Why are homes in San Diego County settling? 

Residential planned neighborhood in San Diego County California

In San Diego County, the demand for water and the region's semi-arid environment mean that groundwater pumping is a significant factor contributing to soil subsidence. As underground water tables drop, the soil and sediment layers above them lose structural support, compacting and causing the land surface (and your home's foundation) to settle unevenly.

This subsidence is often compounded by "differential settlement," which is common in the beautiful master-planned communities built in San Diego County during the housing booms of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. To create thousands of flat lots in the hilly terrain, developers used a construction method called "cut and fill". They essentially cut the tops off the hills and pushed that dirt into the valleys. 

If you live in one of these areas, there is a chance half of your house sits on hard, natural rock (the "cut"), while the other half sits on artificially compacted dirt (the "fill"). After 30 or 40 years, that fill dirt slowly compresses under the weight of your house.

When you combine these factors with San Diego County's notorious expansive clay soils - which swell like a sponge during winter rains and shrink violently during dry summers and it is easy to see why your concrete slab is losing its underlying support.

View of crack in the external corner wall of a home caused by settlement
Aerial view of a Southern California home with road in front

The renovation heartbreak

If you are now seeing diagonal drywall cracks, baseboards separating from the wall, or a distinct slope in your brand-new hard floors, you are experiencing the reality of San Diego County soil settlement.

The good news? You do not have to tear up your beautiful new yard or move out of your house to fix it. Geobear’s geopolymer injection compacts the loose "fill" dirt and treats the expansive clay, stabilizing your home from the inside out while leaving your renovations completely intact.

Areas we serve across San Diego County 

We provide fast, non-disruptive foundation repair to homeowners throughout the entire San Diego County region. Whether you are dealing with a sinking slab in a tract home in Chula Vista or Oceanside, settling issues in master-planned communities like Carlsbad or Escondido, or foundation movement in coastal luxury properties across La Jolla, Coronado, and Encinitas, Geobear has a local team ready to deploy.

 

We also frequently stabilize soils and level pool decks in communities including San Diego, San Marcos, Vista, and El Cajon. No matter where you are in the county, our zero-excavation process means we can fix your foundation without ruining your property's curb appeal. 

Get in touch with our Riverside team

Contact us today to talk with our experts and discuss any concerns you may have about your home's foundation.

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