This past summer in Saskatchewan was tough on foundations. The dry, drought-like conditions caused the soil to contract and crack. As the winter weather comes the soil expands as it freezes, pushing against your foundation. This can cause your foundation to heave and crack. This year’s mild weather is especially troubling – the constant freezing and refreezing has the soil constantly expanding and contracting, which can cause further stress beyond your average winter. Thawed moisture can also seep into these cracks and when it refreezes it expands, turning small hairline cracks into big ones.

To combat this, it’s important to reduce the amount of moisture around your foundation. Ensure your eaves troughs are clean and that your downspouts are extended to move any rain away from your house (yes, we’re still getting rain so far this winter). Shovel snow away from your house on all sides, not just where you walk. Inspect your foundation inside and outside and repair any hairline cracks that moisture can get in to.

If the weather patterns of the last few years tell us anything, it’s that we may experience freeze/thaw cycles during a Saskatchewan winter. It’s important to keep your foundation in good condition to deal with the constant contraction and expansion. Our team can help keep your foundation in tip top shape – contact us today for foundation inspection and repair services.

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Anyone growing up in Regina has seen firsthand how structures and foundations can shift and sink in our soil. This can leave concrete basement floors broken and cracked, which can affect plumbing, flooring and more. The dry summer of 2017 certainly hasn’t helped matters, resulting in many basement floors throughout the city in need of repair or replacement. Here are a few things to consider when looking to repair or replace your basement floor.

Leave it to the experts

It may be tempting to tackle at least the concrete removal of your floor/concrete slab to offset the cost of the project, but this could end up costing you more in the long run. Improper floor removal can lead to serious foundation damage. Careful consideration needs to be made for underground pipes and radon removal systems, and things like water heaters need to be properly disconnected. Bring us in early to assess your floor and determine next steps, which can be removal and repouring, but can also be less costly patches or repairs. Removing and replacing a concrete slab is also something that should be done in a timely fashion. A concrete slab floor supports the overall foundation of your house and once a concrete floor is removed or compromised it can cause the bottom of your foundation walls to move inward, which will get worse over time. If you’re looking to remove and replace your floor on a D.I.Y., weekend-here, weekend-there schedule, you could cause a lot of damage to your foundation. Best to let the experts do the job properly and quickly.

Time for a change

Removing and repouring your basement floor is also a great time to reconsider the layout of your basement. If you’re thinking about moving the bathroom or updating your radon removal system, think about it now. It’s also a great time to update your sump pit/pump system and any older drains beneath the slab.

Storage solutions

Keep in mind, you’re removing the basement floor, which also means removing anything on the basement floor. Construction projects of this nature can be stressful enough without the addition of a sea of clutter to wade through. Renting a portable storage container for the duration of the project will help cull the clutter and keep your sanity intact.

The Textured Terrain team has years of experience tackling and taming Regina basements. Give us a call today to assess your basement floor.

The post Starting On The Ground Floor With Basement Repair appeared first on Textured Terrain.

Protect your biggest investment – your house with us!

Houses in Regina go through a lot. Weather, water, soil, tree roots and natural deterioration of building materials all affect a home’s structure. And for many, the walls of a house move with time and require bracing. If this is happening to your home, then Textured Terrain is your answer for structurally sound basement wall bracing.

Our experienced team will come out and assess your basement and provide recommendations to protect your home from further movement. Call us today for a free estimate 306-533-8251.

The post Basement Bracing Your Answer to a Structurally Sound Home appeared first on Textured Terrain.