Frank in Providence, RI: “How long can I estimate for a new concrete slab to dry?” Crackman: That is a very interesting question. There are a lot of factors that contribute to how long it takes concrete to dry. There are a lot of different materials in concrete and it depends on the materials used, the amount of water and temperature around that slab, and is wind there. You want that concrete to dry as...

We are heading into Thunderstorm season and have been getting a lot of rain in Massachusetts. A1 Foundation Crack Repair has been getting a lot of calls from people who have water infiltration and want the work done. Here are some quick ideas you can do before or during that storm. 1. Make sure your downspouts are attached to the house. Then, with the downspouts, make sure the extenders are in-place running water away from...

Lally Columns are one of those hidden “gotcha's” found by home inspectors all the time. The home inspectors’ job is to let the buyer of the house know about any deficiencies. Just because these deficiencies exist does not mean the house is going to fall down. When it comes to Lally Columns, home inspectors are paid to look for these seven basic things. If the Lally Column is made of metal, if it is rusted....

Things you can do to protect your basement from moisture: Add a dehumidifier If there is water coming up from below, put a sump pump in. I found a water detector. It will actually call or text your cell phone if it detects water. This is a new product that I found that has quite a bit of merit. Not only will it detect water, but it will also tell you if the temperature of...

As spring showers increase the amount of ground water around the house homeowner are more likely to spot leaks in the basement. As many of them do, they decide to fix them themselves with products from Lowes and Home Depot. When they get there, they grab the guy in the aisle and ask his advice. He will suggest caulk or cement or Flex Seal and they give it the Ol’ College Try. After failing multiple...

We have  had problems in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire with the snow that we have had. The snow on the ground is going to melt, but so is the snow on our roofs. We want to keep that out of the basement. First, go into the basement and see if there are any water stains because places that leaked before will leak again. We can get that fixed for you. But what...

We run in to some very interesting “solutions “ for lally columns. Lally columns are the support systems that are underneath the floors that hold the floor up and keep them even and balanced. We see all kinds of poorly designed lally columns all over Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire that home inspectors don’t like. There are five that are common. We often see axels from cars used as lally columns. Yesterday I saw...

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service A1 Foundation Crack Repair has earned the home service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of customer service to members of the local services marketplace and consumer review site in 2016. This achievement is particularly significant as Angie’s List experienced unprecedented member growth in 2016. More than 1.6 million consumers, many of whom were eager to quickly hire highly qualified service...

If your finishing your basement it should be “like new” and you shouldn’t see any water. Is it right for you to think that way? Well, you can think what you want but it happens a lot of the times when someone finished the basement. We get calls from all over where people finish the basement and then months later they have water coming from behind the sheet rock. In fact, some say they knew...

Is your stone foundation leaking or is it a sewer pipe? Here is an interesting case study, but the good thing was there was no smell involved. We got a call from a panicked real estate agent who was trying to help a client. They were trying to close the next day and they had water coming through what she thought was the stone foundation. I asked her to take a picture of it, and...