Foundation Repair Before & After Photos

In Ely, MN, a homeowner was dealing with a settling cabin that needed immediate structural support. The before photo shows noticeable sagging and unevenness caused by failing support beneath the structure. To address this, our team installed SmartJack® and Helical Pier systems, visible in the installation photos, to lift and stabilize the foundation. In the after photo, the floors are level and solid, reducing bounce and restoring the cabin’s stability—providing a long-term, worry-free solution for the homeowner.

This Ely, MN home was significantly sinking on one end of the home. This caused settling in the foundation, creating cracks in the basement floor and allowing water to reach the home. Worried about the issue getting worse, they reached out to DBS for a permanent solution. 

DBS Design Specialist Henrik Makitalo is an expert in foundation repair. After visiting the home and providing a free, no-obligation estimate for the work done, Henrik determined that the home needed assistance from our structural, waterproofing, and concrete repair teams. 

First, our Basement Repair Production Manager Kevin Steffey and his crew excavated the exterior of the home in order to perform a lift procedure. Our team installed 32 push piers total at the base of the home on the exterior and interior of the home. These galvanized steel piers were then hydraulicaly driven into the ground to weight-bearing soils. The weight of the home was then transferred to the competent soil.

After this was completed, our team was tasked with protecting the outside of the home against water and condensation with SentrySeal® rubber membrane. On the home's interior, our concrete repair production crew was able to work through specific areas targeted by Henrik that needed to be raised and leveled. 

The homeowners were happy with the work done and can now depend on a safe and comfortable home for years to come. 

This is certainly not a job you find everyday. A boathouse in Ely, MN experienced foundation structure damage during a series of storms, and the owner was worried about the condition it was in. They were able to reach DBS to help find a solution to this issue. After careful inspection and thought, it was determined that the boathouse would need a significant amount of piering done in order to stabilize it. The only problem was that a majority of the foundation needing work was sitting within the lake. Needing a solid surface to perrform the job on, our crew would wait until the cold season when the lake would freeze over. Once the ice was thick enough, the crew brought a mini excavator along it to help with the installation process. The can-do attitude of the crew resulted in a job well done, and the boathouse is now more stabilized than ever before!

Homeowners in Ely, MN noticed that cracks in their foundation were worsening. Quite of bit of water was reaching the basement, causing mildew and undesirable conditions after rains and spring thawing. Additionally, the home's crawl space was sagging causing uneven floors in the rest of the home. 

DBS Design Specilist Rich Johnsen visited the home and provided a free, no-obligation estimate for the foundation support system. It was determined that our GeoLock™ Wall Anchor System would be installed, and well as our SmartJack® System to support the crawl space.

A DBS Foreman and production crew installed our GeoLock™ Wall Plates and Earth Anchors to the failing foundation wall. This system uses the heavy-duty anchors in and connects them to plates on the wall interior wall. Connected with long, galvanized rods, these anchors are tightened to straighten the wall over time and provide maximum support.  

These homeowners were happy with the work done and now have a safe and dry basement to enjoy!

In Ely, MN, a homeowner enlisted our help to address a foundation problem affecting their beloved family home, as evident from the noticeable shift seen in the before photo. Our goal was to safeguard this cherished gathering place for future family gatherings. We implemented Helical Piers, a dependable solution for stabilization. As shown in the after photo, we successfully restored the foundation to its original level, ensuring enduring safety and reassurance for our customers.