Unless you’re a professional with the right skills and experience, don’t try to underpin your house by yourself. It’s not worth risking injury or damaging your home.
In this article, we will discuss the risks, and challenges of underpinning a house yourself and whether you should hire an expert to do the work.
Is DIY Underpinning A House Possible?
No, underpinning a house by yourself or DIY is not possible and not recommended. It can only be possible for individuals with relevant knowledge, experience, skills having proper tools and equipment. We suggest doing this only by foundation repairs professionals.
If you have all the required skills and equipment, still you must work under a professional engineer’s guidance during installation for optimum results.
What Are The Risks Of Underpinning A House Yourself?
These are the possible risks of underpinning a house yourself:
– It can void your insurance due to unauthorised access to maintenance work.
– You cannot provide guarantee for the work
– if you are not cautious, you could damage the foundation and can result in costly repair.
– If you’re not careful, one mistake could cause physical harm or damage that is irreversible.
– Problems will remain the same if you unaware of how to prevent foundation issues
Why Should You Choose A Professional Underpinning Contractor?
An underpinning project is a complex, dangerous, and physically demanding work and for these reasons, it’s always best to choose a professional contractors.
These are some of the advantages to work with a professional underpinning contractor:
– Years of experience to handle any job, big or small.
– They’re always up-to-date with the latest technology and tools.
– Guaranteed outcome and satisfaction with their work
– They have all required papers, permissions, and insurance coverage to work in your area without any issues.
– They comply with the regional and state building codes and regulations.
Before going ahead with any underpinning work, be sure whether you need it. You can check our blog does my house need underpinning to know more.
Underpinning Is Complex
The process is complex. First, you will need to dig holes into the affected area of your foundation to several feet until reaching a solid substrate. Then pins need to be inserted into the drilled holes and concreted into place.
Underpinning is a complex and tedious work. You will need to dig holes several feet into the foundation’s affected areas until you reach a solid surface. Once that is done, insert pins into the drilled holes and concreted them to secure the perimeter.
Underpinning Is Dangerous
If an underpinning project is not done correctly, it can be dangerous.
- If you don’t know how to use tools properly, you could injure yourself.
- If you try to repair your foundation without any professional help, you could do more harm than good.
- Trying to fix too quickly or using too much force can make the cracks worse.
- Without an authorised company or person, insurance companies don’t compensate for any damage if you DIY underpin.
- If you choose to do the underpinning process yourself without working under an authorised company or person, insurance companies will not cover any damage.
Experience and Expertise
If you are inexperience, your underpinning project could cost more than it needs. Make sure you only allow a professional with the right experience and expertise to handle the job. Experience is key to success on every unique construction project.
What About An Underpinning Warranty?
If an authorised contractor work on your underpinning project, you will get a warranty of the work. The warranty covers any problems that may arise and most contractors in Sydney offer at least 10 years of protection.
Underpinning a house can be a complex and dangerous process, that’s why, it’s always best to leave it to the professionals. If you’re not careful, you could damage the foundation beyond repair or cause physical harm. When underpinning is done by the right contractor, you can rest assured that the job will be done correctly and safely. Always make sure to check for compliance with state and regional regulations before hiring anyone for your underpinning project.