It can be extremely worrisome for owners of a home that is suffering the serious effects of ground subsidence.
Traditional signs of a home affected by soil subsidence can vary from large cracks in walls and uneven concrete driveways, to annoyances such as doors and windows not closing properly, or gaps appearing between walls and floorboards.
Many homeowners are concerned that the damage to their home can eventually get so bad that it may result in their home being partially demolished or require serious structural work. However, what many homeowners don’t realise is that, as serious as the visible damage can be, the issues are often related to unstable or weak ground beneath their home.
To help reassure the increasing number of property owners worried about the structural integrity of their home, Mainmark has embarked on a campaign to help raise awareness of the effects that ground subsidence can have on homes. This includes educating homeowners that there is a viable and cost effective solution to help fix the issue quickly and non-invasively using Teretek®
Our unique two-in-one solution, Teretek®, helps to future-proof homes affected by ground subsidence by strengthening the soil beneath a home’s foundations while simultaneously lifting and re-levelling the home back towards its original level. This results in wall cracks closing, doors and windows latching again, and floors and skirting boards realigned. Yet, the best outcome for homeowners is peace of mind knowing that the ground underneath their biggest investment is solid and unlikely to move again in the future.
Recently, Teretek® has been used in a number cases to successfully remediate the home:
- The owners of a home in Yagoona, Sydney were worried their back patio would need to be demolished due to soil subsidence caused by a leaking drainage pipe. Teretek® was able to successfully strengthen the foundation soil, help prevent future subsidence from occurring and re-level the home.
- A homeowner in Turangi, New Zealand was worried that serious cracks and un-level floors in the home could not be remediated due to the home’s underfloor heating system. However, Teretek® non-invasive application method enabled the home to be re-levelled without causing any damage to the underfloor heating.
- A home in Kanahooka, New South Wales had large floor to ceiling cracks running down several walls at the back of the property which prevented doors and windows from closing. Teretek® was able to successfully lift the affected room back to level and close the cracks.
- A home built on a steep slope in Upper Hutt, New Zealand was suffering from poor soil bearing capacity as the home’s foundations had been built over an ancient waterway. Teretek® was able to strengthen the soil beneath the home’s foundations to stop the risk of further subsidence.
These cases demonstrate how soil subsidence can affect the structural integrity of a home in different ways. Common causes of weakened ground that can be a catalyst for foundation issues include:
- Leaking pipes
- Inadequate drainage
- Torrential rain
- Adjacent developments
- Tree roots
- Older constructions.
It’s great to see first-hand how reassuring it can be to homeowners that a solution like Teretek® can provide a long-term solution to a home’s structural issues cost-effectively and far less invasively than using traditional underpinning methods.