Georgia-based Contractor Restores Unleveled Structure by Foamjacking Spray Polyurethane Foam

BUCKHEAD, GA - July 8, 2013 - Underneath it all, nature can affect a building's foundation in such a way that it can cause an entire structure to fall apart, prompting the building owner to start from scratch by rebuilding. Mother Nature is a tough opponent to fight against, so it's crucial to find ways to outsmart her in order to keep our structures resilient and our wallets happy. What if a teardown wasn't the only option? What if there was a way to fix the entire structure with a simple injection process?

James Copelan, a Georgia homeowner who had built an addition on the side of his house, noticed his guest home had began to sag down because of erosion damage on the concrete slab foundation and opted for a quick and easy fix: the foamjacking application of spray polyurethane foam.

The 300 ft. one-room guest house had been in place for 2 years before it succumbed to water-related settling of the soil underneath the structure, which generated cracks on the concrete slab and caused the entire structure, including the roof system, to sink down on two sides of the slab. On the far and lowest corner of the addition, the slab had sunk down nearly five inches into the ground, whereas on another corner, the slab had sunk three inches.

Because the foundation was unleveled, the rest of the guest house had been affected. The windows inside the structure were bowed out and would not open; there was a 1-inch wide gap between the bottom plate an the concrete foundation. This opening gave way to outside elements such as insects and allergens to enter into the room. In addition to the windows, the attic entrance was also bowed out of square and would not open or close properly.

Spray Foam USA (SF USA) was contracted for the job, which involved restoring the concrete slab back to its original state. In order to accomplish this, the crew would inject spray foam into the slab to lift the concrete back to its dead-level original grade.

"We were hoping that by providing the foundation with the right height we could get the windows and the doors to shut properly," said SF USA's Eddie Florence, the project's foreman.

Before the application took place, the crew applied Dow Great Stuff's Gaps & Cracks can foam to temporarily seal the cracks so that when the injection process took place, the foam wouldn't come out from under the house, Florence explained.

The existing hardwood floors inside the guest house were removed so that the crew could work on the concrete slab with ease.

"We had greater visibility of the damages," Florence said. "This made the job faster and easier because we could see the cracks where the water had settled and everything we needed to fix."

The two-man crew then drilled seven 5/8-inch holes using a drill hammer attachment into the slab and injected 300 lbs. of Spray Foam Systems' Concrete Lifting Foam into the holes. According to Florence, the application produced immediate results.

"As the concrete lifted, we noticed that the gaps began to close and everything started to even out," said Florence.

Florence said that the foamjacking application lifted the concrete slab back up over five inches, which caused the drywall on the inside of the structure to close back together and the attic access to square off so it could open and close properly. The windows could also be opened and closed normally, and the one-inch gap around the bottom plate had sealed off completely keeping all the bugs in their natural habitat.

"Not only did the spray foam raise and support the structure, it also helped put everything back to its original place," said Florence. "We weren't expecting that to happen so easily, so it was great when it did."

The crew had a ProPAK 300i Mobile Spray Rig equipped with a Fusion Gun Pro attachment at the site. It took a mere four hours for the SF USA crew to complete the job. Florence mentioned that by choosing the SPF application, Copelan ended up spending 30 percent of the cost of other methods to fix the issue.

"He was looking at a teardown and rebuilding project, which would've taken a lot more time, labor, and money," said Florence. "In four hours, the injected foam filled in all the cracks and crevices and compacted to give the addition a solid foundation again."

Copelan was extremely happy with the results and cited the job as efficient and effective. He noted that the customer service given by the SFS USA team exceeded his expectations.

"I couldn't believe that the foam not only lifted the concrete but also helped to restore the working parts in the house," said Copelan. "It was amazing."

About Spray Foam USA: SprayFoam USA is a full service provider for Spray Foam Insulation and Concrete Lifting Services. SprayFoam USA serves the Lake Oconee area and is based in Greensboro, GA. SprayFoam USA has professionally certified staff by the SPFA.