the piers to the solid stable soil below and lifts the home back into its original position. These Steel Push Piers can be installed either inside or outside the home. The do not require any destroying of your home or garden, just simply a small hole to insert the push pier into. Helical piers nj work in a similar way except this method is the best to use one lighter structures such as decks and stoops. It is also important to have an experienced professional install your piers to that they drive them to deep enough to stable soil.

Keep Your Foundation Walls Straight

quality1stbob — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:22:52 +0000

When it comes to foundation repair nj there are many different approaches that can be taken. The foundation walls can be supported and fixed using helical piers ny, and push piers, you can have total foundation replacement or you can use the land around your home to work towards your advantage. If you live in a home where there is land and the outside of the home is available you are lucky. There are two simple solutions that can be used to fix your foundation problems: helical anchor systems and wall anchor systems.

Both of these systems are similar in the way that they both use the outside land as an anchor to pull the foundation wall straight and in place. However the way this is done varies depending on which option you, the homeowner, chose.

Helical Anchor Systems:

Helical Anchors are used to stabilize foundation ny and retaining walls. Over the years this methods has proved to be very effect and accepted by engineers and architects. How it works is a hole is cut in the wall and a hydraulic motor is used to advance the anchor into the ground. In the end the foundation hole is filled with concrete and a steel plate is used to connect the helical anchor to the wall.

Wall Anchor Systems:

This method consists of using heavy-duty, galvanized steel earth anchors. These anchors are embedded into the soil out away from the foundation wall. Once that part is completed a steel rod is drilled through a 1″ hole is your foundation wall. This rod is drilled through until it reaches the earth anchors and then the two are connected. Lastly a wall plate is placed on the interior of your basement wall. All of these components working together creates a stable foundation wall.

No matter what option you choose to use both will properly fix your foundation problem. Foundation failure, sinking foundation and foundation cracks are not little problems and the only correct way to fix them is to call your foundation supportworks specialist.

Case Study: Sayerville

quality1stbob — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:26:37 +0000

We deal with every type of home and problem here at Quality 1^st Basement Systems. However sometimes a unique project comes around and we get the chance to help a deserving family. One of these cases was the Coyle residence in Sayerville.

When we began working on the home this 1960s style ranch was in pretty bad shape. Not only did the homeowners have foundation settlement of 16 inches on the right of the home but 4 inches of settlement observed in the north side of the home as well. All this sinking and sagging affected the house in many different ways. There cracking drywall, doors and windows that simply would not open and close and uneven floors. This was definitely no way to live and the homeowner seeked out our help.

In the beginning the homeowner believed they needed total foundation replacement, however because this option is very expensive and does not completely fix the problem we decided to show her other more practical options. These options were installing helical piers as well as retro fit push piers nj. These piers would be able to effectively transfer the weight of the home and garage to deeper, strong soils. After using twenty-eight helical piers new jersey and eight retrofit push piers we were able to successfully transfer the weight of the home and create a level and stable foundation.

The Stack Effect

quality1stbob — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:36:40 +0000

The Stack Effect? You may be wondering what this could possibly be? The Stack Effect is actually something that occurs in your home and may be effect the air you breathe in. The Stack Effect is the theory that the air in your home rises from one level to another creating an almost stack effect of one level of air on top of the other. The dangerous part about this effect is that if you have an unfinished or wet basement the air you are breathe in your living room or bedroom is from there. The air from your basement is not necessarily clean or safe to breathe in. Lets say you have an unfinished basement; chances are that ground water is leaking into this space and moisture is coming through the dirt. The problem with the mixture of all this water and dirt is that it creates the perfect home for mold.

Mold. basement waterproofing. This bacterium is every homeowner’s worst enemy. Mold can travel through the air and you will eventually end up breathing it in and getting sick. helical piers new jersey . No one wants to feel sick in his or her own home, especially when the problem could have been easily avoided.

So in order to ensure that the air in your home is clean and easy to breathe inside is to have a basement waterproofing nj installed. One of the best products we have to prevent mold from developing is the SaniDry Dehumidifier System. The SaniDry is able to remove moisture from the air and instead put out clean breathable air. basement waterproofing ocean county. Using this product along with others such as the CleanSpace Encapsulation System can give you the homeowner a completely clean home environment.

A Few Extra Things to Know…

quality1stbob — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:31:20 +0000

One key to a great basement waterproofing nj system is that it needs to have an opening to accept water from the walls. What does this mean? Well walls leak occasionally from walls cracks, pipe penetrations, flooding window wells and condensation. The idea of installing a basement waterproofing system is to make sure those leaks do not cause basement flooding; by having a gap at the edge of the floor is just another precaution to catch and water from leaks that develop in the future. This gap prevents the basement floor from getting wet and causing damage.

Some basement contractors will create this gap by sticking a piece of wood between the wall and floor, concreting up to it and pulling it out. In the end all this leads to is you the homeowner having a big ugly gap that can fill up with debris in the floor.

A better way to accomplish having a gap in the floor is to have spacers alone the backside of the flange that slighty stick up above the floor. This option functions as well as providing a nice aesthetic for your basement.

Importance of Back-Up Pumping System

quality1stbob — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:08:01 +0000

Sometimes when you buy a sump pump nj as a homeowner your are also looking for something to provide back-up for that sump pump. Getting a good back up system is very important and homeowners need to know some of the dangers deals to watch out for. First of all some companies provide a back up sump pump system that includes just a car battery. This is no good because car batteries are not made for sump pump use because their ampere-hour capacity diminishes quickly after a year and you will not get the use out of it that your basement needs. Another back up system that is destined for failure is expensive back-up systems that have batteries that require maintenance every 6 months. But you probably will forget to get it checked which will only lead to the battery breaking.

What is the real solution to having a back-up system that will actually help you? Sealed, maintenance-free batteries. Another important feature of a back-up system is float switches which allow you to turn off you system.

In the end if basement waterproofing is a priority to you then be sure to have a back-up system installed. This system will help to preserve your sump pump nj and keep your basement dry even in the worst conditions.

Holy Mold-y

quality1stbob — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:11:38 +0000

Mold and dry rot aren’t the household guests you want sticking around. In fact, you don’t exactly want them to come over in the first place. But, one thing leads to another and they’re more persuasive than you’d expect. Then they deplete your homes value, condition and potentially lessen your home’s life span.
Where Does Mold Grow? Mold can grow just about anywhere that moisture can be found, including your wet basement or crawl space. However, in order for mold to stick around it needs more than just moisture, but it needs food. Mold loves organic materials such as carpet, wood, cardboard, and paper. So all that damp wood supporting your crawlspace or underneath your basement floors will unfortunately be destroyed by mold as it uses this as its meal.
Whether your air conditioning unit is leaking, water is leaking inside and onto your windowsill or your carpet never fully dried from the last flood in your basement– mold will survive and stick around as long as the environment permits.

In addition, mold can significantly decrease your home’s indoor air quality. Mold can increase household allergy symptoms and produce an irritating smell most homeowners refer to as “must.” In some instances, mold can even be toxic– as is the case with black mold.

What is Dry Rot? Well Dry rot doesn’t grow on a surface as mold does, but it’s actually considered to be a condition. This fungus spreads throughout the wood at a torrential rate, rotting the wood from the inside out thus replacing the wood’s strength with severe frailty. This makes it one of the most feared wood decomposing conditions around the world. Dry rot can potentially damage all of the wood used to keep your home together. Dry rot is a serious force that many homeowners may have been fortunate not to encounter, but needs to be prevented.

So what can be done to stop mold or dry rot happening to your New Jersey home?

Moisture control, moisture control and more moisture control. Mold is a problem that cannot be just simply wiped away. The reason getting rid of mold requires more serious action is because the moisture in the area where the mold is such as, the crawl space nj or basement, needs to fixed. The best way to prevent mold growth or dry rot infiltration is by waterproofing your basement and fixing leaks and making other repairs very quickly.
For help evaluating your home’s mold or dry rot condition contact the mold, basement, foundation, and crawl space repair experts at Quality 1st Basement Systems. For mold removal in New York andNew York basement waterproofing contact them today!

Fix that Sagging Concrete Problem

quality1stbob — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:35:44 +0000

Crawl space. I know that most homeowners don’t like to hear that word and others really don’t even know what it is. However the crawl space nj that is located under your home can have some very negative effects on your home if it is ignored and not handled properly. One of the problems with your crawl space new jersey could be if floors are sagging over a crawl space. This is a problem because it leaves the homeowner wonder how long their floors will hold them? Well there are three reasons as to why the floors are sagging into the crawl space: existing block or brick columns are spaced too far apart, weakened floor joists and girders due to the moisture and wood rot and lastly existing columns settle due to weak soil.

However even though crawl spaces can be the center of many headaches for homeowners, our professionals at Quality 1^st Basement Systems are fully capable of providing you with a solution. The one and only why to fix floors that are sagging into your crawl space nj is to install the SmartJack Crawl Space Stabilizer. The SmartJack is steel support systems used to stabililze and level the girders and floor joists in a crawl space. This is a heavy-duty system and can definitely support the weight of any home.

Ulitmately if you are in the business of fixing your crawl space new jersey at once you should also inquire about having crawl space encapsulation done as well. Doing both the jobs at once save you the stress of having your nj crawl space worked on twice, when you can only have your work all done at once. By having the SmartJack and crawl space encapsulation at the same you can fix all your crawl space problems in one shot.

Windows: Ruining Your Dry Basement

quality1stbob — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:15:44 +0000

As a new jersey homeowner you are now thinking about having some basement waterproofing Bergen county done. Aside from thinking about how to fix the water inside your basement you should also think about water that can leak through your basement windows. Water can leak through your basement window and cause basement flooding nj in three ways. The first is that the gutters may be overflowing into the window wells, the ground around the windows may pitched towards the house or lastly the downspout is dumping lots of water near the window.

All of these things are not good in trying to accomplish a dry basement.

Basement windows are not submarine windows, so if there is water building up around them they will leak. This is a problem that Quality 1^st Basement Systems can fix. The best way to fix a basement window so it does not leak again is to install a drain from the window well to the perimeter drainage system around your basement that leads to your sump pump nj
. A simple system called a WellDuct can easily fix the leaky window problem.

Another was to insure that you will not have a leaky basement window is to install a SunHouse. What this product does is it can replace your old rusty open window wells and provide you with a clean enclosed system that will definitely help with basement waterproofing new jersey.

So if at the end of the day you wonder why you typical basement waterproofing is not keeping all of the water out of your basement waterproofing bergen county just look outside your basement window. The answer is right there!

Crawl Space Hell

quality1stbob — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:48:06 +0000

For many New Jersey homeowners the crawl space in your home is a big source of stress. They are dark damp places that are the perfect home for mold to begin to grow. Here at Quality 1st Basement Systems we know that no one is any county wants to have mold growing anywhere in their home. Basement waterproofing hunterdon. However our company is fully equipped we all of the needs to make your crawl space hell turn into crawl space nj heaven.

So how do we do this? Well for the groundwater in your crawl space new jersey we put in a sump pump systems. In order to fix the exposed wet walls and dirt we install our patented CleanSpace crawl space encapsulation systems. This systems is the perfect remedy for fixing a nasty crawl space. Basement waterproofing new jersey. One thing that is important for all homeowners to know about keeping their crawl spaces dry is to always keep your crawl space door sealed tight. This will prevent any water from sneaking in your perfectly sealed crawl space.

In the end if you as a homeowner are sick of living with a nasty crawl space just take the time and call Quality 1st Basement Systems. Through just one call you can go from crawl space hell to crawl space heaven.