Merrillville Indiana Concrete Foundations – Clay Soil

You’re looking at a foundation crack and deciding if a patch will hold through the next wet season. That decision shows up on a lot of ranch and split-level houses in Merrillville. Concrete Foundations in Merrillville often sit on clay that was already there when the house went up. So the crack is usually a sign the soil moved. A smear of sealant won’t stop the next move. People have called us after they painted a crack and watched it open again. When the wall shifts a second time, the paint line splits in the same spot. Then you want to know if the whole wall is failing or just that joint.

What Wet Seasons Do to Concrete Foundations in Merrillville

Lake County clay takes on water and it swells. After a dry stretch it shrinks and pulls away from the footing. Because the wall has to follow that movement, a hairline can open wider.

We’ve dug beside older walls in Merrillville. We found the soil hard against the concrete where it stayed wet.

When water stands against the wall for days, the swollen clay presses on it. So we look at the grade before we talk about concrete. If the lawn slopes back toward the house, the footing stays wet longer than it should. For example, a downspout can dump right at the corner. That keeps one section of clay soft while the rest of the wall dries.

Concrete Foundations in Merrillville Under Older Houses

Ranches and split-levels from Merrillville’s suburban build-out sit on Lake County clay. Wet weather makes that clay swell. A dry stretch lets it shrink back. And that movement opens foundation cracks. People call us about cracks in the original foundation wall. So last year’s patch often splits again.

You can’t pick the fix from the crack alone. When we look, we check if the wall bowed and how the soil meets the concrete. After a wet week the clay can press hard enough to open a horizontal crack in a block wall. Then a dry month lets the soil drop back from the footing. We have come back and found the crack wider after the next wet spell.

When a Patch Will Not Hold on Concrete Foundations in Merrillville

Concrete Foundations in Merrillville need a clear plan once the clay keeps moving the same wall. We start by reading the crack and the grade. Then we tell you if patch work will hold. If it won’t, that section has to come out. Because we handle patch work and full concrete removal, the same visit can cover the bad section.

When the section has to go, we tear out the failed concrete and pour it back. So that’s tear out and replace. We handle a failing service walk the same way if we are already on the site. You can see our concrete foundations work next to the other residential concrete we pour. After the forms come off, the new wall has to meet the old concrete cleanly.

Concrete Foundations in Merrillville for a Room Addition

Concrete Foundations in Merrillville also come up when a ranch gets a room addition. But the new concrete will sit in the same soil that moved the old wall. We talk through the addition so we can size the footing before we dig. Cabe’s Concrete is a family owned and operated company, and our doors opened in 2006. Our staff have a wealth of experience in the field. We source our products so we know they are the best available.

Resetting the grade is part of Concrete Foundations in Merrillville when water sits at the wall. We pull the soil back and slope it away from the footing. Then we aim the downspouts away from that clay.

You can look through our photo gallery to see finished concrete work. Around Merrillville, our service area page shows the Northwest Indiana area we cover. The same Lake County clay is under nearby lots too. People in Merrillville call us about stair-step cracks in the block.