The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 14

ftm 14A THURSDAY OCTOBI 2S 2007 FROM PAGE ONE THF CHARI OTTF ORSFRVFR I www charlotte com Drought: Cracked earth foundations GAYLE SHOMER gshomercharlotteobserver com Jose Antonio of Ram Jack shovels clay away from the foundation of a home As the drought continues and clay dries out some homes are experiencing shifting and cracking in the foundations $22000 Some jobs are much more expensive Owners facing costly repairs have to decide whether the investment is worthwhile Beckham said That of course also depends on the value of the house just not cost effective to fix a Beckham said have customers decide No insurance coverage Chrissy Pearson of the NC Department of Insurance said the standard contract excludes coverage for such problems Policies exclude damage caused by sinkholes or other earth movement including earth sinking rising or If you think you have a problem you should be able to hire an engineer for no more than $500 or $600 Gavel said he charges $90 an hour and the inspection and report usually take three to six hours Most repair services offer warranties that cover the life of the structure Beckham said although some limit coverage to just 10 years Warranties should be transferable to new owners When you call in an expert you might discover the problem as bad as you think because you see cracks in your brickwork not the end of the said Gavel who owns Gavel Engineering mean your house is going to sink out of Also the clay soil will or expand when the rains finally come Some smaller cracks will close on their own But rain fix the most severe problems developing now Gavel said Homes Irom IA 30 one day last week have people reporting right now that they arc literally hearing the brick he said holds on as long as it can then lets company serves the western half of North Carolina and seeing growing numbers of foundation problems in (aeensboro Ashcboro Hickory and Salisbury exempt from it right he said In the Charlotte area problems are particularly bad in southern Mecklenburg County and around to the east side There arc bands of a sticky yellow clay that expands and contracts more than other soil types Beckham said seeing lots of problems in Pineville and out the Providence Road corridor into Union County are higher concentrations (of bull tallow) there than he said But the problem can occur anywhere a layer of clay beneath a footing the buried band of concrete that supports the foundation Contractors say seeing problems with houses of all ages Houses on slabs as well as those built ove crawl spaces are at risk When this dry for this long says engineer Kirk Gavel the groundwater level drops it may be dropping to a level (the house) seen since it was Beckham said he sees little shoddy construction in homes with foundation problems contractors can do everything right and you can stil1 ex the underground concrete footing Then they use motors to screw steel pipes or piers into the ground like giant corkscrews Workers add extensions and drill down until they reach soil stable enough to support the piers Beckham said Then they attach brackets to the piers with arms that reach under the footing that supports the house Jacks lift the brackets to level the foundation The jacks use hydraulics similar to the technology sec pit crews use at a NASCAR race When repairs are complete the permanent piers and brackets are covered by soil Repairs in the Charlotte area are typically $6000 to $8000 Bailey and Beckham say The cost to repair a tilting chimney could be less about $2500 The cost to install 22 steel piers at one house in Huntersville was cided he had no choice He spent about $8000 to repair the slab hugely expensive he said no not covered by The fix Repair services use several methods to level and reinforce foundations depending on the amount of damage and type of foundation home was repaired by Barrier Geotechnical Contractors a Huntersville company owned by engineer Reed Bailey workers used a process called pressure grouting or to level the slab They drilled beer-can-sizcd holes through the slab and pumped a thin concrete mixture underneath it Hydraulic pressure from the concrete lifted and leveled the slab perience he said Normal expansion and contraction of soil might not be a problem especially if the movement is even under the entire house But the standard footing can collapse if the clay in one spot shrinks enough In the Steele Creek area of southwest Mecklenburg Tom house of 26 years developed wide horizontal cracks in the walls this summer Doors close properly The two-story house sits on a concrete slab and the entire middle of the slab sagged house is built over bull tallow He had problems with a 20-ycar-old addition he said but had never had a problem with the foundation of the main house until this summer McMecken watched arching horizontal cracks get worse in an upstairs bedroom and finally de Do It Yourself Experts say that diagnosing foundation problems and making repairs is not for do-it-yourselfers If you suspect you have a problem call an independent structural or geotechnical engineer to perform an inspection When the engineer proposes specific repairs you can seek bids from foundation contractors they did the grouting those cracks (in the walls) completely closed McMecken said Ram Jack system is a good example of the steel pier approach Workers dig 2-fect-square holes next to the foundation and CABARRUS CO Concord Speedway loulevard Mills 29 MECK CO Speedway 291 (Cf- 4id v- 2 1 fe STAFF MAP Rename road Bruton Smith Boulevard? SpeedwayromM munity that appreciates him more The council later committed to reverse itself and permit Smith to build Smith has a road named after him at his track near Atlanta Cabarrus tourism officials spent 80 minutes Wednesday trying to persuade Smith to stay showing him a video of hotel maids and restaurateurs thanking him for the jobs he brings to the county After vote on renaming the boulevard Concord Mayor Scott Padgett who has a road near the speedway bearing his name conceded the city could show Smith more appreciation think past time we did he said was a pioneer in motorsports and we named anything for him I guess the message is you sort of take for granted what The resolution reads in part: would be most appropriate for the thousands of citizens that travel 1-85 to Motor Speedway to be reminded of Mr Smith and his dedication to our community and the community of Council members have scheduled a vote for Friday that could allow Smith to build the drag strip Smith says he will wait until then before deciding whether to move the speedway WRITER ADAM BELL CONTRIBUTED 2Jjc (Djarlottc (Dbscrlicr Subscribe Today 18005325350 9 Earn Reward Points toward more Dillard's Reward Certificates every time you shop 1 i 'Subject to credit approval Ceitificotes for opening a Dillatd rrd account will arrive with the Dillard 8 Card and expire 60 days from issuance See credit application for Rewanis program terms I OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 10 AM -9 PM OPEN SUNDAY 12 NOON 6 PM USE YOUR DILLARD'S CHARGE WE WELCOME VISA MASTERCARD AMERICAN EXPRESS DINER'S CLUB DISCOVER CARD SOUTHPARK MALL 365 3111 CAROLINA PLACE 544 0113 N0RTHLAKE MALL 716 1150 EASTLAND CLEARANCE CENTER 56B 3111 OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 11 A 7 PM SUNDAY 12 NOON 6 PM.