Benson, AZ Expert Foundation Repair & Concrete Leveling

A Homeowner Notices Something Changing

Foundation problems can sometimes develop slowly enough that homeowners don't immediately recognize what is happening. Other times, a change becomes noticeable enough to raise concern.

For the owners of this 1970-built home in Benson, Arizona, it was the latter.

The homeowners contacted Arizona Foundation Solutions after discovering what they described as a recent “sinking” of their foundation. Given the age of the home and the apparent change they had observed, they wanted to determine what was happening and how the affected foundation could be supported.

The resulting project became a substantial foundation repair involving 13 helical piers, excavation, steel components and a controlled lift procedure.

Preparing the Benson Home for Foundation Repair

Before the pier system could be installed, the crew needed access to the home's foundation.

Excavation areas were created along the exterior at the locations designated for the foundation support system. The project included three concrete remove-and-replace areas with hand digging, along with three additional hand-dug locations.

Hand excavation can be particularly important around existing homes because crews may need to work in confined areas or around utilities and other obstacles.

The photographs from the project show just how involved this stage can be. Excavations extend below the bottom of the foundation, allowing the crew to expose the areas where the new support system would be installed.

One excavation also revealed a substantial vertical crack extending through an exposed portion of the foundation. While a crack alone doesn't tell the entire story of a foundation's condition, cracking can be one visible indication that movement has occurred.

Installing 13 Helical Piers

The primary stabilization component selected for this Benson home was a system of 13 helical piers.

Helical piers are steel foundation supports that are mechanically advanced into the ground. Rather than relying solely on the soils immediately beneath a settling portion of a home, the pier system is designed to transfer structural loads to suitable supporting soils at depth.

The project photos provide an unusually good view of the installation process.

After excavation exposed the foundation, brackets were positioned at the foundation. Specialized hydraulic equipment was then used during installation of the steel pier sections. Several photos show the equipment operating immediately alongside the house as the crew progressed through the repair.

Once installed, the piers and brackets become part of a support system for the affected foundation.

Steel Support and the Lift Procedure

The project scope went beyond simply installing the 13 piers. It also called for 13 angle iron/steel tube/I-beam components associated with the repair.

A nine-point lift procedure was also included in the project.

The objective of a controlled lift procedure is to carefully manage the foundation during the repair process rather than attempting uncontrolled movement. Any achievable recovery depends on the structure and site conditions encountered during the project, with stabilization remaining the critical goal of foundation repair.

This distinction is important. Piering isn't simply about making cracks disappear or forcing an older home back into a theoretically perfect position. The larger objective is to provide dependable support to the affected portions of the foundation.

Why Helical Piers Can Be Used for Arizona Foundation Settlement

Soil conditions play an important role in foundation performance throughout Arizona. Changes in soil moisture, drainage conditions and the characteristics of the supporting soils can contribute to movement beneath a structure.

When portions of a foundation lose adequate support, simply repairing visible cosmetic damage doesn't address the underlying structural concern.

A pier system approaches the problem differently by providing a load-transfer path to supporting soils at greater depth.

For this Benson home, the repair plan called for 13 separate helical pier locations, providing support along the affected areas rather than treating only the visible symptoms above ground.

Completing the Foundation Repair

Once the pier installation and associated foundation work were completed, the excavated areas could be backfilled.

The final photograph shows one of the most overlooked parts of a foundation repair project: restoration. Much of the evidence of the extensive excavation has disappeared, leaving the work itself largely below grade.

That's an interesting contrast with the earlier photos. At the height of the project, there were open excavations, hydraulic installation equipment, exposed foundation sections and steel pier components surrounding the home. Afterward, much of the system responsible for supporting the foundation is no longer visible.

Foundation Repair in Benson and Southern Arizona

For these homeowners, noticing that their foundation appeared to be sinking led them to investigate rather than simply covering up the visible symptoms.

The resulting 2022 repair included 13 helical piers, multiple hand-dug excavations, steel support components and a controlled lift procedure to address the affected foundation.

Arizona homeowners who notice new or expanding foundation cracks, changes in floor elevation, doors or windows that become difficult to operate, or other changes in their home shouldn't assume that the problem is merely cosmetic. These symptoms can have several causes, which is why identifying what is actually happening to the structure is an important first step.

For homeowners in Benson, Tucson and communities throughout Southern Arizona, Arizona Foundation Solutions can evaluate signs of foundation movement and recommend repair options based on the conditions of the individual home.