Defective foundation or areaway walls
You have been cited where the building meets the ground. The City ranks these near the top of its severity scale, because everything above them depends on them.
- Do I need a permit?
- This normally needs a permit before work starts. We file it.
- Who actually does it?
- Our own crews. This is work we self-perform, so the schedule is ours to keep.
- Am I unusual?
- Not at all. This is one of the items we are called out for most, and it is rarely the only thing on the notice.
What the inspector was looking at
Foundation walls cracked or displaced. Areaway walls deteriorated. Signs of settlement. Water standing against the building.
What happens if you leave it
Foundation items are the ones that scare lenders and buyers. An open citation here is the kind that quietly costs you a sale later.
How we get it closed
- 1We establish whether the movement is active or historic, bringing in an engineer where it matters
- 2Foundation and areaway wall repaired or rebuilt
- 3The drainage and grading that caused it corrected, so it does not simply return
- 4Documentation put on record in the form the City wants it
Before you start worrying about the cost
Most foundation citations are not the catastrophe owners fear when they read the word. Getting it properly assessed is usually the cheapest hour you will spend.
This is almost never the only item
Chicago inspectors write up everything they can see in one visit. Fixing this and leaving the rest means the case stays open and you go to the hearing anyway. We price and clear the whole notice: our own crews on nearly all of it, licensed partners on the plumbing, heating and electrical items, and nothing left dangling for you to chase.
See how the whole thing worksUsually on the same notice
If you see any of these on yours too, that is the normal pattern rather than bad luck. They tend to share a cause.
The engineer report the City is demanding, filed, plus the repairs it calls for. Until this lands, nothing else on your notice can close.
Walks, passages, areaways and drives relaid so nobody trips and water runs away from your building instead of into it.
The joints get ground out and repointed to match, so the wall stops shedding mortar and the inspector stops writing it up.
Cited for foundation? Let us take it from here.
A quick call, then we come out and price every item on the notice in person. Free, and you are under no obligation to use us.
Licensed and insured. A person answers, Monday to Saturday.