Freehold, NJ. – Concrete Repair and Lifting Services

Freehold, New Jersey, is a place of great historical interest. Among the most interesting pieces of history is how Freehold, NJ came to have the area’s first railroad station.

Rapid growth of the town and surrounding farm communities in the mid 1850’s led to the construction of an electrical grid and a telephone switchboard, at a time when these inventions were still brand new. Many of the original buildings with concrete foundations are still standing. Freehold soon had public sewers! These public advancements caused rapid economic growth in Freehold, making the town very attractive to the railroads, and a railway station was built near the courthouse. Technological advancement has had great impact on America throughout its history.

Freehold Trivia: The Freehold Raceway opened in 1853. The racetrack is still open today, and is one of the oldest harness racetracks in America.

Freehold also has a relatively forgotten but important place in the history of the bicycle. Cycling champion Arthur Augustus Zimmerman lived in the town and operated the Zimmerman Bicycle Co.; the company’s bicycles were called the “Zimmy.” The last remaining Zimmy is still on display at the Metz Bicycle Museum.

Freehold, while beautiful, has a somewhat disagreeable climate. Winters are cold – very cold – while summers are hot and can be very humid. Precipitation is plentiful during all seasons. As one would assume, the form of precipitation varies with the temperatures.

Winter snow is beautiful – especially if you can view it through a window while sitting in front of a fireplace. At some point that snow will melt and run down into the yard, adding to the moisture in the ground that will expand and contract, adding to the possibility of developing cracks in your sidewalks, driveway, and foundation.

During the past winter of 2017 – 2018, Freehold enjoyed so much snow that there were an unusually high number of “snow days,” when the snow was so deep that office workers were ordered to stay home. What a treat it is to have your boss’ blessing to take a day off. It would be pure heaven unless, of course, your children are snowed in with you. You may need be creative in finding activities to occupy your kids so you can relax.

After the snow has melted and the rain has stopped (at least for the moment) it’s time to assess the condition of structures on your property to determine whether you’ve come unscathed through the severe winter weather, which included “Thunder Snow,” and torrential spring rains.

You walk around the house to look for damage. You leave the house through the back door to check the patio and sidewalks, and they look good. The front steps, however, are damaged. The porch itself seems OK, but the top step has sagged, causing it to break from the porch. There is no question that the steps are in need of Concrete Repair. It hasn’t occurred to you yet, but the porch and lower step might also need attention. Time to find an expert.

Three of your neighbors who have needed Concrete Repair in the past recommend the same service provider, which is good enough for you. The Concrete Repair specialist arrives promptly to examine your steps. He tells you the top step (porch) is also off level, and uses his Level tool to show you. He happens to have his Mudjacking equipment in his truck, and can get right to work – after he explains “mudjacking” for you.

He will use a drill to make a few small holes in the front edge of the porch and the top step. He carefully pushes his mudjacking device through the holes, and injects a specially mixed concrete under the areas that are sagging. The concrete will expand to fill the open spaces in the earth beneath the step, and will quickly harden to support the steps and return them to their original height. The small holes he drilled will be filled with concrete. After that, filling in the crack at the base of the porch will be quick and simple.

Before the Concrete Repair expert leaves, he offers to take a quick walk around the outside of the house to look for other potential trouble areas. Finding nothing, he thanks you and is on his way. You are so glad you found the defect in the concrete steps while it was still easy to fix. You are also very pleased to know that your house weathered Freehold’s four seasons well.

Spring is here, and all is well.