Foundation Repair in Bronxwood, Bronx

What Foundation Problems Do Bronxwood Houses Have?

The common ones are cracks in poured or block walls, flaking parging on the outside, and gaps where the wall meets the floor. Bronxwood is inland with no particular flood exposure beyond heavy rain sewer backups, so most trouble comes from age, drainage and soil movement.

The houses are detached and semi detached one and two family homes, many with driveways close to the side walls. Water from a driveway that slopes toward the house can end up at the foundation.

Cracks come in different types. Hairline vertical ones are common in older concrete and often stable. Horizontal cracks and stair step cracks in block deserve closer attention.

How Is a Foundation Repaired?

The repair follows the cause. Stable cracks are cleaned, filled and sealed. Failed mortar in stone or block is repointed. Water at the wall is handled through drainage changes. Where the wall itself has failed, sections are rebuilt, often with an engineer involved.

Outside the house, we look at gutters, downspouts and the slope of the ground and the driveway. Fixing those can do more than any patch on the inside.

Inside the basement, look at the spots where pipes and wires pass through the wall, around windows and along the floor line. Those openings are weak points, and sealing them is a small job that often solves a damp corner.

Parging, the cement coating on a foundation wall, flakes off with time. Renewing it protects the wall below, though it does not fix a structural crack.