Foundation Repair in Metro Detroit
Foundation crack repair, bowing basement walls and settling, done by a licensed Michigan residential builder based in Farmington Hills. Free inspection and a written quote.
- 4.9 on Google (46 reviews)
- Licensed MI builder #262400278
- Free inspection, written price first
- Free 6-month check-up after every job
- Based in Farmington Hills
Foundation repair, in short
Foundation repair fixes the cracks, bowing walls and settling that let a house move and let water in. In Southeast Michigan most of it starts with water: wet clay soil pushing on the walls, and freeze and thaw working at every crack all winter.
We find out which of those is happening at your house, repair the wall, and deal with the water that caused it. Your basement walls are your foundation walls, so the structural repair and the waterproofing are quoted together as one job.
Signs you may need foundation repair
- Cracks in your foundation walls, basement floor, or exterior brick
- A basement wall that is bowing, leaning, or buckling inward
- One corner of the house dropping, or floors that slope
- Water coming in through a foundation crack after heavy rain
- Stair-step cracks through block or brick mortar joints
- Cracks above doors and windows, or doors that suddenly stick
- Sagging or bouncy floors above the basement
- Rotted sill plate, joist ends, or support posts
Foundation cracks: when to worry
It depends on the direction, the width, and whether the crack is moving. Thin vertical cracks in a poured concrete wall are common and usually come from the concrete shrinking as it cured. They are often cosmetic, though they still let water through.
- Horizontal cracks, especially near the middle of a block wall
- Stair-step cracks through the mortar joints of a block or brick wall
- Any crack wider than about a quarter inch, or one side sitting out of line with the other
- Cracks that are getting longer or wider from one season to the next
- New cracks above doors and windows upstairs, or doors that start to stick
Those mean the wall is under pressure or the house is moving, and they should be looked at soon. Send us a photo or book the free inspection and we will tell you which kind yours is, including when the answer is that it does not need work yet.
Why does a foundation crack?
Concrete shrinks as it cures, so some hairline cracking is normal in almost every poured wall. The cracks that grow have an outside force behind them.
Clay soil swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, so it pushes and releases against the wall through the year. Water that freezes in the soil and in the crack itself adds pressure every winter. Roof water dumped next to the house keeps the soil against the wall saturated. And when soil under a footing washes out or compresses, that part of the foundation settles and the wall cracks where it bends.
That is why a lasting repair deals with the water around the house as well as the crack in the wall.
Book your free foundation repair inspection
We come out, find the cause, and give you a written quote. Call 248-635-3767 or request a visit online.
- 4.9 on Google (46 reviews)
- Licensed MI builder #262400278
- Free inspection, written price first
- Free 6-month check-up after every job
- Based in Farmington Hills
Foundation crack repair: how we fix it
Most foundation cracks start as a hairline and widen a little with every wet spring and cold winter. Vertical and diagonal cracks in a poured wall are usually shrinkage or minor settling and can be injected and sealed. Stair-step cracks through block mortar joints usually mean the wall is under pressure and needs reinforcing, not filler.
We tell you which one you have before we quote it, and where water is getting in we seal from the outside, where the water actually is.
Foundation wall repair: bowing and leaning walls
When saturated clay soil swells against the outside of a block wall, the wall bows inward near the middle or leans in at the top. The signs are a horizontal crack running the length of the wall, block courses that no longer line up, or a wall that has pushed in past the sill plate.
We stabilize the wall and relieve the pressure that caused it by fixing the drainage outside. Caught early this is a repair; left alone it becomes a rebuild.
Settling foundations and foundation restoration
A settling foundation usually shows upstairs first: doors that stick, cracks running diagonally out from door and window corners, floors that slope toward one side of the house, gaps opening where trim meets the wall. It normally means the soil under a footing has washed out or compressed.
We find the section that moved, support the load properly, and deal with the water that undermined it so it does not keep going. Restoring a foundation means repairing the one you have, section by section, rather than replacing it.
Choosing a foundation repair company near you
Whoever you call, a few questions sort out most of it. Is the company licensed in Michigan? You can check any residential builder on the state's LARA license lookup; ours is license 262400278. Will you get a written scope that says what is being repaired and how? Does the quote deal with the water that caused the damage, or only the crack? And will they tell you when a crack does not need work yet?
Check license 262400278 on Michigan LARA
How the work goes
Basement structural repair and carpentry
Foundation work often turns up damaged wood where the house sits on the wall. We repair that as part of the same job.
Joists, beams and posts
We sister and replace rotted or cracked floor joists, rebuild failed beam pockets, set new support posts and footings under a sagging main beam, and repair sill plate where water or insects have got into the wood. If your floors bounce or sag toward the middle of the house, this is the work we mean.
Foundation sealing
Sealing is what keeps a repaired crack repaired. Where the situation calls for it we seal from the outside: dig to the footing, clean the wall, apply a waterproofing coating and drainage membrane, and set a drain at the base. Interior sealing is the right answer on some homes and a short-term patch on others, and the inspection is how we tell the difference. See exterior waterproofing.
Basement leak repair
A basement leak only stays fixed if you fix why the water is getting in. We trace the path, repair the opening, and move the water away from the house with drainage, grading, or a sump system. See basement waterproofing.
Carpentry and framing
We also do the carpentry that goes with structural work: framing repairs, crawl space doors, rebuilt basement stairs, and the finish work to put things back the way we found them.
Why homeowners call Swift Dry
- Licensed Michigan residential builder, license 262400278
- Free foundation inspection, inside and outside
- 4.9 rating on Google (46 reviews)
- Structural repair and waterproofing quoted as one job
- A written scope and upfront price before work starts
- Based in Farmington Hills, serving Metro Detroit since 2023
- Straight answers, including when a crack can wait
What you get with every job
Before you let anyone into your basement, you should know what you are signing up for. Here is what every Swift Dry customer gets.
Warranty terms are set job by job; when one applies, it is written into your quote.
- A free inspection, inside and out
- We look at the basement and the ground around the house to find where the water or movement starts. No charge and no obligation.
- A written scope and price first
- You get the work, the walls involved and the price in writing before anything starts. If a smaller fix will do, we say so and quote that.
- A licensed, insured Michigan builder
- Swift Dry is a licensed and insured Michigan Residential Builder Company, license 262400278. You can look it up on the state's LARA search.
- A free check-up about six months later
- After the work is done, we come back for a free visit to check it. Every job gets one.
- Financing if you want it
- Three financing options on your quote, with pre-approval on request.
Articles on foundation repair
- Stair-step cracks in block basement walls: what they meanWhat a stair-step crack in a block basement wall tells you, how to read settling versus soil pressure, what to measure, and when it needs repair.
- Crawl space moisture and cold floors: what is going on under the houseWhy rooms over a crawl space get cold floors and damp smells in winter, how air and moisture rise from the crawl space, and what fixes it in the right order.
- Foundation cracks: when to worry before the ground freezesWhich foundation cracks are cosmetic and which need a look before winter, why Michigan foundations crack, and what frost and clay soil do to a cracked wall.
What Metro Detroit homeowners say
Rated 4.9 on Google from 46 reviews. Read the reviews.
Foundation repair questions
Do you do foundation repair near me?
Yes, if you are in Metro Detroit. We are based in Farmington Hills and take foundation repair jobs across Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw and Macomb counties. Recent jobs include Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ypsilanti, Saline, Canton, Livonia, Warren, Waterford, Troy and West Bloomfield. Call 248-635-3767 and we will tell you straight whether we can get to your address.
Do you repair the basement and the foundation as one job?
Yes, and that is usually the right way to do it. The basement wall is the foundation wall, so a crack, a bowing wall, and the water coming through it are the same problem seen from two sides. We quote the structural repair and the waterproofing together so you are not paying two crews to come back to the same wall.
What does foundation repair cost?
It depends on what the inspection finds: where the water or movement starts, how much of the house is involved, and how much digging or clean-out comes first. A small crack repair job and a full system are very different prices, so we do not publish a range. The inspection is free, and you get a written price before any work starts.
How long does foundation repair take?
Sealing a crack is often a single day. Wall stabilization and structural carpentry usually run one to three days. Digging out and sealing the outside takes longer, depending on how much of the foundation we open up and the weather. The timeline is in writing with the quote.
How do I know if a foundation crack is serious?
Hairline cracks that stay the same are common. A crack deserves a look when it is getting wider, when one side sits higher than the other, when water comes through it, or when the wall next to it is leaning in. Our blog post on foundation cracks explains what to check before the ground freezes.
Do you repair bowing basement walls?
Yes. Swift Dry repairs cracked and bowing basement walls, and we quote the wall repair together with the waterproofing when water is coming through the same wall. The method depends on how far the wall has moved and why, and we explain it in the written quote.
Get your free foundation repair inspection
Honest quote, no obligation. Serving Metro Detroit from Farmington Hills.
- 4.9 on Google (46 reviews)
- Licensed MI builder #262400278
- Free inspection, written price first
- Free 6-month check-up after every job
- Based in Farmington Hills