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GJ MacRae Foundation Repair

The Original Wetbasements Experts – Since 1975
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THE GTA'S HIGHEST RATED

Basement Underpinning in Toronto: Expand Your Basement

GJ MacRae Foundation Repair is an award-winning second generation family-run Basement Waterproofing, Foundation Repair, and Underpinning company serving the Greater Toronto Area.

Our Services Are Trusted By

Need Some Extra Space? The Solution is Right Below Your Feet

No matter your home’s size, you always need more free space! This is the story of every household, and having a home with enough storage space is something everyone wants. Most people build up or build sideways to tackle the space problem. However, these solutions are not as good or efficient as building down. Yes, you read that right. You can build down instead of building up or building out sideways! Building sideways is not a great option because you lose a good chunk of space from your garden/backyard, and your house may look strange, dimensionally speaking. Also, building up requires a tremendous amount of money and will change the entire structure of your upper floors. Basement Underpinning is the most convenient, cost-effective, and efficient way to get more space in your house. Building down takes way less money and does not require sacrificing your backyard or garden space, plus no reassessment of your property taxes!

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The Most Trusted Basement Underpinning Company in Toronto

GJ MacRae Foundation Repair is an entirely family-owned basement waterproofing and foundation repair company that has been providing basement underpinning services in the GTA since 1975. Having served over 10,000+ customers, we are the most trusted basement underpinning company in Toronto, and our experienced team can create an ideal solution for your basement.

GJ MacRae Foundation Repair has served The GTA, Hamilton, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Toronto, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Georgetown, and surrounding areas since 1975. Need more space in your house? Give us a call.

Why Do We Underpin Basements?

Basement underpinning excavates beneath your foundation walls and extends your footings vertically (typically 24″-36″ in height). Basement underpinning reinforces the current footings and can add significant height to your basement. The soil underneath the existing footing is carefully dug out, and a new footing is poured vertically. Temporary jacks are installed to support the beams as the new footings are completed. A new drainage system is installed throughout, and all the necessary plumbing work is done, followed by pouring a new concrete floor. This entire process helps to increase the height of your ceiling by several feet without compromising the livable space (compared to using bench footings).

Basement underpinning is done for several reasons. Most people want to repair their old footing and reinforce it with new, more substantial footings that can carry the additional weight. Or, some homeowners are looking to increase their basement ceiling height to create a livable space with more storage. Due to these features, your basement is robust and more usable, and it will get a much better value during a sale. Underpinning your foundation is completed for various reasons, including stabilizing your home from structural damage or creating a larger living space. Here are four other reasons basement underpinning in Toronto homes benefits you.

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Basement Underpinning Makes Your Home Easily Accessible

During basement underpinning, when you remove the existing floor, you get to understand the hidden mechanics of your home. Also, any needed repairs can be carried out during basement underpinning, such as upgrading the waterproofing system, changing the plumbing and drains, or inspecting your basement insulation. These minor repairs in time can prevent major expenses in the future.

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Taller Basement Height Means More Livable Space

One of the primary reasons why people do basement underpinning is to increase the height of their basement ceiling. Old homes were constructed without considering much of the basement height, so basement underpinning in Toronto is trendy. A taller basement means using it for a game room, store room, an in-law suite, or a separate basement apartment to generate additional income.

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Eliminates Potential Structural Problems in the Future

Due to weather conditions, soil types, or simply the age of the building, the foundation footing can start to deteriorate. They can be a considerable risk if not taken care of. Underpinning your basement involves adding a new footing beneath the existing footings and making necessary repairs to your footings and foundation walls. This ensures that your footings are more substantial and eliminates the structural problems in the foundation walls.

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Value For Money/Cost Effectiveness

Basement underpinning is valuable because it gives your house a new life by strengthening your footing. You also get a taller basement, allowing you to enjoy more livable space! And if someday you feel like selling the house, you are guaranteed to get a better value for your home. Investing in basement underpinning is one of the best home improvements you can make to your house in the long run.

Don’t Build Up or Out – Build Down!

01

The first step is to contact an engineer to come to your home for a design drawing. The drawing is a detailed plan of the structure and a plan on how to extend the footings and remove load-bearing walls throughout the entire basement. This plan is then used to obtain a building permit from the city.

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After the building permit approval, we begin the process. The basement is emptied, and we install temporary jacks (where applicable) to support the home and distribute the structure’s weight.

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After the jacks are in place, we start with the underpinning. The concrete floor is removed, and excavation is carried out very carefully in three stages, so make sure you choose the right contractor for the job!

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The foundation walls are divided into multiple zones, and we pour new foundation footings one at a time. After they are poured and cured, we move on to other underpins, and so on.

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Once all the zones are completed and set, we will install new plumbing and waterproofing systems in the basement walls, and footings and drainage systems will be installed before we move into the next step.

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Then, we install a minimum of 6 inches of ¾” gravel on the floor for the base. This allows for proper drainage and acts as a floor base. A new concrete floor is then poured and left to set.

HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION REPAIR

Why Choose GJ MacRae?

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KEEP YOUR HOME SAFE LONG TERM

Protect Your Foundation

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

Some Kind Words From Our Customers

Robert Sraka
Robert Sraka
2024-03-19
From our initial discussion with Dean through to the completion of the project I was most impressed with knowledge and professionalism. We had foundation damage from a tree root and they took the time to explain what was required and the steps involved in rectifying the situation. I highly recommend GJ MacRae for any foundation work you may need.
Wendy M
Wendy M
2024-03-13
The extremely labour-intensive work done on our heritage home basement by the staff at GJ MacRae was nothing but impressive! They handled it all with great care, attention and finesse every step of the way. Thank you!
Lisa Nicholson
Lisa Nicholson
2024-03-09
Our experience with Gavin went very well. We are very pleased with the quality of work that was done. They did an excellent job repairing the leaks and the cleanup was great too. Gavin was a pleasure to deal with. He was very professional and pleasant. We highly recommend this company.
Stephanie Williams
Stephanie Williams
2024-02-29
Honest, courteous, thorough, professional, reliable, on-time, clean and trustworthy. Solved our home’s basement water concerns caused from living on the flood plain (water table). Would definitely recommend GJMacRae Ltd as the company to fix your wet basement. Dean and his crew’s attention to detail solved the various challenges of our 91 year old home.
Maria Aleman
Maria Aleman
2024-02-05
Dean, came out right away after we noticed water in our basement and provided an estimate. Communication with him was easy and he answered all my questions. Work was done within the week. I had a great experience and will recommend to others.
Jakob Backstrom
Jakob Backstrom
2023-11-17
Gavin and his team did a great job. Right from quoting the job I had confidence they can do the job well and had the experience. Great videos on their website really help you understand what’s involved in foundation repair.
Bob
Bob
2023-11-15
Job was done in 2 days which I was amazed it could be done that quickly! That’s a lot of pails of concrete and rock that had to be shuttled in and out of the house! The guys were all very friendly and let me know everything that was being done and answered all my questions! The bowed wall looks solidly supported now with carbon fibre strapping and the water found beneath the floor is now being safely routed through newly installed Plastic Weeper to our sump. We now have peace of mind that we can finish the basement with no leaks or crumbling walls! Thankyou Gavin, Maggi, Ricardo and Jay!
Debra Gold
Debra Gold
2023-10-16
We would like to express our gratitude to G.J. McRae for the exceptional job they did in restoring our peace of mind. Every time it rained or snowed, our basement would leak, causing us great distress. However, the crew from G.J. McRae arrived promptly, worked diligently, and efficiently resolved the issue. They even left our backyard in excellent condition, cleaning up after themselves. We cannot thank you enough for the outstanding service and for making us feel confident that the problem is now completely resolved. We are so happy to be able to not worry about this any longer.
Tricia LaDouceur
Tricia LaDouceur
2023-10-16
Workers were on time and professional. Quality and value for money. My only issue was the concrete poured was a little uneven causing a small lip near the drain. We managed to smooth it out. Would highly recommend GJ MacRae Foundation Repair.
John Prostran
John Prostran
2023-10-10
Very happy with the work done by the GJ Macrae team. Recommend them to anyone for the quality of their work and the amazing warranty, that provides a piece of mind, that they have.

Get the Most Out of Your Basement by Underpinning

Gone are the days when the basement was just another crawl space that was cold, damp, and smelled musty. Get the most out of your basement by basement underpinning. Get a basement with sufficient height and utilize the space in many ways. Use your basement as a game room, party room, or bedroom. You can enjoy a better basement with basement underpinning and a more robust foundation structure. All the necessary upgrades and repairs can be carried out during basement underpinning, increasing your house’s life expectancy. What more can you ask for than a tall basement, more usable space, stronger foundations, and higher value for your home?

Wait no longer and contact GJ MacRae. Contact us today for a free consultation. Fill out the form below or contact us at (905) 824-2557 for more information.

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YOUR FREE GUIDE TO BASEMENT WATERPROOFING

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We’re honored to provide these resources to help you on your journey, and we know reputations are hard to build and easy to lose. That’s why our business is built around two simple promises:

Honesty and Transparency.

We genuinely want each step of your journey (from the very first Google search to a leak-free basement) to be positive!

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Our Service Areas

At GJ MacRae, we take pride in extending our services across the GTA to meet our valued customers’ unique needs, and our dedicated team is committed to delivering top-notch solutions all year long. Our expansive service areas are a testament to our unwavering commitment to the highest quality foundation repair services and customer satisfaction in the GTA.

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Schedule a Free Consultation Today

Fill out our request form and we will contact you as soon as possible for a free foundation repair consultation!

Frequently Asked Questions

Basement underpinning is a concrete forming process that involves strengthening the foundation of a building by excavating soil beneath its footing and reinforcing it with concrete. Underpinning can also be used to increase ceiling height in a basement. 

Basement underpinning is necessary when the existing foundation is not strong enough to support the weight of the building or if the foundation has suffered damage due to natural disasters or other causes. Homeowners also choose basement underpinning when they want extra basement headroom and do not want to expand up or sideways.

The duration of basement underpinning projects depends on the size of the building, specifications, and project access. Generally, underpinning projects can take several weeks to several months to complete.

The cost of basement underpinning varies depending on the size of the building, the underpinning required, and project access.

Basement underpinning is not a DIY project. It requires specialized knowledge, equipment, and expertise to complete safely, and it is essential to hire a professional contractor with basement underpinning experience. You can call GJ MacRae anytime for a free quote.

Basement underpinning can increase the structural integrity of a building, increase ceiling height, and the overall value of a property.

When choosing a contractor for basement underpinning, looking for someone with experience with similar projects, who is licensed and insured, and who provides a written contract and warranty for their work is crucial. You can also check their references and reviews from previous clients. We have been providing basement underpinning services for nearly five decades and provide best-in-class workmanship.

Expert Waterproofing Services for Your Home

GJ MacRae Foundation Repair has been the industry leader for reliable basement waterproofing in the Greater Toronto Area Since 1975. Nearly five decades of experience inform our proven multi-stage repair process based on below-grade drainage considerations that allow us to waterproof concrete blocks, poured walls, and stone rubble foundation walls properly for the long term. Our repair solutions for leaking foundation cracks include using bitumen-based barrier membranes and high-efficiency weeping tile systems, which give us the edge in reliability and allow for the most robust foundation repair warranty available today in the GTA. Experience the GJ MacRae difference for year-round basement leak repairs in Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga, Burlington, Hamilton, Milton, and Georgetown. If you spot cracked foundation walls, leaky foundations, or any other basement waterproofing issues in your house, reach out and call us today at (905) 824-2557.

Quality Foundation Repair Done Right.