You’re expecting a big event… congratulations! It’s a *bundle of foundation repair joy*, and a team from Anchor Foundation Repair is coming to celebrate with you. Cue the balloon drop!
Kidding aside, you’re not having a baby—you’re having slab foundation repair with Anchor (specifically our bell-bottom pier repair method). If you haven’t experienced a foundation repair job before, you might not know what to expect.
We want you to have the best experience from start to finish. As a foundation repair company serving the Brazos Valley, we’re committed to keeping you informed and putting everything back where it belongs—including your home.
“Our number one priority is to treat your home as if it were our own. It’s more than a job to us, it’s your home, and we want to protect it and you every step of the way.”
Craig Tripp – Anchor Foundation Repair President
This article will describe a typical slab foundation repair project using drilled piers around the perimeter of your home only. A typical repair does not include interior piers that go under the middle of your house (interior work is a whole other scenario that doesn’t apply to everyone). So we’re sticking with a more normal sort of job with this post.
Your Foundation Repair Roadmap
This step-by-step guide shows you when team members will be at your home and what they’ll be doing. After 40+ years and thousands of repair jobs, we’ve developed systems and checklists to meet the intent of the repair plan and exceed your expectations.
Here’s what’s coming:
- Before We Arrive: Pre-Job Setup
- Day One: Meeting the Crew and Getting Started
- Work Phase 1: Digging, Drilling, and Pouring Concrete
- The Waiting Period: Concrete Curing Time
- Work Phase 2: Lifting and Leveling Your Home
- Plumbing Repairs (If Needed)
- Work Phase 3: Mud-Pumping and Final Cleanup
Note: This is a detailed guide. We’re giving you an in-depth prep on what to realistically expect during Anchor’s slab foundation repair process. If you prefer to take it step-by-step, read about each phase as it happens. We put jump links in so you can skip to the step you’re ready to read about next.
1. Before We Arrive: Pre-Job Setup
Before your foundation repair starts, we handle a couple of required tasks (especially if you live in Bryan or College Station).
Call 811 for a Dig Test
When digging around your home, we’re required to call 811 for a “dig test” to keep underground utility lines safe. Crews will mark various underground lines with colored flags and spray paint. If you have natural gas, Atmos Energy sends their own people for gas line markings.
Anchor takes care of this call. You don’t have to do anything or be home when they come. If you’re curious, here’s what happens when someone calls 811 in our area.
Pull a Work Permit
In Bryan and College Station, work permits are required for foundation repair. Anchor handles getting permits requested. Some cities affix a paper permit to your window, while others use electronic records.
You may or may not see a permit displayed—don’t worry if you don’t. If you live outside city limits or in a smaller city, permitting isn’t always required.
2. Day One: Meeting the Crew and Getting Started
What an exciting day! Here’s what to expect when Team Anchor 💪 arrives.
Start Date and Work Time
The Anchor Office will confirm your job start date as it nears. The team arrives sometime after 8 am and typically works until 4 pm (or a bit later to reach a good stopping point). You’ll get a heads up the day before your project starts along with an approximate arrival time.
Pre-Start Checklist
Within the first 20-30 minutes, the crew will:
- Check and test your irrigation/sprinkler system
- Photo/video landscaping items to document placement
- Move landscaping to a temporary location you designate
- Identify other items to move (termite traps, firepits, decor)
- Choose a driveway spot for temporary dirt storage (this will be removed later—you don’t want this bad dirt back)
- Locate your water shut-off valve and electrical panel (in case of unexpected issues)
- Meet and greet with the job foreman
Now it’s time to start digging!
3. Work Phase 1: Digging, Drilling, and Pouring Concrete
The team jumps in and starts working hard pretty quickly on day one. There’s digging first, then drilling, and eventually pouring concrete!
Digging Holes at Each Pier Location
Team members dig a 2×2-foot hole at each support location using wheelbarrows and shovels. These holes are square and neat.
Since this is all done by hand, it’s not loud—no heavy equipment. If sidewalks or porches need breaking up for pier access, we’ll coordinate jackhammering with you to avoid naptime or Zoom meetings. We dig easy holes first. This step takes some time and is hard work for our guys.
Holes are covered with plywood each evening for safety.
Drilling Down and Making Bell Bottoms
Using a 2-man motorized auger, we bore an 8-inch shaft 10-12 feet deep at each pier location to reach stable soil.
Then a “beller” creates the bell shape at the bottom. This spinning tool cuts the soil into a bell shape as it spins, creating a wider flared bottom.
The pier flares out at the bottom to maximize stability and resist uplifting—like a heavy anchor pulling down, keeping everything straight. This is the signature of the bell-bottom pier method. That bell makes for the longest-lasting, highest quality slab foundation repair.
When concrete pours into the shaft, it fills the space and creates a bell-shaped bottom, like bell-bottom pants with skinnier legs that flare out at the bottom.
Pouring Concrete for the Piers
Concrete is mixed in a concrete truck, brought by wheelbarrow, and poured at each pier location. This keeps heavy trucks off your driveway and on the street where they won’t damage your property.
The trucks can be a bit noisy, but they’re on the street, not right by your home. Once pouring is done, it’s time to wait.
Work Phase 1 takes about 3 to 5 days.
4. The Waiting Period: Concrete Curing Time
Concrete needs time to cure without pressure—this makes it strongest for your home’s piers. The heavier your home, the more curing time needed. Work stops during this period, but we’ll do some preliminary cleanup.
The curing period takes 8 to 12 days, depending on your home’s weight and weather. No one will be working, but important science-y things are happening with your concrete piers.
Dirt Haul Off
Remember that driveway dirt pile? After Phase 1, an independent trucking contractor we hire comes on Saturday, Sunday, or ASAP to haul it away. Yay!
Pressure Washing
All that dirt left your driveway . . . dirty? We’ll pressure wash your driveway as soon as possible after the dirt is gone. Nice, huh?
5. Work Phase 2: Lifting and Leveling Your Home
After concrete curing, the team returns for the raising phase. This is where it gets exciting! (Okay, maybe just for us . . .)
The Lifting Process
The team places hydraulic bottle jacks on pier caps and begins raising and leveling your home. It’s not raised all at once, but in sections, working gradually. Those little jacks support up to 20 tons!
Until now, the crew stayed outside. Now they need inside access to monitor lifting progress—typically one person. Anyone entering removes their work boots, follows safety guidelines, and respects your home.
What You’ll Hear
Hydraulic jacks aren’t loud, but you might hear your home:
- Creaking
- Popping
- Groaning
This happens as your home slowly lifts to level. It’s completely safe. Never in our history has a homeowner been injured while in their home during the leveling process.
You might not enjoy these noises, but it’s safe. This could be a good time for shopping, a movie, or lunch if you prefer. Just remember, someone will be going in and out to monitor the raising process.
Shimming into Place
Once the home reaches the right position, the team hammers steel shims to hold it in place. These index card-sized metal rectangles of different thicknesses go between the pier top and your home.
We raise the whole house with jacks, monitor for alignment, then shim it securely. *BOOM*—your house is now in place at the proper elevation.
Plumbing Pressure Testing
Once shimming is complete and the home is level, we conduct a plumbing pressure test to ensure:
- Your under-slab plumbing has no leaks
- We’re ready for mud-pumping
We’ll need interior access for this procedure. It doesn’t take long, and the peace of mind is worth the time. You’ll have confirmation that nothing’s leaking under your home that could cause problems later.
This lifting and leveling phase typically takes 2 to 3 days.
6. Plumbing Repairs (If Needed)
This step won’t apply to everyone. About 25-30% of foundation repair jobs identify plumbing issues, so be prepared for possible additional time and expenses. (Sorry! But it happens.)
Why Do Plumbing Problems Happen?
When your foundation settles, the plumbing lines embedded in your slab move with it. This movement causes pipes to separate at joints, cracks in older cast iron lines, or stress on rigid pipes that can’t flex.
Some homeowners already know they have plumbing issues, which is often why the foundation repair is happening. If an unexpected problem surfaces, tunneling and repair will be necessary.
We wish there were a “magic crystal plumbing problem ball” to know about these sooner. When they invent one, we’ll be first in line.
If you need tunneling, we dig a tunnel under your home so a plumber can make the repair. Further plumbing pressure testing may happen to ensure no other issues exist.
If this doesn’t apply to your home, we skip straight to the final phase.
7. Work Phase 3: Mud-Pumping and Final Cleanup
The home is in position, and the plumbing is all good. Now we begin the final phase and get you back to normal. You’ll know this is happening when a big, pretty dirt pile gets delivered. Yay! Dirt!
Hole Filling and Patching
Time to fill those holes. We won’t use the bad dirt we took out. Instead, a load of topsoil or sandy loam from our soil supplier fills the holes.
What Is Mud-Pumping?
Your home has been lifted, creating space underneath that wasn’t there before. We fill these gaps using “mud-pumping“—a flowing mix of Portland Cement, topsoil, and water called “slurry” that supports the interior of your home. This process needs careful interior monitoring, so a foreman will need access to keep an eye on the progress.
Why we mud-pump:
- Prevent drainage and erosion that can undo the work
- Support the interior floor so it doesn’t sound hollow
- Keep critters out—no new tenants under your house
- Minimize the chances of future foundation settlement into voids
A small machine (looks like a motorized wheelbarrow) pumps the cement-dirt mix under your home through a hose. It’s not too noisy—like a lawnmower in the background—but it means we’re almost done.
We also patch any holes made in sidewalks, porches, patios, or decks.
Clean-Up and Final Checklist
We go through the same steps as job start to ensure everything returns to its previous state:
- Check and test irrigation/sprinkler system
- Replace landscaping items to original locations (using reference pictures)
- Return other items (termite traps, firepits, etc.)
- Clear away or spread remaining topsoil
This final phase, including mud pumping and clean up, typically takes 1 to 2 days. Sometimes, we have to wait a day or two before putting things back to avoid wet concrete areas, but we’ll get it all back in place for you!
We’ll Communicate Throughout the Entire Process
We use Buildertrend—an online communication system that keeps you updated on work progress. The team takes pictures and videos, and the office posts updates to your Buildertrend portal so you can see what’s happening every step of the way.
This helps lower worry and uncertainty with any large home project. It may generate additional questions—we value that and have an easy way to communicate through this tool.
Haven’t checked into your Buildertrend account yet? You can see invoices and make payments conveniently. Contact [email protected] if you need help getting started.
You’re Ready for Your Foundation Repair Journey
Now you know what to expect during your foundation repair project with Anchor. We’ve designed our process to keep you informed, minimize disruption, and deliver exceptional results.
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we’ve been serving Bryan, College Station, and the Brazos Valley since 1985. Your lifetime transferable warranty covers the work we do, giving you peace of mind for years to come.
If you have questions as your project approaches, reach out to our team—we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you’ve got any other questions, visit our Learning Center as your go-to foundation repair resource. We’ve got hundreds of articles addressing all your important inquiries.
