If you have noticed cracks in your home’s walls or floors, it is essential to contact a foundation repair contractor right away. If left untreated, the damage will worsen over time.
Foundation Repair isn’t cheap, but it is relatively fast and doesn’t require extensive construction. There are several different methods for repairing your home’s foundation.
Steel piers are a highly effective way to stabilize your foundation when the soil beneath it is failing. They are driven into the soil and have been known to reach bedrock, giving you outstanding stability. Also called resistance piers or push piers, they are the preferred method of many foundation repair specialists.
This support option is ideal for structures that have sunk or settled due to organic soils, shrinking and swelling clays, poor soil compaction, footer embedding, erosion and more. This is a very durable and long-lasting solution that is installed quickly, allowing your foundation to be restored in just days instead of weeks.
Unlike concrete pilings, which require time to set, steel piers are able to be installed much faster. They are also less susceptible to damage from frost and ground movement, which means they will be able to support your home for longer. This system is also more economical than concrete pilings, saving you money in the long run.
When using this method for your foundation repairs, a site survey will be performed to determine where piers should be placed around the structure. The location of underground utilities will also be confirmed. Small excavations will be required at each pier placement location. This allows the piers to be loaded and tested during installation. The load transferred to the piers is carefully monitored during this phase, and the piers are documented with their installation force, depths to verified bearing stratum and final pier working loads after restoration.
After the piers are tested, they will be connected to a manifold lift system that will gently and evenly transfer the weight of the structure to them. This process is incredibly safe, quiet and efficient. The hydraulic jacks are removed once the piers have been safely and securely transferred to their new loads. The soil that was excavated at each pier placement will be replaced and compacted.
One drawback of steel piers is that they do not offer as many aesthetic options as concrete foundations, which can be finished in different ways and made to match your home’s exterior. Additionally, steel piers are more expensive than concrete pilings and may not be the best choice for budget-minded homeowners.
Concrete Pile
Concrete piles are long, slender columns made of concrete that are driven into the ground to serve as a sturdy foundation for various types of structures. They’re a vital component in civil engineering projects that require deep foundations, such as skyscrapers and bridges that span vast water bodies. They’re also often used for foundation repair, as they can help to support sunken sections of a home.
There are several different methods that can be used to install a concrete pile. One technique involves using a hydraulic ram to press the piles into place. This method is typically used to support a foundation that has experienced severe movement. However, it can also be used to stabilize other sunken portions of a home, such as driveways and sidewalks.
Another method of installing a concrete pile uses steel reinforcing rods to create a support system. This method is typically used to support helical piles and can be used in conjunction with other structural repair techniques, such as steel piers or concrete push piers.
One of the most popular forms of a concrete pile is a precast, cast-in-situ, or prestressed pile. These piles are manufactured at a factory and then transported to the construction site where they’re installed with a heavy machine called a pile driver. They’re commonly used in coastal areas, where they’re often a cost-effective alternative to more traditional concrete piles.
The advantage of these piles is their ability to transfer load from a building to the surrounding soil or rock. This makes them an ideal solution for areas where the surface soil has insufficient load-bearing capacity. In addition, their durability and strength make them an excellent choice for supporting structures that require a long lifespan.
Although they offer many advantages, there are some disadvantages to using concrete piles. One of the most significant is their installation process, which can be difficult and time-consuming. Additionally, piles can be damaged by vibrations caused by the driving of pile drivers.
In addition to these issues, concrete piles can be subject to movement from the underlying soil. This movement can occur for a variety of reasons, including climate changes and seismic activity. This can cause the piles to shift and may not be able to provide adequate support for your home. For this reason, it’s important to choose a foundation repair company that knows the area and understands how soils move. Also, beware of companies that quote a 1″ tolerance for their repairs because this is a perspective tolerance that is not defined by City codes.
Poured Concrete Piers
One of the most popular types of foundation pier is made from concrete. These piers are less expensive than steel ones, but they work just as well to end foundation problems. They’re easy to use and they don’t deteriorate quickly. They also redistribute a structure’s weight to a more reliable area under the building, helping to prevent damage and cracking.
Typically, concrete base piers are poured onsite. First, the contractor will excavate a hole 12-24″ in diameter next to the foundation at a depth that has been pre-determined by the geotechnical engineer. The rebar cage is inserted and then fresh concrete is poured to fill the shaft. Once cured, concrete piers are able to resist both vertical and lateral stresses.
Poured concrete piers are a big, solid cylinder of reinforced concrete that can be purchased in prefabricated forms from home improvement stores (one brand is called Sonotube(r)). They are used to stabilize the foundation and extend its life by transferring weight to load-bearing soils under the foundation.
If your pier and beam or crawlspace foundation has settled, this can create gaps around doors and windows, and even affect the structural integrity of the house. This kind of problem is usually caused by expansive soils, differential settling, or erosion. Underpinning, which is the process of installing a system of vertical anchors under a foundation to transfer the weight of the structure to more stable, load-bearing soils, can resolve these issues.
This type of repair will require a full engineering report to be compiled by a geotechnical engineer. This report will detail the soil types under the foundation, their load-bearing capacity, and how the structure is being affected by them. Once the report has been completed, the engineer will recommend the best repair option for your property.
Poured concrete piers and helical piers are both long-term solutions for repairing a foundation, but they will need to be maintained. Regular tweaks, reshims and replacements will ensure that they are able to support your structure for as long as possible. Proper maintenance will help keep them in great shape, and will reduce the amount of time you’ll spend on repairing them.
Steel Pier Supports
When structural repair needs to be performed on large projects like warehouses, high-rise apartment buildings and production facilities, steel piers are a preferred choice for foundation support. This is because they have a higher load capacity than concrete piers and are unaffected by soil shifts. In addition, they are less prone to corrosion, making them ideal for long-term use.
Steel piers are also an effective solution for older houses, especially those with a wood-framed basement. They are able to lift the house and correct issues such as drywall cracks, floor gaps, and separation between door and window frames that have been caused by the foundation shifting.
These piers are installed by trained and certified professionals who will conduct an inspection of the foundation and surrounding soil to determine what is causing the sinking and settling. They can then recommend the number and location of piers needed to restore stability to the structure.
The installation of steel piers can be completed quickly and without disruption to the home. They are also environmentally friendly, reducing the amount of noise and vibration produced during construction. This is a major advantage over traditional concrete foundations that can disturb sensitive environmental conditions and require extensive excavation and curing time.
Unlike other forms of support, steel piers are driven deep into the ground, often through clay, to reach a hard strata of weathered shale or bedrock. This means that the piers will never be subject to changes in water levels and are not susceptible to expansion or contraction of the soil, which can cause further damage to the foundation and house.
In most cases, steel piers are installed using hydraulic equipment that is easy to transport to the site. Once the piers are placed, the hydraulic jacks are used to lift the house onto the piers and stabilize it. The Field Superintendent ensures that interior and exterior elevation readings are taken at regular intervals during the lifting process, so that the piers can be adjusted accordingly.
Once the piers have been installed and loaded, they can be topped with a friction collar to provide additional support for the structure. The piers are then sealed and the job site is backfilled. The piers are monitored for future movement and, once deemed safe, the steel piers can be removed with relative ease.