What Do I Do About Having Stuck Windows and Doors?

It can be frustrating to deal with stuck doors and windows, even if you know that repairs to your home are just on the horizon. While you wait, you can discuss underpinning options with the contractors in your area to determine whether or not you want to invest in such comprehensive repairs. 

When you underpin your home, you work with a local contractor to lower the level of the footing to a more structurally sound level. This process requires some excavation around your foundation, but it can protect your home from extensive water and structural damage in the years to come. There are several processes through which a team of professionals can underpin your home. The most common methods include the use of piers, with varieties in use including: 

• Push piers – Push piers are among the most common types of piers to use beneath a home with a faulty foundation. Contractors can install these piers into the bedrock well beneath your home, and potentially use them to lift your foundation back into place. These piers, too, will take the weight of your home off your foundation, ensuring that it’s less likely to fall victim to similar types of damage in the future. 
• Helical piers – Helical piers serve the same purpose, but they are better equipped to support lighter concrete structures that have started to sink into the ground. Instead of being driven down into the ground, helical piers are “screwed” into the earth and down to more stable soil like bedrock to better support the settling foundation. 
• Slab piers – If you have a slab foundation, then slab piers are some of the best piers to use beneath your home. These piers are specially designed to take the weight of a home off slab foundations. Contractors will install them at least ten feet below your existing foundation, then allow them to force your slab back into its original position. 

Do note that while piers come in handy, you may still need to repair any cracks that have appeared in your foundation if you want to ensure that it keeps the rest of your home’s structural supports in place in the future. Additionally, if there are issues with floor joists in the areas where you have sticking windows and doors, special IntelliJack™ stabilizers can be installed to better support the floor joists and floors, allowing them to potentially be lifted back to their original level position.