This Home Was Saved From Collapsing in Millville, New Jersey

Friday, October 7th, 2016 by Jesse Cecola

Challenge

Following the effects of Super Storm Sandy in 2012, this Millville, New Jersey, the home had experienced extensive foundation damage to the walls and floors of the basement. An engineer’s report stated the walls and floor would have to be replaced to ensure the safety of the South Jersey home. The homeowner called Dry Guys after seeing our trucks and crews helping other families recover from the hurricane’s deadly forces. Due to the magnitude of the situation, the owner Dan Gattuso, went out to assess the situation. The stone wall in the corner of the basement had deteriorated and was falling apart due to the hydrostatic pressure put on the wall. It was visibly bowing and on the outside, a sinkhole had formed, showing the dirt had moved inward towards the home. In the basement, the brick flooring had begun to heave and the floodwaters had swept sand through the area, leaving large mounds throughout the space.

Solution

The Dry Guys team began by cleaning the sand out of the basement and removing the damaged brick flooring to be replaced with a concrete floor. Once the basement was cleared out, our team began to recreate the corner of the basement. This stopped further deterioration of the foundation wall due to the corner being the "hotspot" of the problem. The corner was cemented in and the attention was then directed to the floor. Our team laid down our patented CactusBoard Foundation Waterproofing System around the perimeter of the wall. This is to keep the basement dry by allowing water seepage from the wall to fall below the floor and disperse into the soil below. The concrete floor was poured and smoothed evenly, which completed the restoration. “The Dry Guys worked extremely hard to shore up my foundation from Hurricane Sandy and to prevent the groundwater from continuing to do damage,” said Rebecca, the homeowner. “I was amazed at the transformation of my basement from being a muddy mess to a place where I can once again store things and feel comfortable!”

Project Summary

Foreman: Elliot Gattuso

Salesman: Ian Gattuso

Crew Team: Ian Rock

Crew Team: Christan Stroughn

Crew Team: John E.

This Millville, New Jersey, home suffered foundation damage following the events of 2012's Super Storm Sandy.

The red arrow show the height of the water during the flood.

Sand mounds had formed after the basement had drained from flooding.

The brick flooring had begun to heave around the previous sump pump.

Bowing of the wall can be seen here due to the pressure being put on it from the outside.

The combination of water and pressure caused the corner of the foundation to begin to deteriorate. The cracking and pushing of the wall can easily be seen.

A sinkhole had formed next to the house where the bowing of the wall mostly occurred. This severely affected the walkway where the sinkhole had pulled dirt away from the concrete, compromising its safety.