Are your foundations in need of repair?
As a homeowner, the condition of your foundations may not be of immediate concern but are critical to the integrity of your property.
Your foundation is the structure that distributes the gravity load of your building, transferring it evenly into the earth for stability of the structure.
Foundation can be deteriorated by:
Poor construction, humidity, bad drainage, pests, and leaks. If severe, your home’s foundation will start to fail. This is a major problem which requires specialist assessment and intervention.
Some of the symptoms include:
Cracking in internal and exterior walls, doors and windows failing to close, sunken or sloping floors bowing of basement walls. If you have any of these, it is best to seek specialist advice. Problems that are tackled early can save you the cost and heartache of major structural repairs.
Helical piles offer an effective solution for dealing with settling or sinking foundations
For foundations where the integrity is compromised, a long term strategy to support and stabilize the foundations is needed. The foundations need to be appropriately anchored to prevent further deterioration of your property.
This can be done by underpinning. Underpinning is a process where your structure is strengthened and supported by transferring the building weight to helical screw piles driven deep into earth beneath your property in ground that is more stable.
What exactly are helical piles?
Helical piles, also known as screw piles or helical piers are steel piles which typically consist of a round or square shaft with a steel plate wound on. This helical plate is used to screw the pile deep into the ground. Many screwpile designs also carry a bracket which affords sound application to the building and existing foundation. Helical piles can be used with new or existing foundations. They are readily applied in a variety of conditions as they cause minimal soil disturbance. This innovative solution offers a relatively fast and cost effective method of load transfer from your building to multiple helical plates once professionally applied.
Why helical piles are an effective solution for your foundations?
Helical piles are a surprisingly versatile solution and work well in a variety of soil conditions. These piles can be located in close proximity to utility cabling. They also do not require extensive excavation for their installation. Once positioned, the helical plate immediately becomes load bearing with the critical load being transferred from faulty foundation to the pile’s end-plate.
How are helical piles installed?
Following detailed inspection, assessment and measurements of your property by a structural engineer, custom helical piles are fabricated. These bespoke piles are uniquely modeled to support your building and work effectively in the ground conditions you have present. The underpinning process involves a relatively small amount of excavation to expose the foundations where the helical pile connects to its custom pile bracket. The pile can then be screwed into the ground using handheld or machinery methods. An equivalent foundation repair using an alternate method can take weeks, rather than the days for the screw pile repair process.
Contact a Qualified Professional
Foundation work is definitely not a do-it-yourself project, so it makes good sense to get a licensed contractors to give you a detailed proposal along with an assessment of your issues.
If your foundation has cracks, bowing walls, foundation settlement, or your need a remodeling estimate, call us today for an appointment at 1-800-980-3570 and get a free estimate on any of our services. We service Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside County, Ventura County, and all surrounding Southern California areas.
